Orange County releases their new 2020-21 recommended budget

Santa Ana, Calif. –The County of Orange’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2020-21 Recommended Budget has been released for review by the Board of Supervisors and the public. It is available online at http://www.ocgov.com/gov/ceo/deputy/finance/budget.

As a result of the unprecedented public health challenges and significant economic impacts resulting from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the budget development process for FY 2020-21 differs from that in prior years. The Fiscal Year (FY) 2020-21 Recommended Budget is the second step of a two-step budget approval process. 

On June 2, 2020, the Board approved a base budget which set Net County Cost (NCC) limits for departments and included transfers, essential technical adjustments such as position realignment (including deletion of 548 vacant positions), and funding for in-progress, ongoing capital and information technology projects.  This permitted the County to make payments in accordance with the approved appropriations when the fiscal year began on July 1, 2020 and provided time for the County to better assess the pandemic’s economic impacts and operational challenges for FY 2020-21.

The County Executive Office looks forward to presenting the FY 2020-21 Recommended Budget to the Board of Supervisors during the Public Budget Hearings scheduled for September 1, 2020.

The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to adopt the FY 2020-21 Annual Budget at their September 15, 2020 meeting.

“The County will continue to prioritize public health and safety.  The combined efforts of the Board of Supervisors and County employees toward proactively addressing the pandemic’s impacts coupled with responsible fiscal management will position the County to anticipate and address challenges as they arise,” said County Executive Officer Frank Kim.

The FY 2020-21 Recommended Budget, Budget Augmentation Requests, Key Budget Message and Department Contact List can be found online at http://www.ocgov.com/gov/ceo/deputy/finance/budget.

The County also invites members of the public to explore additional budgetary and financial information online through the OpenOC data tool, the Strategic Financial Plan and quarterly budget reports. These helpful resources can be found at: http://ocgov.com/about/openoc/.