Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board hears budget office projections, learns fund may revert roughly $615,000
Summary
DCA budget analysts told the California State Board of Optometry that the board’s beginning base budget is $3.887 million and projected spending would leave an approximate $615,000 reversion; staff also introduced a ‘mock fund condition’ to show more realistic spending scenarios.
The California State Board of Optometry on April 10 received an update from the Department of Consumer Affairs budget office showing the board’s beginning base budget of about $3.887 million and projected 2025–26 expenditures of roughly $3.272 million, leaving an estimated reversion to the fund of approximately $615,000.
The board heard the presentation from Emily Molino, a budget analyst with the DCA Budget Office, who walked members through the fund condition statement and accompanying projections. Molino said the revenue forecasts include initial license fees, renewals and smaller receipts such as citations and delinquent fees, and that projections use data through fiscal month eight (through February).
Greg (executive staff) and Bradley Lenon, budget manager, said the governor’s budget assumptions produce a conservative estimate of expenditures; staff prepared a separate “mock fund condition” to present a more realistic scenario for future years that uses a 5% expenditure growth factor and holds revenues constant. The mock scenario showed a smaller, more sustainable spending trajectory than the standard fund condition, the presenters said.
Molino told the board the fund’s projected balance equates to about 9.7 months of reserve under current assumptions, and she said the budget office will continue to monitor monthly projections. Members asked whether legal fees and attorney general costs are included; staff said the fund condition incorporates many known costs but, because the report is a snapshot through February, it may not include every later invoice or obligation.
Board members pressed staff on what primarily drives reversions: Greg said salary and benefit savings from vacancies are the largest contributor now, and other categories (for example, court‑related or administrative costs) can also vary year to year. Members also discussed the board’s reserve policy and noted statute changes that increased allowable months in reserve to 24 months.
The board did not take formal action on the fund condition but asked staff to continue monthly monitoring and to present follow‑up updates as projections change.
