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Kings County board adopts recommended FY 2026–27 budget amid cuts, position deletions
Summary
The Kings County Board of Supervisors approved the administration’s recommended FY 2026–27 budget after presentations that outlined a roughly $491 million countywide plan, a smaller general fund and a net deletion of 51 positions as officials seek to close a multi‑year structural gap.
The Kings County Board of Supervisors on June 23 approved the administration’s recommended fiscal year 2026–27 budget, a package county officials said totals about $491 million countywide and seeks to narrow a multi‑year structural gap between revenues and rising costs.
County Executive Officer Kyrie Martinez presented the recommended budget, saying revenues and state and federal funding remain critical but insufficient to match escalating expenditures. “The recommended budget totals $491,000,000 and 156,326, representing a decrease of approximately 28,000,000 from last year's adopted budget,” Martinez said, noting the general fund recommendation is about $394,221,901, roughly $7 million less than the prior year.
Martinez and Finance Director Eric Urena said the budget anticipates tighter margins and relies less on vacancy savings than in prior years. The administration proposed a 10% countywide reduction target, implemented 0‑based budgeting for many units and recommended deletion of a net 51 positions (the presentation also referenced about 21 unfunded positions and a general shift in vacant‑position accounting). “This year's recommended budget in closing represents one of the most challenging budgets the county has faced in recent years,” Martinez said.
Urena described routine, compliance‑driven year‑end budget transfers needed to close books and asked the board to authorize finance to make transfers necessary to bring budget units into balance prior to closing. He said transfers would have no net fiscal impact because revenues and expenses would already be posted by the time transfers are executed.
Public health officials warned the board of specific service impacts. Rosemary Rand, director of public health, said the end of COVID grants and the reclassification of previously frozen positions resulted in painful reductions — “about 36–37 positions” in public health, she said — that will affect program capacity.
Board members pressed administration on contingency planning and the potential fiscal impact of pending items, notably a Mid Kings River GSA Prop 218 election that could shift an estimated additional $744,000–$800,000 to the county’s budget if the election fails. Chuck Kenny, general manager of the Mid Kings River GSA, said the election is scheduled for Sept. 29 and that first collections would occur only if the measure passes.
The board approved the recommended budget and set final budget hearings for Aug. 24, with a final resolution to the state controller’s office anticipated later in the fall. Martinez said staff will continue monitoring revenues, year‑end estimates and present recommended adjustments at the final hearings.
Votes at a glance: the motion to adopt the recommended budget and set related hearings passed on recorded roll calls with the clerk recording affirmative votes from the board.
