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Alameda County staff brief supervisors on $6.1 billion FY25‑26 budget, schedule and community outreach
Summary
County staff reviewed the FY 2025‑26 budget (balanced at $6.1 billion), noted two‑thirds of the general fund comes from state and federal sources, and outlined an accelerated schedule — proposed budget by May 28 and hearings in mid‑June — while taking public comments on consent‑decree and unincorporated area concerns.
Alameda County staff presented a snapshot of the county's fiscal 2025‑26 position and an accelerated timeline for local budget decisions at a March 16 budget work group meeting.
Rosley Tadeo of the county administrator's office reviewed the county's fiscal 25/26 approved budget, saying the recommended balanced budget totals $6.1 billion and the general fund appropriations are about $4.3 billion, supporting nearly 10,500 full‑time equivalent positions. She noted that roughly two‑thirds of the general fund comes from state and federal sources, leaving discretionary revenue at about 30% of the general fund and property tax–based revenue accounting for about 75% of discretionary revenue.
Why it matters: County staff cautioned that a large share of local funding is linked to state and federal revenue streams, which makes Alameda County vulnerable when those flows change. The presentation emphasized pending state and federal policy changes as key risks and identified several pending factors including potential initiative impacts on property tax revenue and rising long‑term maintenance liabilities of over $800 million.
Process and next steps: County staff said departments submitted budget requests in February and the county will hold an early budget work session April 14, a follow‑up budget work group meeting the week of April 20, and aims to deliver a proposed budget to the board by May 28 ahead of hearings and adoption by the statutory June 30 deadline.
Public input: During public comment, John Lindsay Poland of the American Friends Service Committee urged the county to revisit the Babu jail consent decree staffing assumptions and to clarify long‑term obligations tied to B‑CHIP construction grants, noting 30‑year service commitments. An online speaker identified as Sandra urged better outreach to and representation of unincorporated areas, which she said are chronically underfunded relative to incorporated cities.
County response: Staff agreed to provide additional time‑series charts showing growth and decline of major revenue sources, and to include community advisory input through municipal advisory councils for unincorporated areas. The board closed public comment and adjourned.
