County staff flag preliminary $27 million gap as board sets priorities; board approves Title 3 recommendation

Mendocino County officials told the Board of Supervisors on March 18 that early department submissions for the fiscal year 2025–26 budget show a projected general-fund “ask” of approximately $2,728,000 (presenters described this as $2.728 million but stressed numbers are preliminary) above recurring non‑departmental revenue, and staff estimated a larger budget gap when preliminary salary-and-benefit increases and obligations are included.

The county’s deputy chief executive officer, Tony Raikes, said salary and benefit (the “1,000 series”) estimates rose about 7% in department submissions and noted the 1,000 series accounts for roughly 57% of the general fund. Raikes said that, based on submissions at the time of the presentation, applying that increase to the current budget would move the 1,000‑series total from about $147 million to roughly $157 million.

Why it matters: staff framed the workshop as an early, department-driven set of estimates to guide board priorities and budget conferences. The projected increases in personnel costs plus a long list of deferred facility repairs mean the board will face tradeoffs between public safety, roads, economic development and preserving ongoing services.

Key figures and fiscal pressures - Non‑departmental recurring revenue was estimated at about $95.7 million for 2025–26; after required operating transfers (COPs, earmarks, roads, libraries and other pass‑throughs totaling about $14.4 million), the net recurring revenue available for the general fund was estimated near $81.3…