The Blue Ribbon Budget Task Force presented its cost efficiency
analysis to a grateful Board of Supervisors last week. The
five-person Task Force–which took nine months to complete the
report–includes former Ernst and Young CEO William Kimsey and
William Watkins, director of the UCSB Economic Forecast Project.
4th District Supervisor and Board Chair Joni Gray declared the
report “by far the best thing I’ve ever seen,” and suggested the
board keep it available for constant reference as it begins working
on the budget in June. Warning that county pensions and rising
costs of living and healthcare will plunge the budget into a
structural deficit during the next five years, the report outlines
specific suggestions for saving money, including more outsourcing.
As for generating revenue, the report encourages constructing small
village centers in outlying areas to increase property taxes and
low-impact oil development. County Executive Officer Michael Brown
suggested the latter could be supplanted by cultivating alternative
energy sources.
