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Monterey County adopts $2.35B FY 2026–27 budget; board sets contingency and funds sheriff vacancies
Summary
The Monterey County Board of Supervisors adopted a $2.35 billion all‑funds budget for 2026–27 (about $1.02 billion general fund), approved $3.6 million in augmentations and a contingency allocation, and later authorized contingency funding to fill seven deputy sheriff enforcement positions.
The Monterey County Board of Supervisors voted June 16 to adopt the fiscal year 2026–27 county budget, approving about $2.35 billion in all‑funds appropriations and roughly $1.02 billion in general‑fund spending. The adopted plan relies on $65.5 million in fund balance across all funds and $32.9 million from the general fund to balance the coming year.
The CEO’s recommended modifications approved by the board add about $3.6 million in targeted augmentations for county operations, including unscheduled facilities maintenance, housing and community development, public‑defender legal services, and public‑works projects. Assistant CEO Michael Beaton told supervisors the adopted budget also includes a technical swap to improve tracking of Measure AA funds in unincorporated areas.
The board and staff emphasized the budget’s dual objective of maintaining core services and beginning to address structural gaps in revenue and staffing. County budget director DJ Sero said the plan establishes a Maximum Filled FTE policy to replace the hiring freeze, allowing departments to align positions with operational needs while preserving fiscal oversight.
Supervisors raised multiple follow‑up items during the hearing. Staff noted a discovered discrepancy in Destination/Service Area (DSA) set‑asides and told the board they will return in August with a correction if required; staff estimated a possible adjustment in the high‑hundreds of thousands depending on final allocation decisions. The board also received presentations about sheriff staffing trends and requested clearer reporting on allocated versus funded versus filled positions before considering specific hiring actions.
After adopting the budget, the board heard an updated staffing spreadsheet from the sheriff’s office and voted separately later in the afternoon to use contingency funds to authorize seven vacant deputy sheriff enforcement positions (estimated annual cost about $1.298 million). The sheriff’s office presentation showed year‑by‑year allocated, funded and filled FTE for corrections, enforcement and professional staff from FY 2018 through projected FY 2027. Under Sheriff Keith Boyd said the positions would be available to hire at the start of the fiscal year if funding is confirmed.
What’s next: staff will return with the DSA allocation correction in August and follow up on additional budget‑related questions, including vacancy classifications and the implementation details of the Maximum Filled FTE policy.
