SLO County is chopping its budget. See where the cuts are happening
It’s budget season, and San Luis Obispo County is facing some difficult decisions.
To balance its budget ahead of unprecedented deficits in future years, the county has proposed to cut 168 jobs — many of which are already vacant — and over $38 million from its general fund obligations this year.
Without course correction, the county could face a potential deficit of $67 million by 2029.
The fiscal year 2025-26 recommended budget — including recommended cuts — was presented to the SLO County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.
As opposed to making across-the-board budget cuts, SLO County Administrative Officer Matt Pontes said the county looked at the specific needs of each department to identify areas to trim. That means some departments saw cuts to the general fund support provided from the county, while others saw increases.
“This year is really different ... Some departments didn’t take very many cuts, or any cuts at all, and that’s because we know, in some of those departments, we’re expecting them this next year to do a whole lot more than they’re doing,” Pontes told The Tribune.
The Tribune compiled data from the county’s recommended budget into a searchable database. Explore the table below to see what changes to funding and personnel were recommended for each county department.
