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Siskiyou County adopts 2026-27 budget calendar and a new principle to delete long-vacant positions
Summary
Deputy county administrator Sherry Lawson told the board the general fund faces an approximate $6,000,000 deficit and presented a 2026-27 budget calendar and new principles that would remove positions vacant 12 months or longer; the board approved the calendar and principles by roll call.
Sherry Lawson, deputy county administrator and chief fiscal officer, told the board the county’s midyear review found the general fund facing an approximate $6,000,000 deficit and proposed a tighter 2026-27 budget calendar that adds a new principle to delete positions vacant for 12 months or more.
"We have a projected $6,000,000 deficit in the general fund, and we need to address that in a thoughtful and responsible manner," Lawson said while outlining plans to scrutinize personnel costs, overtime trends and grant dependencies. Lawson said the county typically includes a 3% buffer for wage and insurance increases when preparing projections.
The county administrator, Angela Davis, said restoring a deleted position would return to the board via resolution and need not go to the union for approval when added back to the county position allocation list. The board moved, seconded and approved the calendar and principles by roll call.
Why it matters: The new principle to delete long-vacant positions is intended to produce more accurate payroll projections and force a structural correction to recurring budgets. Board members pressed staff on how deletions would be reversed if service needs return; staff said such additions would come back to the board for formal resolution.
