OC supervisor candidates address county budget gap

Orange County supervisor candidates outlined how they would address a $75 million gap from a self-balancing county budget, with several calling for less reliance on one-time funds and more public transparency, according to Voice of OC.

The answers come as county executives have warned that Orange County is increasingly using reserves and other one-time funds to cover ongoing costs. State law requires county leaders to balance the budget each year.

Voice of OC reported Thursday that it asked Orange County supervisor candidates written questions about the county budget, Sheriff’s Department funding, labor negotiations and public access to budget information as part of an ongoing questionnaire series.

The county fell $75 million short of a self-balancing budget this year, marking the fourth consecutive year it missed that mark by tens of millions of dollars, according to Voice of OC. The publication reported that candidates were asked how they would manage a roughly $10 billion county bureaucracy.

Shaw said the county should separate required functions from spending that is optional or overlapping. "The first step is to distinguish between core responsibilities and spending that is discretionary or duplicative," Shaw, an Orange County supervisor candidate, told Voice of OC.

Traut said the county should stop covering ongoing expenses with temporary money and should make budget documents easier for the public to understand. Dixon said recurring expenses should be paid with recurring revenues, while Foley said officials have already moved to cut spending, freeze hiring and reduce the budget, Voice of OC reported.

On Sheriff’s Department funding, all four candidates who answered said they would not make arbitrary cuts to public safety spending, according to Voice of OC. The candidates also said labor negotiations should be handled in good faith while taking the county’s fiscal condition into account.

Shaw, Traut and Dixon said the county budget process should be easier to understand or more transparent for residents, Voice of OC reported.

Voice of OC said the responses were part of its continuing series of candidate questionnaires ahead of the Orange County supervisor election.