A Burgeoning County Budget?

James L. Doti of Chapman College presented a simplistic and misleading analysis of the county’s budget in the Aug. 26 commentary “Taxpayers will Eventually Balk at Burgeoning County Budget.”

The erroneous conclusion of the analysis is that the county budget has been mismanaged because expenditures have grown at a rate greater than population increases and inflation.

By simply looking at the county expenditures from 1975 to 1990, one might be led to such a false conclusion. However, Doti’s analysis lacks a much-needed recognition of the increasing complexity of the county structure and service system that has evolved over the past 15 years. This understanding is needed to truly grasp the expenditure picture.

A primary reason the county’s budget has grown over the past 15 years is that the state and federal governments have required the county to assume the financial and sometimes functional responsibilities for a host of services. Examples include mandated social services programs and construction and financing of new highways in the county.

Additionally, Orange County has evolved into a metropolitan region. Consequently the county is a much more complex society today and it requires a different and a more substantial mix of services to meet demands.

Had Doti taken the time to compare the services Orange County is providing and funding this fiscal year to those 15 years ago, he would have reached a conclusion that the county is now responsible for many more services, with more than 50% of the county’s General Fund budget financed by federal and state government reimbursements.

Doti’s review needs some comparative analysis to truly understand county expenditures. A simple comparison of the per-capita expenditures among California counties would have revealed that Orange County has the lowest among all of the major metropolitan counties in the state. This speaks to fiscal responsibility rather than the fiscal irresponsibility imputed by the professor.

ERNIE SCHNEIDER

County administrative officer

Santa Ana