The County Board of Supervisors today will consider adopting a $4 billion budget for the next fiscal year and imposing a temporary moratorium on solar-energy projects. Of the $4 billion, the general fund spending totals $2.5 billion, $499 million of which is truly discretionary. The county’s $825.4 million public-safety budget reflects increased staffing costs due to retirement rate increases and increased staffing to accommodate the number of parolees now under county supervision due to prison realignment. The Sheriff’s Department plans to add 23 positions The District Attorney’s Office is adding eight positions, and the Public Defender’s Office is adding six because of the state’s prison realignment. The Board of Supervisors will also consider an ordinance establishing a temporary moratorium on approval of commercial solar-energy projects until the county can update its development code to reflect land-use requirements involving solar projects. The moratorium would not apply to solar projects that have already been approved by the board.
