With tight pockets and a growing funding gap, the County will meet tomorrow to workshop budget priorities.

Katie Rodriguez here, thinking about how much money it takes to run a county each year, where that money comes from, and where it should go—questions that make my head spin a bit.

The recommended budget for the county’s 2025-2026 fiscal year is $1.98 billion, with about 12 percent ($231 million) coming from federal funds annually.

On the heels of the Weekly’s recent cover story, where we analyzed last year’s federal fiscal footprint in the county showing at least $7.5 billion in federal funds coming in—it’s clear that continuing to create a spending plan amid uncertain federal funding streams will likely be a rocky road. These funds are critical for health services, food programs and emergency response services.

“There are so many different funding sources that are used for each department,” says District 4 Supervisor Wendy Root Askew. “Every department has such unique circumstances.”

To complicate matters further, the County is in a funding deficit of roughly $43.3 million next fiscal year, $67.4 million in FY 2026-27 and $93.6 million by FY 2027-28. While the county is still currently in a hiring freeze, which was implemented on Oct. 15, 2024, exceptions have been made on a case-by-case basis by Chief Administrative Officer Sonia M. De La Rosa.

Preliminary budgets developed by County departments found that they don’t have enough money to fully fund 117 jobs—this includes 49 people who are already working and 68 open positions that need to be filled.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, March 25 at 10:30am, the Board of Supervisors will host its annual Budget Workshop where the County Administrative Office will present the countywide financial forecast and share perspectives on the developing budget priorities for next fiscal year.

Each department will have a chance to come forward and present their needs and unique set of circumstances, says Askew, and the Board of Supervisors as well as the public will provide comments, which will be considered as they finalize the recommended budget during the budget hearings in May.

“In many ways, many of our departments are bigger than cities,” she adds.

The District Attorney’s office has been especially vocal about impacts to their department, as the hiring freeze has hindered their ability to hire much-needed prosecutors. Earlier this month, DA Jeannine Pacioni expressed concerns on Facebook, requesting additional funding for the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) to make sure resources are available to support critical services like counseling, rehousing and legal assistance.

“Due to federal cuts to VOCA funding, organizations providing these services are already facing tough decisions, including staff layoffs, reduced services, and longer wait times for victims. Without additional funding, some programs may be forced to shut down entirely,” she writes.

The Sheriff's Department has put forward a huge request for additional money—a $30 million augmentation request, mentioned in the staff report for tomorrow’s meeting. 

“That one was wildly different from what the other departments had come forward with,” Askew says. 

Folks can tune in in-person at the Monterey County Government Center (168 W. Alisal St., Salinas) or on Zoom (montereycty.zoom.us/j/224397747). The public is welcome to provide public comment during the meeting or write via email at cob@countyofmonterey.gov.