Administrative and Budget Services

The Administrative Office is responsible for sound financial planning through annual preparation and regular review of the County budget.

It publishes the County's budget document every year. This document reflects the County's organizational values by attempting to strike an appropriate balance between financial detail and discussion of the bigger picture. It is intended to inform a meaningful discussion about resource allocation decisions among the public, the Board of Supervisors, and staff.

Next Year’s $639.6 Million County Budget Focuses on Priorities

The County of San Luis Obispo Board of Supervisors adopted a $639.6 million budget for fiscal year (FY) 2019-20 on Tuesday, after holding a two-day public budget hearing earlier in the month.

4 Things to Know About Next Year’s Recommended Budget

The County's recommended budget for FY 2019-20 is balanced at $633.4 million, and the budget document is available for public review.

County Sets Next Year's Budget Priorities

The County has established a list of short-term and long-term budget priorities.

Services

About County Fees Fees help offset the cost of County services that are beyond the basic tax-supported services (e.g. law enforcement, health services, etc.) provided by many County departments.
About the County's Budget This page provides public information about the County's budget.
About the County's Economic Strategy The County of San Luis Obispo works with the Economic Vitality Corporation to implement its economic strategy.
Budget Development and Management The Administrative Office develops and publishes the County's budget document every year. This document serves as a spending plan that demonstrates, in measurable terms, how County government runs efficiently, provides high-quality services, complies with all legal requirements, and produces results that are responsive to community priorities and desires. The budget reflects the County’s disciplined approach to fiscal management and is consistent with our goal to provide a safe, healthy, livable, prosperous and well-governed community.
Cannabis Abatement Hearings This page is a listing of upcoming and past cannabis abatement hearings, which are held by the County's Cannabis Abatement Officer.
Cannabis Rules in SLO County This page is meant to provide the public with information about the different regulations in each local incorporated city governed by a City Council, as well as the unincorporated areas of SLO County governed by the Board of Supervisors.
Citizen Complaint Investigations The Administrative Office investigates complaints asserting that a County department or employee is acting in a manner that is unfair, arbitrary, inconsistent, or contrary to law. Administrative Office staff will review your complaint to determine what actions, if any, can be taken to resolve the issue.
Communications and Public Outreach Connect with your County government in a variety of ways. Through the County's communications and outreach services, it seeks to improve performance, educate and inform the public, respond to public requests for information, resolve citizen complaints, and promote technology to make County government more accessible.
County Identity Standards The County has official identity standards that were unanimously adopted by the Board of Supervisors in December 2016. Because the County is such a large organization, these standards help create a consistent image that will ultimately help eliminate confusion about what the County does and make it easier for the public to identify County services, programs, employees, projects, etc.
County News (Monthly e-Newsletter) The County of San Luis Obispo produces monthly e-newsletters to help inform the public about County news, services, programs, projects and more. For your convenience, the County has archived its e-newsletters here.
Grant Funding from the County Organizations can apply for several grant funding opportunities offered by the County of San Luis Obispo. This includes District Community Project Grants, Infrastructure and Beautification Grants, and Community-Based Organization and Preventative Health Grants. More information about these grant funding opportunities can be found on this page.
List of County Fees The County charges fees for services that are beyond the basic tax-supported services provided by many County departments. County departments only charge fees when reasonable and after all cost-saving options have been explored.
Official County Annual Reports The County's Annual Reports are general reports on the status of the County. They are produced and published every year by the Administrative Office in collaboration with all County departments each year and presented to the Board of Supervisors and the Public. The reports are published solely online to save costs.
Public Defender Reimbursement (for attorneys) Attorneys appointed by the Court to serve as a Public Defender may request reimbursement from the County for certain types of expenses.

Frequently Asked Questions

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How much of my property tax dollar goes to County services?

Property taxes are collected and distributed to local schools, the County general fund, cities, and special districts. Generally, the County receives 23 cents for every tax dollar collected. About 61 cents goes to local schools, 6 cents goes to special districts, and 10 cents goes to local cities. Incorporated cities (cities with their own City Councils) have their own government and budgets independent of the County and provide many of their own local services, such as police and fire.

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What is a budget?

The County's budget is perhaps the most important document published by the County of San Luis Obispo. It serves as the most concrete expression of public policy. Think about your personal finances. How you spend your money reflects your goals. Similarly, how the County spends public funds reflects what the County hopes to accomplish in a given fiscal year. The budget is tied to priorities, plans and specific projects approved by the County Board of Supervisors.

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Where do most government funds go?

The majority of government funds are spent on health and human services (such as Public Health, Social Services, etc.) and public protection services (such as the Sheriff's Office, Probation Department, County Fire Department, and the District Attorney's Office). To give you an idea of what that looks like, the pie chart below shows how much of the County's $611.3 million were divided up among various public service group in FY 2017-18.

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Where does the County get its money?

Contrary to popular belief, the County's revenue does not come solely from property taxes. In fact, only about 31% of the County's revenue in FY 2017-18 came from taxes, while 41% came from State and Federal Aid, 11% came from other financing sources, 9% from balance leftover from the previous fiscal year and/or reserves (savings), 5% from charges for services, 2% from license and permit fees, 1% from fines and forfeitures, and less than 1% from interest earned on various accounts. Here's a breakdown of what that looks like:

Click the thumbnail to download a copy of the County's budget document.

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Guy Savage

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