County releases new unincorporated-area budget detail as residents press for mental-health funding and oversight

Alameda County officials on Wednesday presented a more detailed unincorporated-area section of the FY25-26 budget while residents urged clearer accounting and stronger commitments on mental health and local services.

A county administrator’s office presenter described new elements added to the unincorporated-services budget including a demographic overview, revenue and expenditure breakdowns by department, budget-unit detail and searchable online features. "We used a new budget platform that has some additional capability," the presenter said, noting translation and read-aloud tools were added to improve access.

Adam, a county budget presenter, walked supervisors through line items the office added this year: departmental revenue breakdowns, discretionary services and supplies by department, selected capital projects and school- and community-program investments. He said the public-works agency reports roughly $185 million in appropriations and the office is starting to show additional investments beyond municipal services.

Residents and advocacy groups welcomed the increased detail but pressed for more granular, department-level reporting and a predictable annual disclosure. "We request department budgets that serve unincorporated-area residents be published for all of us to understand annually every December," said Leo, co-director of MyEdVoice, who also raised a long-standing community concern about a reported cumulative gap between appropriations and actual expenditures.

County staff responded that much of the apparent discrepancy stems from the difference between appropriations (the authority to spend) and actuals. The CAO's office explained that capital projects are multi-year and that prior-year savings (fund balance) are sometimes re-budgeted; "if you're cumulatively adding up the difference between appropriations and actuals every year, some of that savings is going right back into the budget," the presenter said.

Public Works Director (speaking from the agency) clarified the capital process: "A single project usually takes us between 3 to 5 to 7 years, and that money is built up accordingly," he said, adding that large projects require multi-year encumbrances and that public works receives most of its revenue from gas taxes, Measure B and other non-general-fund sources.

Community speakers repeatedly asked that mental health be prioritized on the next meeting agenda. Several callers representing Cherryland and other unincorporated neighborhoods urged supervisors to fund community-led "third-space" mental-health supports and to shorten service waitlists. "We need concrete investments in unincorporated communities," one speaker said, calling for resident-run cafes and accessible, culturally based programming.

County and community leaders also discussed using Municipal Advisory Councils (MACs) and other local bodies to broaden outreach and submitted proposals to pilot community charrettes this fall. Anna Rasquiza of Resources for Community Development described two recently held charrettes — one urban and one rural — as multilingual tests the county plans to replicate with MACs and CACs and synthesize in December.

Supervisors said they would appoint a resident representative to the budget work group to improve liaison with MACs and local stakeholders. Officials also flagged upcoming opportunities to review an Office of Unincorporated Services (to be discussed at a transportation and planning committee meeting on Oct. 6) and to add a mental-health item to the committee's October agenda.

Next steps: County staff plan to return with department-level detail and follow-up explanations of appropriations vs. actuals, public-works expenditure timelines and proposed ways to use MACs to channel resident input. A larger synthesis of the pilot community engagement is expected in December.