Riverside County residents invited to give input on county services, budget at workshops

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) - The County of Riverside Supervisors and the County Executive Officer have offered a series of community budget workshops this month to inform residents about the county's services and budget process.

More than 40 county departments provide services ranging from healthcare and housing to law enforcement and public works projects. All these services require funding, whether it's from locally generated property taxes or from the state and federal government. These workshops will provide a "Budget 101" overview that will go over where the county’s revenue comes from and which public services that money goes towards.

“As Chair of the Board of Supervisors, I am excited we are doing new things this year to increase outreach to community members during the budget process,” said Supervisor V. Manuel Perez. “For the first time, we will be bringing these discussions to our communities, in all five Supervisorial districts of Riverside County. We want to hear from you about what is most important in your county government.”

These feedback sessions are open to all residents and will provide an opportunity to give input into county services and priorities ahead of next fiscal year’s recommended budget in May and the annual budget hearings in June.

The workshops have been held throughout the county this month - Supervisor V. Manuel Perez will be hosting the District 4 workshop on Tuesday, April 29 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Classic Club, 75-200 Classic Club Boulevard in Palm Desert.

County officials say the goals of the community workshops are to make a complicated process more accessible and to ensure that the county’s budget reflects the needs of its growing population. For more information or to access a copy of "Budget 101: The County Budget Explained," visit www.RivCo.org/budget.