Kings County Board adopts FY 2025–26 recommended budget and schedules final hearings

The Kings County Board of Supervisors on June 17 adopted a recommended fiscal year 2025'26 budget of $571,407,565 and set final budget hearings to begin Aug. 25, with a final board action planned in mid'September.

The recommended budget includes a general fund of $404,282,120 and proposes 1,694.51 full'time equivalent positions, a net decrease of 15 FTE from last year. County Administrative Officer Kerrio Martinez told the board the net staffing reduction is a step the county is taking to improve long'term financial sustainability.

The budget matters because it sets spending authority for county departments on July 1 and frames decisions the board must make before the books close in August. Martinez and Deputy County Administrative Officer Matthew Boyette told supervisors rising retirement and benefit costs, constrained revenue growth and one'time funding that will not recur are key pressures shaping the plan.

"The overall recommended budget totals $571,407,565, which is about $10,800,000 more than last year's adopted budget," Boyette said during the presentation. He and Martinez emphasized that county salaries and benefits total roughly $275 million, nearly half the county's operating budget, and that CalPERS pension contribution changes remain a principal fiscal challenge.

Martinez told the board that the county's required CalPERS contributions are changing: "required contributions have increased from 39.8% to 42% for safety employees, but have decreased from 25% to 23% for…