The Inyo County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 23 adopted a $169.8 million recommended budget for fiscal year 2025–26 after a public hearing and debate over discretionary spending and a growing request for help from Southern Inyo Hospital.

County Administrator Nate Greenberg presented the recommended budget, saying, “the fiscal year 25 26 budget, represents a $151,919,516 in total revenue and a $169,764,769 in projected expenditures,” and described adjustments the board had already directed following the Sept. 9 hearing.

The board approved the budget and associated resolutions and job descriptions by voice vote. The adoption includes a $363,493 increase to general fund contingency and a $150,000 addition to the county OPEB contribution, both directed at the Sept. 9 meeting. The board also added $25,000 to the Eastern Sierra Area Agency on Aging budget to convert two part‑time food cook positions to full time, funded by realignment dollars.

Why it matters: Supervisors said passing the budget on schedule preserves county operations and makes modest deposits to reserves, but the hearing produced an immediate, separate concern — the financial distress at Southern Inyo Hospital. County officials described a recent, informal inquiry from hospital leadership about the possibility of a short‑term cash loan to avoid imminent operating shortfalls.

County staff said no formal loan request had been received by the board and that details remain unclear. Greenberg said initial conversations indicated the hospital’s leaders were seeking emergency cash flow assistance but had not specified an amount: “the general inquiry, as I recall, was around the treasury,” he said, noting a cash‑flow loan from the county treasury is available only to treasury members; nonmembers would require a different mechanism.

Supervisors expressed urgency. Supervisor Orel asked for a rapid follow‑up: if the hospital intends to request county assistance, she said, the board should meet within days to consider it. Legal staff warned that any county loan would carry risks, especially if the hospital enters insolvency proceedings: “If it’s an unsecured loan and they’re in chapter 9 bankruptcy, that’s something you need to consider,” County Counsel advised.

Board discussion also touched on use of Local and Tribal Coronavirus (LATCF) funds. One public speaker suggested redirecting LATCF money slated for an animal shelter project toward the hospital; supervisors debated that possibility but made no formal reallocation at the meeting.

Ending: With the budget adopted, staff will return to the board if a formal request from Southern Inyo Hospital arrives. Supervisors asked county staff to coordinate with hospital leadership and, if necessary, call a special meeting to consider loan or grant options and legal protections.