County supervisors narrowly pass budget

EL CENTRO — Imperial County Board Supervisor Ryan Kelley followed through on his promise made last year when he said if revenues in the 2020-2021 budget did not cover expenses, he would vote against it.

Although Kelley had an ally in Supervisor Jesus Eduardo Escobar, the budget passed 3-2 on Tuesday.

“We are going downhill, and it’s a steep slope,” Escobar said, questioning why every bar Deputy CEO Maya Widmann presented to them in her PowerPoint presentation showed figures had increased from last year.

“That’s our problem,” Escobar said. “We have $2 and we spend $3. Eventually, the rubber will meet the road, and we will suffer the consequences.”

The supervisors approved a recommended 2020-21 fiscal budget that is close to $36 million more than last year’s.

According to Widmann, the general fund would increase from almost $213 million to close to $227 million.

Other funding would increase from $292.2 million to $313.9 million for a recommended total of $540.7 million.

The county transferred about $16 million in funds from other assets. Escobar wanted to know how much of that money is one-time funding. The answer was that $8.5 million is not recurring.

“That is like putting a bandage on a hemorrhaging wound,” he said. “You have to put meat on the sandwich.

“We can no longer kick the can,” he added. “Employees will suffer the consequences if we don’t fix the budget.”

Kelley said what is a concern is the county has a budget that is exceeding its revenues.

Kelley said he understood the budget had the votes to pass, but added the county needs a plan not to exceed its revenue in the future.

“We are not putting the pieces in place to make it better,” he said. “It needs to be based on our revenue. We need to be in a position of sustainability to move forward.”

Supervisor Ray Castillo, who praised Widmann for presenting a balanced budget, said a hard look of all departments is needed.

“If we are facing a deficit next year what actions are we going to take?” he asked, adding the finances need to be looked into on a monthly basis.

Supervisor Mike Kelley said the day could come where Peter would have to be shot to pay Paul.

He also said perhaps the only way to balance the budget would be to cut positions.

“I think most would prefer to take a pay cut than see (coworkers) lose their jobs,” he said.

Ryan Kelley said he would have liked to have a policy added to the budget motion to ensure expenses would not exceed revenue in the future, but the rest of the board chose to watch the finances and budget more closely.