County CEO chats with chamber committee on regional budget
By Heather Milo
Acorn Staff Writer

The county budget was the subject when Johnny Johnston, Ventura County CEO, recently visited the Thousand Oaks/Westlake Chamber of Commerce during its monthly government relations committee meeting. Johnston told chamber members that the state deficit equals approximately $40 billion.

"Until the state speaks, we don’t really know where we are," he said. "We do know that it’s not good, and that it’s big."

With the county sheriff and district attorney threatening to sue the county board of supervisors for dollars in their budgets, the issue of public safety and the short fall in funding has caught the community’s attention. While the county is increasing the budgets of public safety offices, lack of funding means the county is just not able to do it fast enough, he said.

Johnston refuted rumors about cuts to public safety. However, he said that while the county will increase public safety spending by $17 million this year, those departments claim they need about $18 million more, he said.

An increase of 24 percent in costs has occurred, which is about three and a half to four times as much as county revenues. This need in public safety totals about $30 million, but general revenues to the entire county are only around $14 million.

Johnston said the average response to the prospect of less funding is that it will jeopardize public safety. While he acknowledged that is always a risk, Johnston said that what will jeopardize public safety most is an unstable safety budget. "We need to figure out what to do together to ride this out," he said.

Responding to threats of closing the jail in Thousand Oaks and forcing cruisers to transport criminals to Ventura, Johnston offered both a professional and personal opinion. Professionally, he said that it would be possible, but personally, he doesn’t see it happening. While it would save $800,000, he said it doesn’t make sense in the big picture, nor does it make sense safety wise. "But it makes political sense because it draws people into the discussion."

The usual response to this information, said Johnston, is that people ask about cutting extraneous positions in the departments. Johnston said the county has been doing for years.

The option of reaching into county reserves has been eliminated by the county’s latest rating by Moody’s Bond Rating Service, an organization that rates bonds statewide. Moody down-graded Ventura County to almost last in the state. "The good news is that we have a robust economy and have outdone the state and federal government in that," said Johnston.

No one will consider a tax increase, Johnston said, though 250 jobs will probably be cut from the budget. Last year, the county cut 80 jobs resulting in three layoffs.

County Supervisor Linda Parks said there are a lot of difficult decisions to make about the budget this year. "I do have a lot of confidence in Johnny," she said of Johnston.