More sheriff’s deputies and raises for Fresno County employees in record-breaking budget
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a $4.5 billion budget that will allow for the addition of dozens of new employees, more roadside cleanups and capital projects.
The new budget adds 39 new positions, including five sheriff’s deputies, bringing the number of county employees to more than 8,300. It also gives raises to current employees and boosts the county’s contribution to employee health insurance plans.
The previous fiscal year was a transitional time in many ways for the county, including many changes in department leaders such as the county administrative officer; new directors for Public Health, Behavioral Health and Social Services; and an incoming sheriff-elect after Sheriff Margaret Mims announced she would retire.
County administrators also were focused on moving into a new phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and spending $194 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding. That money will fund, in part, 23 projects ranging from replacing groundwater wells in disadvantaged communities to funding construction of affordable housing and tackling homeless initiatives.
“Everything we do is focused on our vision of working together for a quality of life for all,” County Administrative Officer Paul Nerland said. “That’s what this is all about, and providing excellent public services to our diverse community.”
Despite the record-high budget passed Monday, Nerland said budget analysts also took into consideration “the impacts of inflation, a potential economic recession, a cooling housing market, a severe drought, and global uncertainties.”
Those factors “demand prudence and caution,” Nerland said in his budget message. For example, the county’s fuel costs alone increased by 36%.
“The rising costs of goods and services impact the county’s cost of doing business,” Nerland said.
This year’s budget increases the county’s general reserve to $70 million and increases a budget stabilization reserve by $10 million to a total of $20 million.
In a Facebook Live video on Tuesday, Supervisors Steve Brandau and Nathan Magsig said they were excited about capital projects, hiring more employees and focusing on code enforcement efforts.
The budget includes $8 million for a new Agriculture Commissioner building; $8 million for work at the Hall of Records, where the county administration is located and the Board of Supervisors meet; $4.8 million toward a contingency project at the jail and a sheriff’s substation; and $1.5 million to move the sheriff dispatch center.
“The county of Fresno does not have a really good record of investing in facilities over the course of the last 50 or 60 years,” Magsig said. “So, this Board of Supervisors has been putting tens of millions of dollars aside for investments.”
Brandau called for people to check out job opportunities with the county.
“We’ve got a lot of people that have their careers in Fresno County, which is fantastic,” Brandau said. “We need to find even more. So if you’re watching, please go to the county website. There’s a lot of job opportunities.”
Brandau said the county supervisor districts such as his and Magsig’s that include urban areas sometimes have problem properties that attract dumping and other nuisances. The new budget will address that, he said.
“We are empowering our public works department to hire new people to begin a real strong code enforcement model,” Brandau said. “We’re very much a pro-private property rights board, but at the same time, there are limits.
“If you have an operation that’s impacting your neighbors or creating hazards, those are things that we need to really crack down on,” Brandau said.