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San Luis Obispo County preparing to cut 28 positions due to budget shortfall

Dave Alley / KEYT

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif. - The County of San Luis Obispo is expected to cut 28 full-time equivalent positions to help close a major budget gap.

The cuts will be considered at next Tuesday's County Board of Supervisors meeting.

The board will consider cutting 27.75 full-time equivalent positions in the current fiscal year to address a $26.3 million budget gap.

The budget shortfall is attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic.

25.75 of these positions are currently vacant and will remain unfilled, the county said. Two positions are currently filled and the employees have been notified of the impending cuts. The county says these employees are being assisted.

“This is a very difficult decision. Just like any local employer, we rely on our employees to provide quality services and the last thing we want to do is cut positions,” said Wade Horton, San Luis Obispo County Administrative Officer. “We care about employees and want to continue providing important public services to the people of SLO County when they need our help the most.”

The board has already approved budget reductions earlier this year, including millions in department budgets cuts, use of reserves and voluntary savings from employees.

Due to these budget cuts, the county says cutting positions was "unavoidable."

County officials said their main priority was to find budget cuts that didn't affect the public.

The county says it has seen an increase in spending due to a higher demand of public services due to the pandemic. The higher demand coincides with a significant drop in revenue, linked to a lack of consumer spending.

Complete details of the County’s budget cuts and plan to reduce spending can be found online.

Article Topic Follows: San Luis Obispo County

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