Redwood City – San Mateo County supervisors today approved a $4.2 billion budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year with priorities focusing on services for children, families and seniors, housing and homelessness and emergency preparedness.
Despite slowing or stalled growth from property taxes and other revenue sources, the budget funds the key services such as public safety, social services and health services that make up the core function of County government.
These include funding for health and mental health care, jobs programs, early learning and expanding food resources with targeted investments in ending homelessness.
The budget adds 10 positions to help launch the innovative CARE Court and additional behavioral health and mental health programs. Five positions are being added both to the Department of Emergency Management and Department of Housing and two to initiate the new Office of Labor Standards Enforcement.
The 2024-25 budget is $601 million less than the prior year, due mainly to the completion of several capital projects and the end of pandemic-era and other state and federal grants.
Local budget officials caution the fiscal picture could look far different in September when supervisors will consider a final budget with revisions for the 2024-25 fiscal year.
Separately, supervisors allocated $9.1 million in local Measure K funding to programs that serve children, families and seniors. These include grants to community-based organizations with programs that provide seniors with additional mobility options, help prevent child abuse and expand educational opportunities for at-risk teens.
Michelle Durand
Chief Communications Officer
mdurand@smcgov.org