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County presents FY 2026–27 rollover budget; multiple speakers urge $10,000–$15,000 increase for library
Summary
Assistant CAO Lee Westerlund presented a rollover recommended budget and warned HHSA faces staffing- and reimbursement-related budget pressure; dozens of public commenters and Friends of the Library representatives asked the board to restore or add $10,000–$15,000 to the library budget, and several supervisors signaled support pending the final budget.
Assistant County Administrative Officer Lee Westerlund presented the recommended fiscal-year 2026–27 budget to the Mariposa County Board of Supervisors on June 9, explaining staff used the current FY 26 budget as a placeholder while departments refine revenue and expense figures before final adoption in September.
Westerlund said Health & Human Services Agency (HHSA) has historically had about 97% of its expenses covered by state and federal funding but now faces three complicating factors: significant staffing turnover on the fiscal team, program-driven expense growth (notably client transportation), and delays in reimbursements. He said staff are asking departments to limit spending to payroll and essential operations and to defer one-time purchases until the September final budget.
During the public-comment period more than a dozen speakers, including representatives of Friends of the Library and library patrons, asked the board to increase the library budget by $10,000 to $15,000. Michael Matheson, secretary of Friends of the Library, said the group will have to reduce its contributions if the county does not act and asked the board to "consider increasing the budget for the library by 10 to $15,000 for the next fiscal year." Other commenters cited the library’s role as a cooling/evacuee center during fires, technology access, literacy programs and community health partnerships.
Board discussion acknowledged those requests. Supervisor Menatrea and others noted the library’s current budget and year-to-date figures and asked staff about available fund balances; Westerlund and other administrators said some prior grants and insurance accounting changes make year-over-year comparisons harder but confirmed there is room to accommodate a modest augmentation. Supervisor Bennett said the requested $10,000–$15,000 "is generally easy" to include and pledged to work with library director Matt on specifics; staff indicated the board would consider adjustments before final adoption in September.
Why it matters: The county budget sets funding for core services and discretionary community programs. Library speakers argued that relatively small additional funding would preserve public programming, emergency functions and community services. County staff warned that HHSA reimbursement delays and growth in personnel costs create uncertainty that staff will continue to resolve before finalizing the budget.
The board did not adopt the final budget on June 9; staff will return with a final recommended budget after further analysis and confirmation of beginning fund balances and expected reimbursements.
