Santa Barbara County Forecasts Budget Challenges For Next Five Years
SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) - The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors received a budget forecast for the next five fiscal years at Tuesday’s meeting in Santa Maria.
From 2026-2031, the county is facing a projected budget deficit of over $66 million spread across the General Fund.
This overall deficit affects some of the revenue that supports key safety net services such as Medi-Cal and CalFresh, making coverage reductions and increasing costs.
The strain is the result of impacts from federal changes, as well as state budget changes in response.
To address the challenges, a new Budget Balancing Framework has been proposed – which looks to reduce some budgetary items, increase efficiency, new options for generating revenue, and strategic use of reserves.
Moving forward, critical safety net services are prioritized and additional savings measures will be introduced as well.
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