County budget bumps up slightly, as departments remain tight on cash.

After four years of budget hits, Monterey County’s general fund finally ended with a $12.8 million surplus in 2013-14. But that padding came largely from pinching individual department budgets, and those budgets are likely to hold steady next year.

As the county Board of Supervisors considered a proposed $1.1 billion 2014-15 budget – up $44 million from last year – departments sought to restore some of their lost positions. Budget officials recommended pulling $22 million from the county’s discretionary spending pool, the general fund, to make 55 new hires and avoid laying off an additional 42 staffers – mostly in parks (see story, p. 20), libraries, probation, social services and the District Attorney’s office.

Union reps also negotiated their first raise in five years, anticipated to cost $3.8 million this year and $4.6 million in 2015-16.

One agency that fares well: Natividad Medical Center, which is expected to make 109 new hires as it evolves into a trauma center by Jan. 1, providing round-the-clock care for critically injured patients.

At the budget hearing June 10, the Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 to adopt the budget with only minor changes.

CORRECTION: This story has been updated to reflect the following correction. An earlier version stated the board voted 5-0 to adopt the budget; the vote was actually 4-0, with Supervisor Lou Calcagno absent.