Throughout June, the Board of Supervisors has deliberated on the county budget for fiscal year 2009-2010.

Like many families and businesses in Orange County, your local government is faced with declining revenue and is required to reduce spending.

Fortunately, the county has been proactive.

Early in the 2008-09 budget planning cycle, when we began to witness the growing state budget deficit and the decline in property and sales tax revenues, we immediately implemented spending reductions across county departments while exercising care not to impact our responsibility and commitment to delivering an excellent level of service.

By taking necessary actions early, the county has avoided having to implement the extreme cuts being made by other local municipalities around the state.

While our responsible actions have eased the pain, ongoing economic challenges, including continuing cuts from the State, have resulted in significant shortfalls for the 2009-2010 budget and have necessitated a new round of budget reductions.

Up until this point, the county has been able to avoid cuts to our public safety budget.

Earlier this year, when it became clear that public safety would face cuts, I encouraged departments to reduce administrative and non-essential services.

By effectively reducing the bureaucracy, we have preserved the funds needed to keep deputies on patrol, keep our jails open to the appropriate capacity, and keep deputy district attorneys prosecuting crime.

Moving forward, my goal is to continue to avoid impacts to direct services to every extent possible. I recognize that no cuts are easy; however, they must be made in order to keep impacts to public safety minimal.

The Sheriff’s Department is faced with making $45 million in reductions in fiscal year 2009-10. The county has backfilled $25 million of that shortfall from the general fund, one-time reserves and savings realized from cuts to other departments.

That leaves $20 million in reductions that still must occur. Failing to make the necessary cuts this year will only worsen next year’s budget deficit.

Furthermore, exhausting our reserves would result in a severe cash flow problem, like one the state is currently experiencing, and leave the county with no other options but to make very drastic cuts in the future.

We must not avoid today’s pain at tomorrow’s expense, especially when there are a number of options available to close the Sheriff’s Department’s $20 million gap.

Those options include eliminating all vacant positions within the department, making additional reductions to administrative non-sworn staff, utilizing effective management of overtime, and making reductions in the motor vehicle fleet.

In looking for opportunities to trim spending, I continue to meet with community leaders to discuss options for reducing overhead costs that are factored into Sheriff’s Department contracts.

I also commend the Sheriff for exploring certain revenue generating ideas, understanding that any newly generated revenue should be used to balance anticipated future budget shortfalls and cannot be relied upon to offset the current deficit.

In making the tough cuts required to balance the county’s budget, your Board of Supervisors is demonstrating a marked contrast with our State Legislature.

Even with raising taxes and borrowing from local governments over the last few years, the State finds itself in deeper debt and in a severe financial crisis.

The Board of Supervisors refuses to pass today’s financial problems on to tomorrow.

We must and we will demonstrate true fiscal discipline by showing that we intend to live within our means and spend hard earned tax dollars in a wise and efficient manner.

Nothing less will be accepted.