State law requires the County maintain a balanced budget, meaning that "in the recommended, adopted, and final budgets the funding sources shall equal the financing uses." The County adopts a budget for each fiscal year. The County's fiscal year runs from July 1, to June 30.
The Board of Supervisors may approve modifications to the budget year-round in response to changing circumstances or needs, but at all times funding sources must equal financing uses.
Each year, the County Executive proposes the Recommended Budget based on projected expenditures and revenues, and outlines the County Executive's recommendations for funding levels for each department. The Recommended Budget for the following fiscal year is released on May 1.
The Board of Supervisors, through its Board Policy Committees, Budget Workshop sessions, and Budget Hearing sessions, will review the County Executive's Recommended Budget. At the conclusion of the public hearings in June, the Board will vote to adopt a budget which sets the funding levels for County departments for the following fiscal year. These approved budget amounts are published in a separate document, the Adopted Budget.
As County Executive James R. Williams shared during the February 25, 2025 Board meeting, the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Recommended Budget is being developed with a focus on the following approaches:
(1) maximizing revenue opportunities where possible
(2) complying with legal requirements (e.g., consent decree requirements for custody operarions; implementation of state mandates);
(3) identifying operational and organizational efficiencies; and
(4) prioritize safety net services
The Recommended Budget will also include grant opportunities (such as those that currently happen with Valley Health Foundation) and targets for departments that can take advantage of grants, opportunities for philanthropic partnerships and opportunities for revenues that have been left unexplored, and more information on how the County is reorganizing to be more efficient.
Please contact the Office of Communications and Public Affairs at (408) 299-5119 with any questions.
Below is a link to learn more about the County Budgetary Process Timeline, along with a calendar of County budget dates relating to the budget process:
You can download and view the Recommended and Final Budgets for the current fiscal year below:
