COUNTYWIDE : Lobbying Is Next in Budget Process

The County Board of Supervisors formally ended its budget hearings Tuesday, kicking off what are expected to be several weeks of intense lobbying by department heads and community groups against proposed cuts.

“Negotiations, refinements, additional changes will continue for the next several weeks,” said County Administrative Officer Ernie Schneider. “In many ways, this is just a beginning.”

Some county workers picketed the Hall of Administration on Monday to protest their increasing workloads, while contract negotiations with county firefighters have reached an impasse.

Meanwhile, supervisors have heard from supporters of two panels targeted for elimination, the Commission on the Status of Women and the Human Relations Commission. And the board has consented to requests that it save a bare-bones staff in the county public information office. In addition, veterans’ groups and senior citizens have asked that a 25% reduction in funding for their offices be trimmed to 10%, a move the supervisors have indicated they intend to support.

The sheriff, district attorney and public defender each have objected to proposed cuts in their areas, and each is expected to argue for some restoration.

“Between now and Aug. 27 is negotiating time,” Supervisor Don R. Roth said. “I expect we’ll be hearing from lots of people.”

But most are likely to go away empty-handed, Roth and other officials cautioned. The county’s general fund has been squeezed by recession and incorporations of new cities.

As a result, the county government entered its budget hearings last week with a $67.7-million shortfall. Only a combination of anticipated revenue and cutbacks in county services--including elimination of 350 jobs--allowed financial planners to balance the budget.

The total 1991-92 budget comes to $3.7 billion, but a preponderance of that is tied up in state- or U.S.-mandated programs, leaving the supervisors with discretion over just $481 million.

And even as the county was completing its budget proposal, more bad news was rolling in. Property tax receipts now are estimated at about $2 million less than originally anticipated, officials said Tuesday, meaning that more cuts will have to be made to balance the budget, which is required by law.

Supervisors also are bracing for next year, when the budget woes are expected to deepen even further. This year’s spending plan was balanced only with a few sources of one-time money, and without it, next year will begin with a $40-million shortfall even before other issues are taken into consideration.

“All these days just bring one bleak thing after another,” Roth said.

The supervisors are expected to take up the final budget on Aug. 27.