Budget/Fiscal

Given the state budget crisis, the Board of Supervisors has difficult choices to make, one of which is whether to accept the draconian cuts proposed for the Yolo County Heath Department. Threatened are the very programs that took us out of the squalor of the 19th century and that continue to guard our health today.

At the beginning of the 20th century, childbirth was dangerous and lives were short. In 1900, for every 1000 live births, 6-9 women died of complications of pregnancy and 135 infants died before their first birthday, a loss of more than one of every ten babies. By the 1950’s, these deaths were uncommon.   The maternal mortality rate in 1997 was less than 0.1/1000 live births and the infant mortality rate by year one was 7.2 /1000 live births (1)(2). These changes are spectacular and unparalleled among improvements in all other mortality rates. Because of the salvage of infant lives, the expected life span at birth rose from 47.3 years in 1900 to 73.7 years in 1980, a gain of more than 26 years of life. More recently, a few additional years were added at the other spectrum of life; survival from the ailments of age (heart diseases and cancers) improved and life spans increased to 77.7 years in 2006 (3).

As we have reported more times than we bear, the county has around a 21 million dollar deficit that it will be cutting around March 25, 2010.  In order to get to that point, whole departments may be eliminated.  However, the worst impact will be on the residents who rely on vital services from the county, most particularly health services.

Departments have been asked to identify the possible impacts and develop worst-case scenarios in the event they have to absorb a 16 to 35% budget reduction target.  From the health department budget the county is contemplating a cut over a little over a million dollars.  The impact will be devastating on multiple levels.  In the fiscal year 2007/08 there were 130.3 FTE positions in the Yolo County Health Department, by 2010/11, that number could be down nearly in half to 67.4.

Discussed in the planning session were the logistics behind the current budget problems and the recommended department cuts that would alleviate the budget gap for the 2010-11 fiscal years and beyond.

Much of the attention in the coming days will focus on the 20 million dollars in cuts to the Yolo County General Fund Budget.  These cuts will decimate social services that are the lifeblood to the county and its needy residents.

However, a looming crisis has gone undetected until now.  California Statewide Local Streets and Roads Needs Assessment conducted its first comprehensive review of local system conditions and it found that local transportation systems are at risk without increased state investment.

On Thursday it was announced that 93 county employees in Yolo accepted a so-called Golden Handshake or early retirement.  This included the number 2 person in the District Attorney’s Office, Ann Hurd and the County’s Public Defender Barry Melton.

Both are 62, only a few years before their normal retirement.  The county has a huge problem–probably bigger than any other local jurisdiction.  They face a deficit upwards of 24 million dollars which is greater than one-third of the county’s general fund budget.

Last week the County put off a decision on cutting off indigent health services to undocumented residents.  However, the county will have to act on it and it is likely given the fiscal conditions of the county, they will act to cut off these services.

It is greatly ironic that one of the Republicans on the Board of Supervisors, Matt Rexroad seems to get the fact that while it would seem the fiscally prudent thing to do, cutting off health services to indigent patients probably costs more in the long run.

On Tuesday, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors will discuss cutting an already-underfunded YCHIP program budget by 36 percent.  There is no doubt these are tough times for local government and of all governments counties are suffering the most and yet also relied upon the most for vital services.  Yolo County is no exception.  They are being forced to cut one-third of their general fund budget.

Two weeks ago Sheriff Ed Prieto made a vigorous defense of his department arguing that law enforcement would be hamstrung by the proposed cuts.

We have not covered this nearly enough, but Yolo County faces what is now a 24 million dollar budget deficit for next year.  How big is that number?  It represents over one third (36 percent to be precise) of the County’s General fund.

The proposal put forth by the county was to lay off 111 workers–a number that includes 53 from the Sheriff-Coroner’s Office.