Almost three months later than the annual county budget is usually adopted, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a $3.6 billion 2020-2021 budget that county officials say will likely require
yet more adjustments, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and the pressure those added expenses are putting on the county’s finances.
“It’s been a very difficult year on many fronts,” County Administrator David Twa said Tuesday. “We’re still in very uncertain times, including the ongoing effects of COVID.”
Adding to the cash flow problem, he said, is a significant portion of late county property tax payments related to COVID-19. The county in late March canceled penalties and interest on delinquent payments.
While $131 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act money has been spent so far on costs to run the county’s hospital, clinics and health plan, that money won’t last forever, Twa said.
The county’s budget situation has prompted the supervisors to support a half-cent countywide sales tax measure on the Nov. 3 general election ballot. Measure X would raise an estimated $81 million each year for 20 years.
Significant COVID-19-related expenses are likely to continue for anywhere from 12 to 24 months, Twa said.
As has been the case at each of the previous budget hearings, several callers to the Zoom meeting Tuesday implored the supervisors not to spend any federal CARES money on the Sheriff’s Office — specifically on 24 new deputies — and instead called for spending that money on education, social services including housing programs, and health services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Similarly, a number of callers called on the county to close Juvenile Hall in Martinez and keep the Orin Allen Youth Rehabilitation Facility, also known as the Byron Boys Ranch, open. Both the Byron and Martinez facilities are budgeted for this fiscal year, however.
But the newly approved budget could be changed before the end of the year regarding a possible closure of the sheriff’s Marsh Creek Detention Facility near Clayton, which currently isn’t hosting any inmates. The matter
is expected to come to the supervisors in October, Twa said.
Supervisor John Gioia said Tuesday he still has a few budget questions, including whether the Martinez jail needs 24 deputies to render the mental health-related services Sheriff David Livingston wants. But though he voted “no” on the budget on Aug. 4, he changed his vote Tuesday to make the approval unanimous, with assurances discussions on the other matters will continue.
“I support the budget as a whole,” Gioia said.
26 comments
How about trimming government salaries, pensions, and lifetime healthcare instead of pushing new taxes that only the socialists want?
Kauai Mike
You do realize county retirees as well as employees pay a portion of their health care. I pay over $400 for CCHP single coverage. Also my pension isn’t that great.
Perhaps you should research before shooting of an ignorant opinion
Would you take those jobs at a cut salary? There’s many of those regular positions where salaries are pretty average. Many times in my 25 year career I wanted to go be in public service. However, I make more at a publicly traded corporation. If you turn government jobs into low wage, who’s going to do them? How are you gonna run a densely populated city like Concord in a fairly substantial county like Contra Costa with less staff. The smartest of smart people are not going to government work. They’re going to companies where they can maximize their earning potential. If you think you could do the job better, Put your money where your mouth is and go try. If not, stay in your lane.
Actually Kauai Mike is correct in his statement; as well as, @Well Folks and @Concord Mom. The private sector on a whole does pay a higher wage than government positions; however, the majority of employees in the private sector contribute their own funds toward retirement (the days of company paid pensions and matches are long gone) . Also, the majority of companies in the private sector will only pay for the employees health insurance (up to a certain amount) and only while the employee is employed by the company. The employee is responsible for the rest of the families’ health care premiums; unlike, most government positions where they will cover the medical insurance premiums for the employees’ family. I believe what Kauai Mike is trying to say is that people (whether they work in the private sector or for the government) should start taking responsibility for their own financial future. As it stands now, most government employees don’t have to worry about medical insurance and retirement for life as the government will cover those expenses.
@Concord Mom
Anyone, and I mean ANYONE paying taxes in Contra Costa County has already put their money where it belongs and DOES NOT HAVE TO STAY IN THEIR LANE. And shame on you for saying that.
Quick question… how many in the private sector pay for a portion of their salary via paying taxes?
Again, cut the wage and benefit packages of all taxpayer funded employees then and only then may you consider asking for more from my paycheck.
Before you go after an ENTIRE working staff, perhaps you should check the rates of everyone. It sucks you think about high salary of small few when there are many who make average salaries. I wish people would take this same “cut salaries” attitude toward the top 1% of highly compensated corporate executives.
https://www.contracosta.ca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1392/Salary-SchedulePDF?bidId=
So the county budget is about $4 billion and with a population of about 1 million, that is $4 thousand per person they spend, like every year? Assuming I have those numbers right, that is kind of astonishing. Did you get $4 thousand in value from them? Last years presentation showed they spent $400 million related to homelessness, so divide $400 million by 1 million population means that is $400 per person it cost us for homelessness? I can only hope I am bad at math and that is not right.
What are you basing your disbelief on? Is it just that the amount sounds high? How much do you think it should cost to repair a road for example?
How much do you think people should pay to help the homeless and what are you basing your numbers on?
@Chuq
Let me see – how much people should pay to help the homeless? Well, if they are doing it as a charitable contribution, then however much they want. For instance, you personally are most welcome to spend all of your money, and then do the fundraising, and spend some more.
Otherwise, if we’re talking taxpayer-contributed funds, any and all spending should be subject to review and assessment of efficiency.
As for where these numbers are coming from – I believe ToDo is a little bit off – last year Contra Costa County spent $325 mil on homeless, not $400 mil. Google is your friend – took me exactly 5 seconds to find the official number.
Now, this amount is spent on ~3,000 homeless (2,300 by the official count including ~600 sheltered and 1,700 unsheltered).
This spending works out to more than 100K per homeless person. And the overall result is the growth of homeless population by 43%. If this isn’t an example of money being wasted, I don’t know what is.
Chuq: If you buy a bag of BBQ chips and they charge you $50 for it that might seem astonishing also. Maybe its just me. I do not believe that budget includes schools. So, where is the $4K of value per person? If you have a family of 4, that is $16K for your family that the county spends somewhere. Are you getting $16K of value from the county? This is not the Federal government (Soc Sec, defense, etc.), or the state(CalTrans, schools, etc), but just county. I would question $50 for a bag of BBQ chips as I would what we are getting for $4 billion.
Tashaj I didn’t ask what they were basing their numbers on I asked what they were basing your disbelief on.
And neither of you answered what amount of money you believed the government should spend per person. Am I getting $4K worth of value? I don’t know how you want to measure that value. I pay for schools despite having no children to send to school, I pay for public transportation despite not taking public transportation. I pay for libraries despite not visiting them. I didn’t go to any Fourth of July fireworks shows (in years when we could have them) though I expect I helped pay for them.
There are a lot of costs we are expected to pay to help maintain an ordered and healthy society; I don’t expect to be able to visibly see the effects of that money being spent. I assume a part of the benefit here is that homeless people are receiving food, shelter and medical attention and are not just dying in the streets from lack of care.
@Chuq:
You asked, and I quote: “How much do you think people should pay to help the homeless and what are you basing your numbers on”?
You received an answer to both questions. The fact that you didn’t like it doesn’t make it any less complete or any less accurate.
As for your statement (again, I quote) “I don’t expect to be able to visibly see the effects of that money being spent”… I’m glad that you’re so well off that you can afford to give money left and right and not care about how it is spent.
$100K a year per homeless person is a LOT of money for some assumed invisible benefit of homeless people not “dying on the street for lack of care”. First, they still die on the streets (see the number of unhoused homeless in my previous post), and second, this number doesn’t include “medical attention”, because hospitals and other medical services are listed in another part of the county budget.
For your information, Contra Costa County has the median household income of $100K and the median household size of 2.86 persons. Do the math – the vast majority of Contra Costa residents are living on a lot less than $100K/year per person. So I’m fairly certain that the vast majority of them do expect to see at least some evidence of their taxes being put to good use and not disappearing into a black hole. They don’t like it when someone is peeing on their leg and telling them it’s raining.
Chuq: Unfortunately for many issues we do just have to hope because we just do not have the knowledge or time to understand all of the issues. However, we can try to understand indirectly. We know we are one of the highest taxed states in the country, yet now we have large numbers if homeless and tent cities. Those did not exist a few decades ago. Something is wrong. I do not know what amount of money for the county is appropriate, but when it’s spending seems way out of proportion to any benefit I am aware of, I should be concerned.
Does that budget include the wishful thinking of the proposed $81 million per year sales tax? Shouldn’t more of the (CARES) Act money be spent so far on costs to run the county’s hospital, clinics and health plan instead of new deputies? This virus is going to be around for a while.
That is a massively overinflated, inefficient budget.
We need someone to go in their and slash the hell out of that thing. Starting with slashing county employees salary and benefits first and foremost.
Then we need to make sure anytime these communists dictate that ANYA PORTION of any industry cannot work, they immediately stop receiving salary and benefits. They are not generating any sort of value in government and are paid with taxes from people who do. Their salary and benefits will be the first to go.
The ride is over you leeches.
Support the budget as a hole?
They need to learn you cannot treat the citizens of your county like they are an ATM. Yup, like others have said here trim things in. I’d like to know how much of this is paying for pensions that keep paying the same wage that the worker was earning before retirement. When some of us heard about this years ago we asked, “just how does that work?” It seemed to be based on an overly positive view of the future with ecstatic economic growth that didn’t happen. Apparently some of the workers who were going to get such pensions didn’t ask that questions either.
What, no raise for the Board this year????
Bob – check pasted agendas it is there
Allow me to quote the Ghostbusters movie:
“You don’t know what it’s like to work in the private sector Peter. They expect results!”
May I remind the Board of Supervisors and Becton that one of the four youths apprehended in Pleasant Hill for a car jacking in Antioch was out awaiting trial for TWO PRIOR car jackings he had already committed this year. And they had one or more weapons in their possession. Some of these teens are extremely dangerous and should not be walking our streets. Do something.
Two thirds of county employees are eligible for some type of assistance based on salary alone. Employees hired since 2013 are not going to receive lifetime medical or pensions of the past. Contra Costa County one of the lowest paying employers at the County level. The employee portion of benefits are 35 percent in my case . no getting ahead.
94519 – mine was at 43% the day I retired. I make $30,000+ less retired than when I worked but my take home is about $4,000 less a year because the only thing coming out of my check is taxes and health care.
The general public is clueless as they refuse to educate themselves and just fly on ignorance
Well Folks, I pay 900 a month for medical. Not for my family just for me. And I have no health issues or previous health issues.
Comments are closed.