S.B. County Surplus Ignites a Squabble

San Bernardino County’s recently discovered budget surplus of $113 million, a product of higher-than-expected tax revenue and lower-than-expected state budget cuts, set off a heated battle Tuesday among county supervisors, who clashed over how to spend it.

A majority of the board members voted to block Chairman Dennis Hansberger from getting any of the money for projects in his district -- but did set aside money for projects in their own districts.

The vote came after Hansberger said his colleagues were spending the money on pet projects in their districts, including firehouses, that are normally paid for by special tax districts.

Hansberger can still get a slice of the surplus if he can get support from a majority of the board, which will add two new members next week. But he was not in a holiday mood when he left the meeting, charging that his colleagues were playing politics with the surplus.

Among the projects approved Tuesday were sidewalk improvements in Fontana, a skate park in Phelan, waterslides and landscaping at Cucamonga-Guasti Regional Park, and horse trails and pedestrian walkways in San Antonio Heights. The board has already voted to spend $5.2 million of the surplus on two helicopters for the Sheriff’s Department.

County officials, who have been scrimping in anticipation of a lean budget, learned of the surplus last month during midyear budget reviews.

For part of the surplus, the county can thank state funding that was cut less severely than county officials expected. The county also underestimated by nearly $12 million the revenue from property taxes and vehicle license fees. An additional 0.5% sales tax, to bolster law enforcement budgets, also brought in about $13.5 million more than expected.

The county picked up another $5 million in savings by issuing a pension bond to pay for retirement costs. The biggest chunk of money, nearly $68 million, had been set aside by the board to protect against unexpected cost overruns or deep cuts from the state budget crisis.

Last month, County Administrative Officer Mark Uffer urged the board to spend the money with caution.

Instead, board members submitted a wish list of nearly $32 million in spending -- twice what Uffer had recommended.

Hansberger said such spending was an “enormous change in policy” that should be debated before the board decided to spend the surplus.

But his colleagues noted that Hansberger had put forward a list of spending initiatives that included money to move Moonridge Zoo in Big Bear, a facility funded by special district money. Hansberger said that recommendation was included by his staff without his knowledge.

Supervisor Patti Aguiar moved to fund all of the $32 million in projects recommended by the supervisors except about $7 million proposed by Hansberger, including parking lot improvements for the Yucca Valley Library, lights for the Little League field in Mentone and $1 million toward the construction of a hall of paleontology in Redlands.

The motion was adopted by a 4-1 vote, with Hansberger dissenting.

The meeting was the last for Aguiar, who was appointed to the post to complete the term vacated by her husband, Fred Aguiar.

It was also the last meeting for another appointed supervisor, Clifford Young, who replaced former Supervisor Gerald “Jerry” Eaves. Two new supervisors, Gary Ovitt and Josie Gonzales, will be sworn into office Monday.