Supervisors Order Plan for 3% Staff Reduction

Fearing a 1989 budget deficit, the Orange County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday ordered county officials to plan for a gradual, 3% reduction in county staffing over the next fiscal year.

Supervisor Gaddi H. Vasquez, who proposed the cutback, said work-force reductions should be achieved through attrition and reorganization rather than layoffs.

County administrators were uncertain Tuesday how much money might be saved. There are about 14,000 county employees.

Vasquez also proposed that the county administrative office explore other financial strategies, including increased fees for county services, a reduction in the size of government based on transfers of county services to newly created cities, and sharing some costs with cities.

‘State Will Shirk’

Vasquez said he would identify specific fees and services at a later date.

“We need to acknowledge the fact that revenues will never be sufficient to cover the needs of the county,” said Vasquez. “ . . . The state will undoubtedly continue to shirk its responsibilities for full funding of local and state-mandated programs, and . . . one-time revenues which we have relied on for the past several years are not going to continue,” Vasquez told the board.

The board unanimously adopted Vasquez’s recommendations. Supervisors also approved an earlier request from Board Chairman Harriett M. Wieder that county administrators prepare a five-year budget plan.

The board officially closed its hearings Tuesday on the $2.3-billion budget for the 1988-89 fiscal year that began July 1. A tentative budget was adopted June 30 and a final version is scheduled to be presented to the board late next month.

As in previous years, county administrators were forecasting layoffs and severe shortages in the budget until last week. Then they were able to balance the budget without cutbacks by using money they expect to receive in midyear, such as proceeds from the sale of surplus county property.

The supervisors voted Wednesday to freeze almost $18 million in the budget so the money will not be spent until such anticipated revenues are obtained.