Orange County staff present refreshed strategic priorities; supervisors say packet arrived too late

At a Sept. 3 special workshop, Orange County staff laid out proposed updates to the county's strategic priorities and the strategic financial plan that staff expect to bring back for formal board action in December.

Kim Engelbert, the county's chief financial officer, told the board the county's total budget is $10,800,000,000 and described two primary reserve accounts: a budget-stabilization reserve set at two months of general fund operating revenue and a contingency reserve set at 15% of ongoing general-purpose revenues (about two months of discretionary revenue). "Our reserves provide flexibility and offer resources for unanticipated or cyclical economic downturns, emergencies, or catastrophic events," Engelbert said, adding that many county grants are reimbursement-based and require upfront cash outlays.

Staff presented the proposed priorities as an "umbrella" of workstreams rather than discrete new programs: maintaining a structurally balanced budget and industry-standard reserve levels; investing in essential infrastructure (capital projects, information-technology systems and county real estate); and advancing key initiatives such as OC Cares, the county master plan for aging, and the county's housing strategy. A staff presenter said those umbrellas will be refined and incorporated into the five-year strategic financial plan and other planning documents.

Presenters described practical next steps. Matt (staff) highlighted plans to standardize the county's approach to redeveloping underutilized county property, citing examples including Dana Point Harbor and site work around El Toro; Casey Rostenberg, the county's chief information officer, outlined IT priorities including moving away from desk handsets to a softphone solution, reducing reliance on copper circuits and expanding virtual desktop (VDI) options to lower device refresh costs — noting the county manages roughly 17,000 devices — and strengthening 24/7 cybersecurity and data-classification work. Jessica Witt, the county's chief operating officer, said staff will tag "shovel-ready" projects in the strategic financial plan and centralize project data so the county is more competitive for state and federal funding. Jamie (HR lead) described initiatives to recruit and retain staff, including stay interviews, career-pathing and a new compensation "pay philosophy."

Although most supervisors said the subjects were appropriate for county planning, several objected to the process and timing. "I think this is a fundamentally flawed process," Supervisor Wagner said, adding he received the packet only the day before and asked for more time and public discussion. Other supervisors echoed that they had limited time to digest the materials and urged staff to schedule individual briefings and to reframe some items as higher-level policy priorities rather than operational checklists.

Staff repeatedly characterized the session as a listening-oriented kickoff and said individual one-on-one briefings with supervisors will be scheduled so officials can provide more detailed input before staff finalizes strategies for the December board meeting. No formal action or vote was taken at the workshop.

The board adjourned after brief closing comments; staff will circulate one-page summaries and set up follow-up briefings with each office.