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Committee withdraws year-end outreach budget amendment, asks CEO to include full outreach coverage in 2026 budget
Summary
Commissioners debated a budget amendment to convert outreach contractors to full-time county employees with benefits and to add two staff. After questions about whether a prior appropriation had been finalized, the committee withdrew the current amendment and adopted a policy request asking the CEO to include funding for full county outreach coverage and health benefits in the 2026 budget.
Item 2025-1523 asked the committee to increase the General Fund community development allocation to fully fund the street outreach team, convert existing part-time/contract outreach workers to full-time employees eligible for benefits and add two staff positions. Commissioner Ted Terry and others argued the outreach team is essential to countywide engagement with people experiencing homelessness and recommended full coverage of every district.
Commissioner Long Spears raised a procedural concern: he recalled the board had approved funding for similar positions previously and asked whether the money had actually been appropriated. County staff (finance/administration) reported they could not find evidence of final appropriation for the earlier item and proposed the administration develop a budget proposal for 2026 to fund staff as appropriate. Commissioners discussed options: proceed with a withdraw-and-request approach or press forward with a year-end appropriation. Committee members noted the practical difficulty of end-of-year amendments and the limited opportunity to appropriate funds before year-end deadlines.
The committee ultimately moved to withdraw the current budget amendment (because it is the last committee meeting of the year and no further budget amendments can be processed now) and approved a policy motion requesting the CEO include funding in the 2026 budget to provide full outreach coverage across five districts and to provide benefits for outreach staff who opt in. Commissioners emphasized the goal to have an operational plan and asked administration to return with implementation details.
Chair Messia and staff agreed to follow up offline, and the committee approved the withdrawal and policy request by voice vote.
