Fresno supervisors start prioritizing how to spend one-time cash

Fresno County supervisors on Tuesday began prioritizing projects as they look at how to spend more than $17 million in “one-time money” from a list of needs that totals more than $55 million.

There appeared to be general agreement among the supervisors that a new animal shelter, a new sheriff’s substation and new or remodeled offices for the Fresno County district attorney were at the top of the priority list.

Supervisors also agreed that routine maintenance was a top-tier need. County officials have identified close to $6 million in maintenance needs around the county. For instance, a chiller at the Fresno County Plaza building in downtown Fresno is 21 years old and needs to be re-manufactured. Cost: $115,000.

Supervisors want staff to prioritize the top $2 million of the $6 million in maintenance needs. Supervisors may choose additional maintenance projects during future discussions.

Other items singled out included a gym floor at the Juvenile Justice Campus at American Avenue and Highway 99, a reconfiguration of the Fresno County Jail’s rooftop recreation yards, and new positions for a revamped drug court.

Replacing the moisture-damaged gym floor is estimated at $175,000. The work on the jail’s recreation yards, required as part of a lawsuit settlement, will allow different inmate classifications in the downtown Fresno facility to use the recreation yard at the same time. That expenditure is estimated at $462,850.

The rest of the lengthy list fell by the wayside.

“I think today we have to actually look at some ‘have-tos,’ ” Supervisor Buddy Mendes said.

The county received money from the state in three separate funds. The first is from repayment of $11 million that the county paid for state mandates during the budget crisis, money that was supposed to be paid initially by the state. The money can be used on any type of project.

The county also has about $1.87 million from Proposition 172, money earmarked for public safety projects. The third pot of money is around $4.3 million in tobacco fund dollars, which also has certain restrictions for county use.

Tuesday’s discussion was just a first step in the process, and supervisors stressed they were not attaching any specific dollar amount to any project.

County staff will now examine the board’s priorities and see if matching grants might be found, or what kind of cost savings might exist within a department’s internal budget. That could reduce the amount of money needed from the one-time pot of money.

For instance, the cost of a new sheriff’s substation is estimated at $4 million – minimum. The department currently leases 8,480 square feet of office space near Clovis and Shields avenues. If a new building is built, that would eliminate lease payments at the current site. The substation covers Area 2 (of four total) and is bounded by Chateau Fresno on the west, the Friant-Kern Canal on the east, American Avenue on the south and the Fresno-Madera county line on the north. A new building would be built somewhere within those boundaries, Sheriff Margaret Mims said.

The estimated cost of new offices for the district attorney is pegged at $15 million to $19 million. But District Attorney Lisa A. Smittcamp said those estimates are dated – and too high. There is also the possibility of financing some of the cost.

After county staff looks at each prioritized project, board members should have a better idea of how much of the one-time money to give to each project.

One item that seemed to gain some initial traction, but then sputter, was a suggestion by Supervisor Debbie Poochigian that some of the money be taken off the top and used to bolster the county’s reserve fund. But Supervisor Brian Pacheco said that spending money now on maintenance can create its own reserve fund later. He cited the chiller units and air-conditioning systems. Replacing or re-manufacturing such units now will save money in maintenance down the road.

The board will again discuss the matter Oct. 27, when county staff is due back with more detailed analysis on the priority projects.

This story was originally published September 15, 2015 at 5:46 PM with the headline "Fresno supervisors start prioritizing how to spend one-time cash."