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Current Issue Links
County issues preliminary budget to public
Public hearing is Monday; branch library supporters urge local presence in Bakersfield
Like most governments in the state of California, Kern County faces staggering cuts in its proposed
budget for fiscal year 2010-11.
The county administrative office released its $1.38-billion budget — some $92 million less than last year’s
— where each department saw an average 12-percent reduction.
“Given the need to close the gap between available revenues and the financing requirements for county
services, the recommended budget lays a basis for meaningful discussion,” said County Administrative
Officer John Nilon.
He said a slight projected increase in discretionary revenues will be more than offset by increased
employee costs and higher operating costs. “Budget guidelines provided to departments require them to
absorb the cost of salary and retirement increases as well as reduced revenues.”
He said that in an attempt to present the Kern County Board of Supervisors with a balanced budget, the
$45 million in necessary cuts to the general fund were applied equally across all departments.
However, as county and municipal governments continue to see reduced funding from the financially
strapped state, some services are being reduced — and in some cases eliminated — to compensate for
those losses.
One of the most high-profile issues for Ridgecrest residents is the proposed cut to the Ridgecrest Branch
Library’s budget.
Friends of the Library President David Burdick points out that the local branch faces a 25-percent cut in its
hours of service. “We would be open a mere 24 hours per week — totally insufficient to service the 1,800 visits
per week we recently counted at the library.”
(Letters to the Editor from Burdick and others can be viewed on Page A4.)
Burdick urged residents to attend the preliminary hearing for public comment on Monday, June 7, at 7 p.m.
Additional hearings will begin Wednesday, June 9, at 9 a.m.
Nilon said he anticipates that the proposed budget will undergo significant changes once it reaches the
supervisors.
A full copy of the recommended budget for FY 2010-11 can be found at
www.co.kern.ca.us/cao.countybudget.asp.
budget for fiscal year 2010-11.
The county administrative office released its $1.38-billion budget — some $92 million less than last year’s
— where each department saw an average 12-percent reduction.
“Given the need to close the gap between available revenues and the financing requirements for county
services, the recommended budget lays a basis for meaningful discussion,” said County Administrative
Officer John Nilon.
He said a slight projected increase in discretionary revenues will be more than offset by increased
employee costs and higher operating costs. “Budget guidelines provided to departments require them to
absorb the cost of salary and retirement increases as well as reduced revenues.”
He said that in an attempt to present the Kern County Board of Supervisors with a balanced budget, the
$45 million in necessary cuts to the general fund were applied equally across all departments.
However, as county and municipal governments continue to see reduced funding from the financially
strapped state, some services are being reduced — and in some cases eliminated — to compensate for
those losses.
One of the most high-profile issues for Ridgecrest residents is the proposed cut to the Ridgecrest Branch
Library’s budget.
Friends of the Library President David Burdick points out that the local branch faces a 25-percent cut in its
hours of service. “We would be open a mere 24 hours per week — totally insufficient to service the 1,800 visits
per week we recently counted at the library.”
(Letters to the Editor from Burdick and others can be viewed on Page A4.)
Burdick urged residents to attend the preliminary hearing for public comment on Monday, June 7, at 7 p.m.
Additional hearings will begin Wednesday, June 9, at 9 a.m.
Nilon said he anticipates that the proposed budget will undergo significant changes once it reaches the
supervisors.
A full copy of the recommended budget for FY 2010-11 can be found at
www.co.kern.ca.us/cao.countybudget.asp.
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By REBECCA NEIPP
News Review Staff Writer
News Review Staff Writer