BILL ANALYSIS Ó ----------------------------------------------------------------- |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 1315| |Office of Senate Floor Analyses | | |(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | | |327-4478 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- THIRD READING Bill No: SB 1315 Author: Bates (R) Amended: 4/7/16 Vote: 21 SENATE GOVERNANCE & FIN. COMMITTEE: 6-0, 4/6/16 AYES: Hertzberg, Beall, Hernandez, Lara, Moorlach, Pavley NO VOTE RECORDED: Nguyen SUBJECT: Counties: budgets SOURCE: Author DIGEST: This bill allows a county that fulfills specified requirements to adopt a final budget without first voting on a recommended budget. ANALYSIS: Existing law requires counties to use a two-step process when adopting an annual budget. Specifically, a board of supervisors must annually approve a recommended budget on or before June 30, which provides interim authority for county government spending during the period of time after the fiscal year begins on July 1 and before the board of supervisors adopts a final budget, which must happen on or before October 2. This bill: 1)Allows a county, in lieu of approving a recommended budget SB 1315 Page 2 pursuant to state law, to instead direct the publication of a recommended budget for the purposes of conducting a budget hearing without authorizing spending pursuant to the recommended budget until the budget is adopted. 2)Requires a board of supervisors that chooses to use this bill's alternative budget adoption procedures to: a) Make the recommended budget available to the public on or before May 30. b) Publish a notice on or before May 30 stating that the recommended budget is available to members of the public and specifying the time and place at which the board will conduct a public hearing on the recommended budget. c) Conduct a public hearing on the budget on or before June 20, but not fewer than 10 days after the recommended budget is made available to the public. d) Adopt the budget by resolution pursuant to the requirements of specified statutes governing the adoption of a county budget after the conclusion of the hearing and not later than June 30. 3)Requires that, on or before May 30 of any year in which a board of supervisors uses the budget adoption procedures enacted by this bill, the board must set forth a budget adoption schedule that complies with specified statutory requirements. Background A recommended county budget must be submitted to the board of supervisors by either the county administrative officer or county auditor, as designated by the board, on or before June 30 of each year. After receiving the recommended budget, the board SB 1315 Page 3 must consider it and make any revisions, reductions, or additions. On or before June 30 of each year the board must vote to approve the recommended budget, including the revisions it deems necessary for the purpose of having authority to spend until the budget is adopted. With specified exceptions, a board may make revisions to the recommended budget until a final budget is adopted. On or before September 8 of each year, state law requires the board to make the recommended budget available to the public and publish a notice in a newspaper stating that: The recommended budget documents are available to members of the public. On the date stated in the notice, not fewer than 10 days after the recommended budget documents are available, and at a specified time and place, the board will conduct a public hearing on the recommended budget. Any member of the public may appear at the hearing and be heard regarding any item in the recommended budget or for the inclusion of additional items. All proposals for revisions must be submitted in writing to the clerk of the board of supervisors before the close of the public hearing. State law specifies the manner in which a board of supervisors must conduct a hearing on the recommended budget and requires that after the hearing's conclusion, the board must, by resolution, adopt the budget as finally determined not later than October 2 of each year. Orange County officials assert that it is not necessary to require a county board of supervisors to vote on a recommended budget if the county chooses to adopt a final budget before the July 1 start of the fiscal year. They want the Legislature to allow a county board of supervisors that adopts a final budget on or before June 30 to publish a recommended budget without having to take an official action to approve it. SB 1315 Page 4 Comments Purpose of the bill. In most counties, the recommended budget that a board of supervisors must vote to approve annually by June 30 governs county spending until a final budget is adopted later in the fiscal year. However, if a county adopts a budget before the fiscal year begins, the initial recommended budget never has any practical effect beyond serving as a baseline for the board's deliberations on, and approval of, a final budget. In counties that don't rely on a recommended budget for spending authority, it doesn't make sense to require a separate board of supervisors vote on the recommended budget. This bill creates an alternative budget approval process that allows a county board of supervisors to publish a recommended budget, in lieu of voting on it, if the board adopts a final budget by June 30. This bill does not require any county to alter its current budget process. FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.:NoLocal: No SUPPORT: (Verified4/7/16) California State Association of Counties Orange County Urban Counties of California OPPOSITION: (Verified4/7/16) None received Prepared by:Brian Weinberger / GOV. & F. / (916) 651-4119 SB 1315 Page 5 4/8/16 14:09:30 **** END ****