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Santa Cruz County budget includes 3% COLA, absorbs portion of embezzlement costs; officials propose voter measure to raise expenditure limit tied to mine
Summary
The county's adopted FY2025‑26 budget budgets a 3% cost‑of‑living adjustment, absorbs a health‑care increase and a county share of embezzlement losses, and staff and managers said they will pursue a voter expenditure‑limit increase in 2026 to allow spending of anticipated centrally assessed mining revenue.
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors' adopted FY2025‑26 budget includes a 3% cost‑of‑living adjustment for employees, absorption of a county share of embezzlement losses, and continued funding for mandated services, finance staff said during an Aug. 6 presentation.
Jesus Chavez presented the budget details and identified line items and schedules required by state law, saying the county's general fund for FY2025‑26 is approximately $43,752,000 and special‑revenue funds total about $87,000,000. Chavez told the Board the county is estimating roughly $74,600,000 in total operating revenues for the coming year across funds and that overall receipts are lower than the prior year mainly because some ARPA funding has expired.
On personnel costs, Chavez said the budget recommends a 3% cost‑of‑living adjustment that the Board approved during the tentative budget and asked that the COLA be included…
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