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Alameda County supervisors hear $5.1 billion proposed budget emphasizing health, homelessness and risk reserves
Summary
County staff presented a $5.1 billion FY2025–26 proposed budget that closes a $105.7 million gap through one-time and ongoing measures and invests in health, homelessness, mental health and community-based organizations; supervisors pressed staff about Measure W, contract cuts and rising litigation costs.
Alameda County officials on Monday presented a $5.1 billion proposed spending plan for fiscal year 2025–26 that county administrators said balances the budget while preserving major program investments.
The County Administrator’s Office told the Board of Supervisors the recommended budget closes a $105.7 million structural funding gap through a mix of reduced spending and increased revenue across departments. ‘‘The recommended budget is balanced and closes a $105,700,000 structural funding gap through a combination of reduced spending and increased revenue contributed by all program areas and most departments,’’ the County Administrator’s office said during the opening presentation.
Staff highlighted several large programmatic commitments in the draft: roughly $1.0 billion in community-based organization (CBO) contracts supporting 278 organizations; about $180 million for mental-health appropriations; more than $200 million for housing and homelessness services; and $135 million budgeted for Alameda Health System. The health program area accounts for roughly $1.3 billion of appropriations, with behavioral health representing about 61% of that total.
Presenters also called attention to a growing risk-management liability. County staff said insurance premiums, legal expenses and settlements now make up the majority of the risk program’s costs and that settlements and case reserves are increasing. To respond, the proposed budget includes a significant contribution to risk-management reserves based on actuarial analysis.
Supervisors used the hearing to press staff on several near-term uncertainties that could change the county’s finances: pending state trailer bills, potential federal funding reductions, and the impact of revived statutes of limitation that have increased litigation exposure. ‘‘We are seeing an increase in settlements and contributions to case reserves,’’ a staff presenter said, noting that some lawsuits fall outside the county’s risk-sharing pool.
The county administrator’s office also outlined the timeline for adoption: public deliberations on June 24 and final adoption on June 26, and reminded board members that any written revisions to the recommended budget must be filed with the clerk before the close of the hearing or approved afterward by a four-fifths vote.
The board recessed the hearing and voted to continue deliberations to Tuesday, June 24, allowing supervisors time to consider board policy directions and community requests made during extensive public comment.
