San Mateo County Supes Adopt $3.3 Billion Budget for Next Fiscal Year
REDWOOD CITY (CBS SF/BCN) -- San Mateo County's Board of Supervisors approved a $3.3 billion budget on Wednesday for the 2021-2022 fiscal year and a preliminary $3 billion budget for the 2022-2023 year.
The approval came after a three-day budget hearing that began on Monday.
The budget includes significant funding for affordable housing and includes an expected $23 million deficit in the health department in the 2022-23 fiscal year.
Some of the county's budget priorities for the next two years include wildfire recovery, equity and housing and homelessness, according to County Manager Mike Callagy.
For example, the San Mateo County Parks Department will use some of its funding to treat and maintain wildfire fuel loads through its Wildfire Fuel Management Program.
To address homelessness in the past year, the county used $34 million from the state's Project Homekey initiative to help purchase three hotels to convert to housing for people experiencing homelessness or vulnerable seniors.
Callagy said he plans to propose other potential hotel purchases to the board in the upcoming fiscal year.
According to Callagy's remarks in the recommended budget document, the county's overall revenues were "not as bad as anticipated" despite declines in county revenues from transient occupancy taxes -- hotel taxes -- and from sales tax at San Francisco International Airport.
The budget for the 2021 to 2023 fiscal years includes federal funding expected from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.
Funding from the American Rescue Plan Act or ARPA, the federal stimulus bill passed this year, will be included in September budget revisions. The county expects to receive almost $149 million in ARPA funding, which will be delivered in two rounds.
The full recommended budget is available online and video recordings from the budget hearing are on the county's website.
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