Supes Set To Impose County Hiring Freeze

CAO proposes record $296 million budget for 2008-09

Humboldt Sentinel
News 6/1/08
By Charles Douglas

EUREKA -- Despite a proposed 11% increase in spending for next year's budget, supervisors are looking at a freeze on hiring in Humboldt County for a whole range of local government agencies.

For the first time in five years, County Administrative Officer Loretta Nickolaus is requesting a hiring freeze, leaving vacant positions unfilled. Unlike years past, however, the CAO is looking to wield the power of granting exceptions to this freeze herself, rather than as action items to be determined by the Board of Supervisors.

Additionally at their meeting on Tuesday, supervisors will see the first draft of the 2008-09 budget for Humboldt County, which sets a new record at $296.5 million, primarily due to employee salary and benefit increases, technological modernization projects and increased expenses at the county jail.

"California faces a fiscal emergency...The proposed budget before you includes several measures to cushion the impact of currently unknown State cuts, including a responsible fund balance in the General Fund," Nickolaus states in her report. "If new state actions cripple the county's ability to continue operating under this budget, staff will return to your board with further cuts."

If no further unpleasant surprises turn up in the budget process taking place between the Governor and the Legislature in Sacramento, the CAO promises that no staff layoffs will be necessary, and that new hires for law enforcement will be top priority for exemptions from the hiring freeze. To provide a further cushion for the tight budget, Nickolaus is also requesting approval of a voluntary unpaid furlough program for her own position as well as the other department heads, who would be similarly authorized to grant furloughs to their staff.

Although at first glance it would appear that almost half of the county budget was devoted to health and human services, most of this reflects mandates already imposed and funded, to varying degrees of sufficiency, by state and federal government. Of the $93.8 million of discretionary spending reflected in the General Fund, over 48% goes to law enforcement and jail administration.

Even with the cuts sought in various departments, Supervisors are set to create a "rainy day" reserve fund of $2 million in the budget.