Midyear review of $1.7 billion budget, ‘Vital lands’ initiative on the docket
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors will undergo the long and onerous task of reviewing the county’s budget this Tuesday during its first meeting of March.
Scheduled for 2:20 p.m., the board will first receive a midyear budget update for the 2016-17 fiscal year, which runs from July 1 to June 30. The 2016-17 adopted budget, revised at the end of the first quarter on Oct. 11, 2016, was $1.69 billion. County administrative staff recommends a $13.7 million increase to budgeted expenses and a $9.7 million increase to revenues/reimbursements, bringing the 2016-17 fiscal year budget to $1.7 billion. The requested increase to the budget would cover the cost of the March 7 election for Measure A ($400,000), partial funding for the Human Services Department’s senior homeless prevention program ($37,500), technical assistance services, grant development and conservation goals established with the Gold Ridge Resource Conservation ($250,000), depreciation cost and asset purchases at the Sonoma County Airport ($2.3 million) advertising supporting the Sonoma County Fairground ($390,000) and various Regional Parks projects ($1.2 million). The second quarter budget adjustment sheet can be found here [http://sonoma-county.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=2&event_id=846&meta_id=215408].
The board will also hold a 2017 budgeting workshop, during which the five county supervisors will discuss with staff countywide budget and historical general fund allocations and more before deciding to accept the county administrator’s 2017-18 budget development framework and timeline.
Ag and Open Space District plans
The Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District will also take initial steps on one of its largest comprehensive plans to date. Called the Vital Lands Initiative, the plan will use science, data and technical information to identify strategies for prioritizing conservation of the county’s agricultural and natural lands, scenic views and greenbelt areas through 2031.
“As we look ahead to the next to the next 15 years, we face exceptional challenges — population growth, escalating land values, drought, increased pressure on farmland, open space and wildlife habitat and growing impacts of climate change. The initiative will provide the roadmap necessary to preserve a health, beautiful and resilient Sonoma County now and for generations to come,” said Bill Keene, district general manager.
The initiative will rely heavily on community input through meetings, technical workshops, stakeholder interviews, polling and more. Read here [http://www.sonomawest.com/sonoma_west_times_and_news/news/agricultural-lands-and-open-space-initiative-we-need-your-feedback/article_96bca1c8-fe06-11e6-bfe3-5f43d89b1a7d.html] for a list of upcoming meeting dates and locations.
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors meeting begins at 8:30 a.m. and is held at the Board of Supervisors Chambers, located at 575 Administration Drive, Room 102A in Santa Rosa. The meeting may also be viewed online [http://sonomacounty.ca.gov/Board-of-Supervisors/Calendar/Board-of-Supervisors-Meeting-March-7-2017/].
