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Board delays final Community Development & Infrastructure budget vote; directs emergency storm‑investment plan and district breakdown of road funding
Summary
Supervisors postponed final adoption of the Community Development & Infrastructure (CDI) budget and asked staff to prepare an emergency investment plan to reduce future storm damage and a district‑level breakdown of Measure K and general‑fund road allocations.
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors declined to finalize the Community Development & Infrastructure (CDI) budget on June 4 and instead directed county staff to prepare additional information and an emergency plan to protect transportation infrastructure in future storms.
Why it matters: CDI encompasses planning, building permits, public works and transportation programs. Supervisors focused extensive discussion on road and bridge deferred maintenance, storm‑damage liabilities, and how Measure K district sales tax and a new general‑fund allocation should be spent across supervisorial districts.
What the department presented - Overview: Director Carlos Machado summarized the combined CDI budget, explained staffing proposals (two building permit technicians and six public‑works solid‑waste positions tied to bringing recycling services in‑house) and said the overall departmental budget is lower than the prior year because several large projects have been completed and some grant activity has slowed. - Roads and General Fund request: CDI requested an increase in general‑fund support for transportation operations (about $3.9 million total proposed from the general fund) to address backlog road operations, culvert and drainage work and project matching needs. The departmental slides broke out $2.2 million proposed for road operations and $1.68 million for project matches and local contributions. - Disaster and grant risk: The department stressed delays and staff redirection for 2017 and 2023 disaster repairs have put grant reimbursements at risk; the county has issued short‑term debt to cover cash flow while awaiting federal disaster reimbursement. CDI also noted the county’s Highway Bridge Program and remaining storm projects and said a shortfall in federal reimbursement could raise debt service beyond the $1.4 million projected in the budget.
Board discussion and direction Supervisors pressed for detail and equity. Multiple board members asked for an itemization of how the new general‑fund dollars and Measure K allocation would be distributed by supervisorial district and urged staff to return with options. Several supervisors — including Koenig, Martinez, Cummings and Hernandez — emphasized the need for an emergency investment plan that would identify steps the county could take now to reduce the risk of repeated, large storm damage to roads and culverts if federal reimbursement rules change.
Action taken Rather than approve the budget at the hearing, the board voted unanimously to postpone final budget action to June 10 and directed CDI staff to: (a) prepare an emergency investment plan to reduce future storm damage in case federal reimbursement eligibility changes, and (b) provide a district‑level breakdown of proposed Measure K and general‑fund road spending, including the match implications for grant projects. Staff also agreed to provide the board with supporting data such as road miles, population and prior SB‑1/gas‑tax receipts by district.
Next steps CDI will prepare the emergency investment plan and the district funding breakdown and return on June 10 for the board to consider final adoption. Supervisors said they intend to use the extra time to review possible alternatives for distributing the additional road funding.
