Mendocino supervisors press departments for hiring plans as county faces $16 million shortfall

Mendocino County supervisors on Tuesday directed staff to return with detailed, department-level documentation tying any requests to hire to a required 6% reduction in departments—non-payroll expenditures or demonstrated savings, after the county—executive office reported the county is on track to realize roughly half of a planned $6 million attrition savings for the fiscal year.

The county—chief executive told the board earlier this month that departments were assigned a 6% reduction in their 1000-series budgets as part of the current-year budget plan. "Two months into fiscal year 2025-26, the county is only trending at $3,000,000 in savings," CEO Antle said during the meeting, and she urged the board to maintain the strategic hiring process so those savings can be realized.

The board—debated whether to pause all hiring or to continue the strategic-hiring framework that lets departments seek hires when those new positions are offset by compensating reductions elsewhere. Supervisor Williams argued for a temporary, countywide hiring freeze that would bar general-fund hires unless the department could show a net savings, saying "If we hire, we're going to have to either have staff reductions or salary reductions" and warning the county could miss payroll if savings targets are not met.

Other supervisors said they supported hearing departments—requests if accompanied by detailed plans. "If a department can show no impact to the general fund through the hiring, I think that's certainly the opportunity that I'm looking for," Supervisor Norvell said. Several department heads who spoke to the board said critical, grant-funded or non-general-fund positions should be considered differently; Health Services Director Ginny Miller told the board that some positions are required to avoid fines or sanctions from the state and that those programs contribute more to the general fund than they draw.

District attorney staff told the board they opposed deleting vacant positions in the DA's office, describing specialized prosecutor and investigator roles that take many months to recruit. Assistant District Attorney Scott McMenemy said the office is actively recruiting and warned that losing positions "will jeopardize public safety, and it will not save any money to the county"; Assistant Chief Investigator Bridal Arrington said a vacant investigator had been actively recruited and that six months is not long enough to recruit a candidate.

Board direction: supervisors asked CEO Antle and department heads to bring back hiring requests at a follow-up meeting (scheduled for Oct. 7) with written packets that show how each new position would be funded, what specific 6% reductions are being achieved (contracts, office expenses, attrition), and whether positions are funded by grants or non-general-fund sources. The board also asked the CEO to return with a clearer budget timeline so supervisors can assess carry-forward and first-quarter results.

Why it matters: The board must close an estimated $16 million budget gap next fiscal year; how the county balances staffing needs for public safety, mandated services and grant-funded programs against required savings will determine whether departments are cut or programs suspended.

What's next: Departments that want to hire must present a packet documenting offsets and a revised organization chart; the board expects a fuller fiscal update on carry-forward and first-quarter results in November. Quotes and attribution in this article are drawn from the meeting transcript and public remarks during the Sept. 23 meeting of the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors.