Wise Control of Money

The new three-member majority of the Board of Supervisors took a controversial action earlier this month that on the surface appeared callous to some, but, in fact, was a step toward the strengthened management the county has long needed.

In a 3-2 vote, Supervisors Brian Bilbray, Susan Golding and George Bailey ended the practice of tying some social and health service expenditures to federal revenue-sharing money. It was not a popular decision among the private agencies whose contracts have been financed by revenue sharing, but it was the right thing to do.

There really never was much logic to the tradition that grew up here--unlike in the state’s other urban counties--of dedicating revenue-sharing money to social and health services. Revenue sharing was never intended to be a perpetual funding source, and the wisest of local governments used the money for capital improvements so they did not become dependent on it. Now the Reagan Administration is bringing the program to an end, so the county and those agencies that have become hooked on it are going to have to go cold turkey.

There seems to be some misunderstanding of just what the supervisors did in severing the relationship between revenue sharing and the health and social services programs it has financed. The board did not end all funding to all programs--the health and social services budget is about $480 million--nor did it say that the programs that have been receiving the federal money will no longer be supported by the county. What it did decide is that, from now on, social services must compete for financing along with all the other services county government provides.

The $3 million in revenue sharing that the supervisors did not allocate for social and health services next year will be added to the general fund. Some of that money undoubtedly will wind up going for social services.

Also of significance in this decision is the fact that, five years after the board began talking about weening the private agencies from revenue-sharing money, it finally has. The net effect will be to allow the supervisors to establish priorities among the service areas rather than simply continue to fund last year’s programs.

We probably will not agree with all the policy decisions the new board majority makes. But we are pleased to see the supervisors trying to exercise some true control over the direction county government is taking, and we hope this trend continues. Now it’s important for the board to hire a good chief administrative officer to provide effective management of the county staff.