Board Adopts County Budget With Cutbacks : Finances: The spending blueprint eliminates 54 positions and makes reductions in almost every department.

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday adopted a $736-million budget for 1991-92 after eliminating 54 positions and imposing cuts in nearly every department.

Because of vacancies, only about half of the lost jobs will result in layoffs, said county budget manager Bert Bigler. Layoff notices will be sent by early September, he said.

The supervisors imposed 5% cuts in nearly all of the 30 departments over which they have greatest control. Those cuts in the $409-million general fund budget helped erase a $13.6-million deficit for the fiscal year that began July 1.

Exempted from the full 5% cuts were the county’s five criminal justice agencies--the Sheriff’s Department, the district attorney’s office, the public defender’s office, the Corrections Services Agency and the courts. The vote climaxed an aggressive two-month lobbying effort by law enforcement officials, who said in full-page newspaper advertisements that 5% cuts would jeopardize public safety.

“John is all smiles,” said Supervisor Maria VanderKolk after the board cut Sheriff John V. Gillespie’s proposed $70-million budget by just 1.9%. “He’s a happy man.”

Less fortunate was the Health Care Agency, which lost five administrative jobs in absorbing $285,300 in cuts in areas such as public clinics and mental health programs.

“As far as the impact of the budget, we’ll expect to continue providing services unchanged,” said Dr. Lawrence E. Dodds, who oversees communicable disease control, immunization and infant and maternal nutrition programs.

The Public Social Services Agency, the county’s welfare agency, had sought 32 new workers to handle a burgeoning workload. But it got no new positions and may even lose staff because of recent budget reductions by the state Legislature, said James E. Isom, the agency’s director.

“The board didn’t do it to the poor today,” he said. “But I think the state will do a job on them.”

Also hard hit were the county’s maintenance crew, which was cut by nine workers, and the assessor’s office, which lost seven workers.

Despite cuts in most departments, the overall county budget grew about 7% over last year’s $686-million spending plan. The increases were primarily due to growth in state and federal funding for a variety of required programs.

After two days of hearings, the supervisors set aside $6.3 million in a special fund for employee expenses, such as unexpected overtime, and $4 million for emergencies.

Despite the reserves, officials said the new budget is uncomfortably tight.

Supervisor Maggie Erickson Kildee said she would have preferred to set aside at least $12 million for unexpected expenses. “It’s not a lot of money,” she said of the $6.3-million reserve for salary adjustments.

Chief Administrative Officer Richard Wittenberg said the supervisors were prudent to set aside as much money as possible. “I think the board was being very careful,” he said.

The supervisors also ratified Monday’s decision to block cost-of-living increases for all employees and to prohibit raises for managers and elected officials for a year.

The action was immediately criticized by an employees union representative, who said the salary freeze will prompt an exodus by many of the county’s 6,700 workers.

The supervisors also cut into several incentive programs, including one that offers bonuses for employee car-pooling.

The final budget will require no layoffs in the Sheriff’s Department, the district attorney’s office or the Corrections Services Agency. The public defender’s office will lose two positions.

The supervisors ordered a $333,000 cut in the $12.6-million budget for the district attorney’s prosecution unit. But no cuts in staff will be necessary because the board boosted that budget $500,000 last week by increasing car registration fees $1 to pay for a team of lawyers to prosecute car thieves.

Under a preliminary budget that called for the 5% cuts, the district attorney’s office would have lost $476,500 and 11 prosecutors.

The supervisors cut just $1.3 million, or 1.9%, from the sheriff’s budget. Most of the cuts came from a department fund used to pay overtime and for unforeseen employee costs. The preliminary budget had called for cuts of $2.5 million, including the elimination of 49 positions. The 5% cut also would have closed the Rose Valley Work Camp and the East Valley Station.

The board cut $90,000, including two positions not held by lawyers, from the $4.7-million public defender’s budget. The office had faced the loss of $188,400, including two lawyers’ positions and two other jobs.

Times correspondent Christopher Pummer contributed to this story.

Budget History

Total general fund budgets for the past four years

Year Amount ‘88-89 $314,409,000 ‘89-90 $359,292,000 ‘90-91 $391,068,000 ‘91-92 $408,856,000

Budget Highlights

Winners and losers in budget adopted by Board of Supervisors

Office Pct. Change Dollar Change Layoffs Chief Administrative Office -7.0% down $161,000 1 office asst. Health Care Agency -5.0% down $285,300 5 positions District Attorney’s Office -3.5% down $333,000 none Superior, Municipal Courts -3.0% down $82,000 none Public Defender’s Office -3.0% down $90,000 2 positions Sheriff’s Department -1.9% down $1.3 mil. none Fire Protection District +4.0% up $1.8 million none Library Services Agency +11.0% up $1 million none