BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The Kern County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Monday to approve the preliminary recommended county budget for fiscal year 2023-24. The preliminary budget as submitted amounts to a total of $3.7 billion, representing roughly a 12 percent increase from FY 2022-23. The supervisors will continue their discussions on the budget in their meeting on Tuesday, July 25.
One of the many topics that will be discussed during Tuesday's meeting is funding for social services. The Kern County Administrative Office says revenue for this public benefit coming from both state and federal funding is stronger than last year, allowing the Department of Human Services to increase support and services to the most vulnerable county residents.
Other topics covered by the budget are state and federal funding for road maintenance and construction, homelessness and housing, the Kern County Library System, and public safety funding, among others.
The administrative office says that while they face some challenges ahead, they are confident that this budget will help them continue their efforts in achieving excellence with regard to managing the workforce.
During Monday's meeting, many Kern County residents, including Janet Becker, expressed concerns regarding animal services and road conditions, among other issues.
"Our dog problem in Kern County is actually a people problem and the dogs are suffering. I won't go into all the reasons why, but Kern County dogs are in crisis. This last year, my husband and I tried to help and we photographed and networked over 566 dogs," Becker told the supervisors.
Becker is part of Pearl's Aloha Rescue Team and says that even with full-time volunteering, she and her husband can only photograph 30 to 40 dogs a week to get them networked with a family. It's a number she defines as "not enough," and that's why she's seeking additional funding in the county budget to help support Kern's animal services.
Another concern, brought to the board by Kern County resident Jose Ojeda at Monday's meeting, was about traffic signs.
"In the wintertime, due to the fog, it's very difficult to see the stop signs, and when the stop sign has flashing lights, it's visible from afar and we are able to take precautions. We have to get up at 4 in the morning to go to work in the fields," said Ojeda.
Other residents, including Francis Thompson, expressed the need for 4-wheel drive cars when it comes to county code enforcement. That concern comes from the amount of trash she says she has seen in Rosamond.
"I have taken some of these folks out," said Thompson, talking about code enforcement officers. "They can't ride with me because of the policy, however, I have to drop them off and they're not in a big truck, but there are some areas that are just really awful in our area that need to be cleaned up."
Following Monday's meeting, the Kern County Board of Supervisors says they understand the concerns that the community has and will take them into consideration prior to the final budget hearing and adoption vote. That meeting is scheduled for August 29.
