San Rafael, CA – Although the County of Marin’s next two-year budget is still in development, residents will receive a preview of top priorities during budget workshops March 21-23.
County Administrator Matthew Hymel (left) and Budget Manager Bret Uppendahl (right) will start the budget hearings with an overview on March 21.
The Marin County Board of Supervisors will host the workshops to provide a budget preview for fiscal years 2016-17 and 2017-18 and will hear presentations from department heads on their accomplishments, goals and initiatives for the next two years. Members of the public are invited to offer comments at the beginning of the three-day planning event or after each department’s presentation.
“This is an excellent opportunity for the public to learn about the County’s highest priorities and initiatives,” said County Administrator Matthew Hymel. “Our vision is to work together to be a more responsive government. We can’t achieve that goal without feedback.”
Department representatives will discuss longer-term policy issues and potential one-time investments. The Board of Supervisors adopted the following priorities in 2015 to help guide the development of the new budget:
- Investing in County-maintained road infrastructure
- Addressing climate change and sea-level rise
- Mitigating income inequality
- Implementing the 5 Year Business Plan
- Preserving affordable housing
- Reducing unfunded retiree obligations
Staff will present a balanced budget in June that maintains existing services and does not propose service reductions. The County’s past fiscal discipline and its demonstrated ability to reduce unfunded liabilities were primary reasons that Fitch Ratings recently affirmed the County’s AAA credit rating – the highest rating possible.
“Over the past three years, we have made progress reducing on our unfunded retiree liabilities by more $243 million,” Hymel said. “Being a slow-growth county, we need to be extremely careful to direct any limited new spending to our higher-priority needs.”
The public hearings start at 10 a.m. Monday, March 21, and will continue at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 22, and 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 23, in the Board Chambers, located in Room 330 at the Civic Center at 3501 Civic Center Drive in San Rafael. The detailed schedule is online, and more materials will be available online by March 18 along with other information about the County. The sessions will be webcast on the County’s website.
Budget hearings for formal approval of the 2016-18 County budget will be held in June. Curious about the existing budget? View it online. Questions or suggestions about the 2016-18 County budget can be emailed to caobudget@marincounty.org.