Alameda Board of Supervisors pass $4.1 billion county budget
OAKLAND - Alameda County supervisors Thursday afternoon passed a balanced $4.1 billion budget for the next fiscal year, closing a $54 million budget gap.
The motion to approve the fiscal year 2023-24 budget, which includes a $212 million increase in the General Fund, received unanimous support from the five supervisors.
Supervisors also approved three of four budget/policy directives, which allow certain departments to provide money for efforts and organizations, such as St. Rose Hospital and Tri-Valley Haven domestic violence shelter if the departments can find the money in their existing budgets.
St. Rose Hospital may receive one-time support of $5 to $7 million and Tri-Valley Haven $2 million to rebuild its shelter.
"I'm going to be wildly in support of Tri-Valley funding," Supervisor David Haubert said before the vote on the directive, which passed with three ayes.
Supervisor Keith Carson, the chair of the budget committee, voted no and Supervisor Lena Tam abstained.
The funding for Tri-Valley Haven will have to come back to the board for its approval, a county official said following the vote at the meeting.
The money for Tri-Valley Haven would go toward the $6.5 million cost for the rebuild. Tri-Valley's shelter is the only domestic violence shelter in Alameda County that accepts boys, according to a letter from Haubert and Board of Supervisors President Nate Miley.
The pair wrote the letter in support of the funding.
Regarding St. Rose Hospital, the supervisors received a letter asking for $15 million for the hospital "to maintain its services and provide care to the underinsured and uninsured patients that rely on their services in Southern Alameda County," Miley and Supervisor Elisa Marquez said in a letter to their colleagues.
Carson voted no and Tam abstained while the other supervisors voted in favor of the funding. Carson said Friday that all four budget/policy directives are worthy of county money.
Working with St. Rose has been challenging, though, Carson said.
Carson, who chairs the health committee, said hospital officials have been non-communicative and the county hasn't received the hospital's strategic plan.
In addition, no one has been overseeing the finance department at St. Rose and the hospital's CEO is new, Carson said. In Carson's opinion, the supervisors need tangible information before they hand over money.
No one at St. Rose Hospital was available to comment and Haubert was also unavailable Friday afternoon.
Of all four directives, Carson said, "These could have been integrated (into the budget) earlier," considering the exhaustive budget process the county has.
Carson added that he doesn't know what the impact will be by shifting money around to provide the funds for these directives and that concerns him.
Another directive would, among other things, provide $50.6 million for mental health care needs in the county.
Haubert made a motion to delay the fourth directive to an unspecified board meeting. The fourth directive would provide each of the five supervisors with $3 million in discretionary money to pay for projects implemented by community-based organizations and nonprofits locally.
Carson said he didn't think politically handing out money was prudent.