It’s budget approval time in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, and officials seek input from the public on spending priorities.
Budget expenditures in 2025-26 for San Bernardino and Riverside counties totaled $10.2 billion and $9.6 billion, respectively.
Public meetings and presentations in San Bernardino County will provide residents with the opportunity to learn about the county’s financial outlook and share feedback before the upcoming fiscal year’s budget is finalized and adopted by the Board of Supervisors.
Key dates in the budget process are:
- Tuesday, March 25 budget overview — Matthew Erickson, the county’s chief financial officer, will present the budget schedule and fiscal outlook to the Board of Supervisors.
- May 6 budget workshop and fiscal overview — the board will hear a preliminary budget presentation for fiscal year 2025-26.
- May 20 budget book available — the recommended budget book for 2025-26 will be provided to supervisors. The book will be publicly viewable at main.sbcounty.gov/about-cao/finance-budget.
- June 10 budget hearing and adoption — “residents will have the opportunity to provide comments on the recommended FY 2025-26 budget during the board meeting before the final budget is adopted,” according to a county statement.
- December 2025 final budget book published — the adopted budget book will be published.
Meeting dates and location
County board meetings are held in the Covington Chambers on the first floor of the County Government Center, 385 N. Arrowhead Ave. in San Bernardino.
Board of Supervisors meetings regularly take place on Tuesdays and start with a closed session at 9 a.m., then a public session at 10 a.m.
Live online access to view scheduled board meetings and archived board meeting videos are available on the county’s the county’s broadcast channel’s website, main.sbcounty.gov/county-meetings-events.
For the meeting Tuesday, alternate locations to address the board via interactive video will be available at the Bob Burke Joshua Tree Government Center, 63665 Twentynine Palms Highway in Joshua Tree. The Jerry Lewis High Desert Government Center, 15900 Smoke Tree St. in Hesperia., will also have teleconferencing.
Officials said those locations may close because of inclement weather, a technology failure or unforeseen emergencies. If the teleconferencing sites will be unavailable, a notice will be posted at the sites by 9 a.m. on the meeting date.
To submit written public comments, email BoardMeetingComments@cob.sbcounty.gov, visit publiccomments.cob.sbcounty.gov or send U.S. mail to San Bernardino County Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, 385 N. Arrowhead Ave., 2nd Fl., San Bernardino, CA 92415.
Additional information on the San Bernardino County budget process is online at main.sbcounty.gov/about-cao/finance.
Riverside County
Time is running out to complete Riverside County’s budget priorities survey, which officials said concludes at the end of this month.
The survey gives residents a chance to provide input into how taxpayer dollars are spent across county departments for public services during the upcoming fiscal year that starts July 1.
“The goal is to make our budget process more inclusive and responsive to the needs of our diverse communities,” Riverside County Board of Supervisors Chair Chuck Washington said in a statement. “I’m excited to invite the community to help guide decisions that will impact the future of our region.”
The internet-based survey is in English and Spanish and enables survey takers to identify services that are needed most in their neighborhoods, as well as identify spending categories that should receive more or less funding.
Officials also plan to host five budget workshops in each supervisorial district in April, county spokeswoman Brooke Federico said.
The workshops aim to educate residents on the budget process, while giving them the opportunity to share their perspectives and provide feedback in advance of the annual budget hearings set for June, officials said.
“Engaging the community earlier in our budget planning is critical to ensuring that we are addressing the needs and priorities of our residents,” Riverside County Executive Officer Jeff Van Wagenen said in a statement. “This survey is a demonstration of the county’s commitment to transparency and accountability. Community feedback will be used during the budget process to improve quality of life across the county. This is an important step, and we look forward to hearing from our community.”
For more information about the budget priorities survey, go to rivco.org/budget-information.
