To: Board of Supervisors
From: Monica Nino, County Administrator
Report Title: Measure X Allocations
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. AUTHORIZE and APPROVE the County Administrator to reappropriate the unspent balance of $193,613 for the Measure X allocation for San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District (SRVFPD) Behavioral Health Crisis Response.
2. APPROVE Budget Amendment No. BDA-25-00002 authorizing the County Administrator to make all necessary budget adjustments based on Board direction for Measure X revenue allocations.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Measure X fund balance within the general fund reserve will be reduced by $13,161,479 for new one-time Measure X allocations, as previously approved by the Board on October 22, 2024 and November 12, 2024.
BACKGROUND:
On November 3, 2020, voters in Contra Costa County approved Measure X, a Countywide, 20-year, half-cent sales tax. The ballot measure language stated the intent of Measure X as “to keep Contra Costa’s regional hospital open and staffed; fund community health centers, emergency response; support crucial safety-net services; invest in early childhood services; protect vulnerable populations; and for other essential county services.”
Between Fiscal Years 2021-2024, $353.2M in total revenues was budgeted for Measure X, and with the anticipation of revenue surplus, a total of $356.8M was appropriated for project allocations. The total actual revenues received through FY23-24 were $389.1M, yielding an actual surplus of $32.2M compared to budgeted total allocations. The total audited, actual expenditures for Measure X allocations through June 30, 2024 was $134.7M.
During the FY24-25 budget hearings, the Board of Supervisors budgeted the use of the anticipated fund balance and appropriated an additional $17.5M for various Measure X projects, leaving $14.7M in unallocated Measure X surplus. At their October 22, 2024 meeting, the Board allocated another $5.75M total for the Employment and Human Services Department to create a $2.5M three-year pilot to increase participation in safety net services by developing an “Empowering Enrollment Program,” and $3.25M for a Guaranteed Income Program to be developed in collaboration with the community, serving groups to be determined and seniors, and the proposed plan returned to the Board of Supervisors for final approval.
During the November 12, 2024 special meeting of the Board of Supervisors, the Board directed the following:
Reallocated balances:
1. $16.8M Health Services for Oak Grove completion, and for alternate destinations/behavioral health facilities
2. $10.6M Employment and Human Services Department, for youth centers capital budgets
3. $616,404 for Public Defender for legal services and equipment for Stand Together Contra Costa
4. $105,762 from Library early literacy program to Library facility deferred maintenance projects.
New one-time allocations totaling approximately $7.4M use of Measure X fund balance from the General Fund Reserve:
1. $3.75M Public Works one-time for Veterans’ Halls deferred maintenance
2. $411,479 Library one-time for increased facilities maintenance costs (in addition to the $105,762 reallocated funds noted above)
3. $500K for The County Administrator’s Office to support an organizational study of the County’s Emergency Management System
4. $800K Fire Protection District aerial firefighting capital improvements and equipment
5. $750K for community health clinics (via Health Services)
6. $1.2M for repair of the Schroder Bridge over the Iron Horse Trail (via Public Works)
The attached Budget Amendment summarizes the proposed changes above, including the reappropriation of the unspent balance of $193,613 for the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District (SRVFPD) for Behavioral Health Crisis Response. At the November 12, 2024 meeting of the Board of Supervisors, the remaining balance for the SRVFPD was identified for return to the Measure X unallocated pool and approved by the Board. At that time, all eligible expenses had been invoiced and paid, leaving the balance. In subsequent discussions, SRVFPD requested modifications to the MOU’s budget and submitted additional expenses for consideration and reimbursement. The claimed expenses supported staffing and operations for the Mental Health Initiative Measure X project and were incurred during the original MOU funding period. If approved by the Board, the MOU budget would be modified, the $193,613 balance would be reappropriated for the project, and the final billing would be processed, fully expending the allocation. As a result, the Measure X remaining actual revenue surplus available for allocation by the Board of Supervisors would total $1,571,662.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
The departmental budgets would not reflect the allocations directed by the Board.