Supervisors to Review County Budget Plan

The public got its first look at Orange County’s proposed 1997-98 budget during two workshops Monday, and the Board of Supervisors will have its first review of the $3.66-billion spending plan today.

The budget is actually 2% smaller than last year’s spending plan because of lower debt service payments, reduced demand for some types of public assistance and a county reorganization that eliminated more than 200 jobs.

The county’s public protection departments--including the sheriff, district attorney and probation--were the biggest winners. The agencies are slated to gain 272 positions and increase their combined budget from $550 million to $632 million.

The Sheriff’s Department will see a 5% increase in its budget to $214 million. But most of that increase is attributed not to new programs but to the department’s takeover of an emergency radio system that used to be managed by another agency.

Some speakers at Monday morning’s budget workshop expressed concerns over funding for health and social services programs, which remains largely unchanged under the plan.

Felix Schwartz, executive director of the Health Care Council of Orange County, questioned the increase for public protection at a time when crime is dropping. He also suggested that the Sheriff’s Department pay for jail inmate medical care, a cost now covered by the Health Care Agency.

But county Chief Executive Officer Jan Mittermeier defended the plan, saying the Board of Supervisors has made public protection a top priority.