THE MARIN COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS unanimously approved a nearly $866 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year that includes adding firefighters to the county fire department and expanding its mental health crisis centers.
The budget also restructures the office of the county executive as it transitions from a county administrator model, adding 20 employees to the office, which works out to the equivalent of 17 full-time employees to the county’s payroll, at an ongoing cost of $2.5 million.
The restructuring is meant to improve the county’s budget process, better coordinate services across departments, and create a dedicated climate and sustainability team, among other changes.
Board members unanimously supported the budget, which sets the general fund balance at $660 million and increases expenditures by 6% from the current fiscal year. It guides spending for the second year of a two-year budget plan approved in 2024. The fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30.
The budget includes $35.4 million in savings from the current fiscal year. Of that, $10.4 million will be used on improvements to county facilities, housing and rental support, accessibility improvements at county parks and pilot economic initiatives. The remainder of the savings will be incorporated into the overall operating budget.
Eight firefighter positions in the county fire department were created with funding from Cal Fire.
In a memo to the Board recommending the budget’s adoption, Budget Director Josh Swedberg and Director of Finance Mina Martinovich wrote that uncertainty around federal funding could create a need to revise the budget if any of the roughly $100 million the county relies on isn’t delivered. That money funds programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, In-Home Supportive Services, affordable housing, and financial assistance for families.
If the funding is reduced or lost, a $30 million county reserve fund could help lessen the immediate impact of the cuts.
Overall, the budget calls for over $300 million in spending on health and human services, which is about 35% of the total.
About $200 million was allocated for public safety, representing 23% of spending.
Administration and finance expenditures will total about $110 million, as will spending on community development and public works, which equates to 13% of the budget for each category.
About $60 million, or 7% of the budget, is earmarked for community services, and non-departmental spending, which includes things like debt payments and intergovernmental transfers, will total about $73 million.
The overall rise in spending is largely driven by increases in Medi-Cal reimbursements.
The eight firefighters that will be added to the county fire department, which contracts with Cal Fire for service in the unincorporated areas of the county, will cost about $2 million, which will be covered by the state agency. The staffing change was driven by the agency moving to a 66-hour work week and will include three additional fire engineer paramedics, a fire captain to support training, a heavy equipment operator, a media specialist, a technician and a division chief.
The restructuring of the county administrator’s office to a county executive was approved by the board of supervisors in late 2023. It is meant to help interdepartmental collaboration and improve efficiency in areas such as making more data-driven decisions, creating a centralized climate and sustainability team, winning more grants from the state and federal government, and creating a position focused on “economic vitality” in the county, among other changes sought by the board.
The county’s mental health mobile crisis centers, which operate 24 hours a day, cost more than anticipated after changes to eligible uses expanded last November. The county is continuing to fund them from the general fund as it seeks state reimbursements.
County revenues, which largely come from property taxes, are projected to rise by about 4% in each of the next two fiscal years, followed by growth of 4.5% in fiscal year 2027-28.