San Mateo County recently approved a revised $5.5 billion operating budget for the fiscal year 2025-2026, a substantial increase from previous years.
The revised budget of $5.5 billion was approved by the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 23. This was the result of an increase of $610 million from the $4.9 billion they had approved earlier in July. The budget will be used to fund the county’s priority areas, including housing and homelessness, emergency preparedness, and community impact, while also funding a multitude of countywide initiatives for the fiscal year.
The fiscal budget for San Mateo County has consistently been an important discussion involving all five board supervisors. This year’s budget sparked specifically intense discussion, starting at the beginning of the year in January to being approved in July and going through constant revision until now.
The last minute decision to increase the budget has brought up mixed opinions within county employees, ultimately resulting in more meetings to solidify the budget and its purpose.
“I do believe that a little bit more of the budget could go to more sustainable efforts to help the youth in our community,” said freshman Ella Lee-Donley, a member of the San Mateo Youth Commission, which advises the board of supervisors on youth issues.
The heightened budget allows for a wide range of problems to be addressed. Residents and youths in the county will benefit from investments in housing, health care, public safety and infrastructure funded by the budget. Specifically, it will implement many facility updates, including smoother transitions between foster care, expanded mental health services, and improved emergency preparedness.
“I think the budget is very beneficial to all groups of people,” said sophomore Ella Needleman.
San Mateo County aims to promote the well-being of children, families and seniors by allocating funds for early childhood education, affordable housing and youth support. $1.5 million will fund the expansion of family childcare centers in the county and $1.3 million will go toward the investigation of reports of elder abuse. For youth specifically, there will also be investments in the Community Health Improvement Plan, which focuses on mental health and wellness, health and housing, and gun prevention.
“I think that the budget should address homelessness because there is a big problem with homelessness in parks,” said junior Karuna Mungali.
The county targets to address the issue of unhoused citizens, aiming to eradicate homelessness. In order to achieve this, the county is striving to be able to give the necessary resources to unhoused individuals. This requires them to have food and shelter readily available at no cost to those seeking assistance.
“The County’s key priorities in this budget included making sure we are adapting to a more challenging funding landscape and protecting programs for all of our residents, including our most vulnerable,” said San Mateo County Supervisor Noelia Corzo.
San Mateo County also has a five-year plan, which has allotted money from the budget and will also rollover to future budgets. Five-year plan projects are meant to create long-term stability and currently include renovation projects like building a wellness center or fire stations throughout the county.
Though the $610 million dollar increase may be viewed as a lot of money, it is a combination of new funding and money that has been “rolled over” from previous years and five-year plans, according to Corzo.
San Mateo County has never seen a yearly budget this high before. In the early 2010s, the county’s fiscal year budget was under $2 billion. For 2024-2025, it was $4.2 billion. This year’s $5.5 billion is a continuation of the trending increase in yearly budgets.
The consistent increase in our budget throughout the years reflect how growing populations, inflation, and community needs have exponentially increased the amount of spending necessary. Inflations rates have spiked since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a higher cost of living for residents and increased funding needed to keep up with rising costs.
The county’s plans provide a clear outline of how the budget will be spent to shape San Mateo County. Initiatives tied to the county’s priority areas will be implemented across the county. Over the next year, residents can expect to see new programs, infrastructure projects, and an increase in support for underrepresented populations.
“It also just helps with equality and helping people who are less privileged to be able to have more resources,” Needleman said.
