Acting Auditor-Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector Sara Pierce told the Supervisors on Tuesday that what had been thought to be a major but unquantified budget deficit was incorrect. After recalculating the finances and taking into account about 30 budgeted but unfilled general fund positions, Mendo suddenly has about $13 million more in the General Fund than previously thought as of the end of June 2024. Among other things, this probably means that Mendo will not have to borrow the previously planned $8 million from Measure B to cover the jail overrun.
Pierce and Deputy CEO Tony Rakes attributed the windfall discovery to finally getting the County’s unwieldy property tax/finance system known as “Aumentum” up to where it’s now sort of useful. With that long-delayed accomplishment, when they ran the Aumentum numbers things turned out to be a lot better than they thought.
Supervisor John Haschak cautioned against “getting too excited” about the positive financial news. Supervisor Ted Williams wondered what wasn’t being done due to the cost cutting/position vacancies. CEO Darcy Antle reminded the board that some salary increases for this fiscal year (as of July 2024) including the big raises the Board gave itself will cut into the multi-million dollar windfall.
This latest positive financial news overrides years of doom and gloom reports about budget shortfalls and struck some observers as possibly too good to be true.
But if it holds — experience tells us that when it comes to Mendo’s finances more surprises may be in store — and survives further scrutiny, Mendo will find itself in the surprising position of thinking about what to do with the windfall. For one obvious outcome will be that the majority of County employees who took a minimal cost of living increase last year based on the County’s claims of being broke will probably be lining up their arguments for their next round of contract demands.
Remember, in 2022 when the County’s largest union began contract negotiations, Local Service Employees International Union (SEIU) rep Patrick Hickey told the Board that by his analysis the County was “awash in money.”
“The county is awash in money,” said Hickey. “Your task is to effectively allocate it for the highest possible benefit. The state is making a wide range of funding available. We need staff to apply for it and utilize it if we are to be successful. The administration has done too little to pursue uncollected funds. And blames it on staff shortages. We need to redouble our efforts and offer competitive salaries so that we can help employees identify and find untaxed properties and transient occupancy taxes. The county has failed to fill hundreds of non-general fund positions which would bring in millions of dollars to circulate in our local economy, support our local business, and expand vital services. … What we need is a balanced assessment of our position, not a cherry picked gloom and doom report. We are looking to the board to invest in our communities, not to defund them. These times call for bold and optimistic leadership. No one can deny that the county faces many challenges. But if you support your staff and fill vacant positions and allow county employees to do their jobs, the whole community wins.”
At that time, the Board insisted that they were broke and couldn’t offer more than a bare-minimum raise. But now…
FOURTH DISTRICT SUPERVISOR DAN GJERDE ANNOUNCED Tuesday that he has accepted a position with CalTrans District 1 as a transportation planner. He said he expects confirmation of his position “any day now,” so he plans to resign immediately. Gjerde said he has recommended that Governor Newsom appoint Supervisor-Elect Bernie Norvell so he can start this month, a little ahead of his regularly scheduled January start date to fill out the last few weeks of Gjerde’s term. Presumably, Gjerde will become a double-dipper, receiving a nice County pension for his 12 years as a Supervisor based on his latest pay raise on top of whatever professional salary Caltrans pays.
Supervisor Glenn McGourty couldn’t help griping about Gjerde’s past remarks about water saying he had a “pleasant time working together [with Gjerde], except on water issues.” Gjerde has consistently insisted that inland water users pay their fair share for water, which McGourty, as the Inland Wine Mob/Cheap Water Mafia’s board rep couldn’t help but whine about while offering his back-handed send off to Gjerde.
At the end of the meeting the Board was scheduled to go into closed session to discuss the status of former Auditor-Controller/Treasurer Tax Collector Chamise Cubbison’s wrongful termination case against the County and another ongoing lawsuit entitled “Markley, Gary v. County of Mendocino, BOS for the County of Mendocino, Case No. 24CV00443” which appears to have something to do with the County’s ancillary role in a dispute Mr. Markley has with coastal property owner Roger Burch about a recently vacated coastal road east of Westport in the North County. After the closed session Board Chair Maureen Mulheren reported that no reportable action was taken.
THE WELL-PAID SUPERVISORS ARE TAKING ANOTHER VACATION this month, having given themselves their big raise last summer. Their last Board meeting was November 5, 2024 and their next meeting is set for December 3, a month off for Thanksgiving. There’s one more meeting this year on December 17. By the end of calendar year 2024 they will have met 24 times.
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