O.C. Supervisors Pass $5.56-Billion Budget

Orange County supervisors Tuesday approved a $5.56-billion budget for the coming year, which generated little controversy because tax revenues were large enough to fully fund programs.

Swelling real estate values generated a property tax windfall, increasing county coffers by $96 million. Under the spending plan, the county will spend 11.4% more than it did last year.

One highlight is an added $10 million in funding for medical care for the indigent. The money will be distributed among hospitals and clinics throughout the county.

John Wayne Airport is getting $82 million for improvements, including baggage-handling equipment upgrades, a terminal building expansion and additional parking.

The Sheriff’s Department gets $3.5 million to staff and operate three more modules in Theo Lacy Branch Jail as the county continues to ramp up to full operations at the Orange facility.

The district attorney’s office receives an additional $700,000 to expand its high-tech crimes unit with eight more investigators, and the probation department gets $1.5 million and 15 new positions to reopen a youth and family resource center closed by previous budget cuts.

Among the few minor skirmishes over spending was a debate over who should pay for the Sheriff’s Department to patrol harbors along the county’s coastline. The patrols cost $10 million a year, with $3.8 million of that money coming from the Harbors, Beaches & Parks division which ordinarily maintains recreational facilities.

Supervisors essentially decided this year to relieve that division of the burden, in what may be a precursor to requiring the Sheriff’s Department to bear the full cost, charge cities such as Huntington Beach and Newport Beach that receive the patrols at no cost, or ask the cities to take over the responsibility.

Supervisor Jim Silva said as much during the hearing Tuesday, calling it a “first step” toward transferring the job from the county to the cities. Two Huntington Beach city officials spoke against such a possibility.

During budget workshop hearings this month, supervisors also took shots at killing programs they did not like, but those efforts failed. Supervisor Chris Norby had sought to eliminate funding for the Orange County Tourist Council, a $187,000-a-year expense that pays for a travel center. He said the center carried promotional material for a variety of attractions outside of Orange County and the state, and criticized it as a subsidy for businesses that should do their own promotional work.