A letter from Sheriff Sandra Hutchens to the Department
This past year we have experienced many successes and I am proud of you all for what you do to make our department an organization that is highly respected by the public. I know that as we move into the New Year, your commitment and dedication will remain unwavering.
Unfortunately, the New Year will usher in one of the worst economic forecasts in memory and the impact on our department will be profound.
We must focus on doing the most we can with the resources we have. Virtually all revenue sources are down from last year and the state is slashing the funds it provides to counties for many critical programs. The press has reported on severe cost reductions and layoffs for the Social Services Agency and major reductions in funding to Probation and the Health Care Agency. Eventually, all departments will experience severe budget cuts.
To maximize our services and to minimize staffing impacts, we must work together to reduce our costs. Overtime is being minimized, extra-help is being used for critical services only, discretionary annual leave payoffs have been suspended, training and travel is being reduced, and non-critical purchases are being deferred. All of these savings may minimize the future need to reduce staffing.
For our department, Proposition 172 funds (public safety sales taxes) are running about $12 million under budget this year and the holiday shopping numbers are disappointing at best. The financial plan adopted by the Board provides some additional General Funds for our department, but we will still likely be facing a $20 to $30 million shortfall in FY 09-10 and a $40 million plus shortfall the year after that. Based on the financial plan adopted by the Board, there is no doubt that we will be making serious reductions in the services that we provide to the public.
More than ever, we must focus on our core services.
As individuals, we will all be sharing the burden through deferred salary increases, reductions in overtime, reductions in annual leave payoffs, and experiencing the frustration of seeing the services that we provide to the public being reduced. But within our Department, I am confident that we will pull together to continue to serve and protect the residents of Orange County in our usual extraordinary way.
The next few years will be difficult and I thank you in advance for your dedication and hard work to keep Orange County safe.
SANDRA HUTCHENS
Sheriff-Coroner