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The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors began deliberations on proposed solutions to the county's $76-million deficit on Tuesday.

At the meeting, county officials projected the collection of $59 million in sales tax revenue for the 2009-10 fiscal year.  In the 2007-08 fiscal year, the county collected $80 million.

The projection was met with skepticism from board members that have repeatedly reviewed the deteriorating budget during the past 18 months.  

"I don't want to be back here again [considering new cuts] because of an overly optimistic projection," said supervisor Roberta MacGlashan.

The board failed to find solace in a subsequent report on property tax revenue, which stated that although the residential market has stabilized, significant declines in commercial real estate may be looming in the future.  

"We haven't seen the bottom yet," commented supervisor Jimmie Yee.

In a statement, Undersheriff Mark Iwasa reminded the board that cuts to the Sheriff's department would result in declines in patrol services.  

Several board members found difficulty in obtaining information from the Iwasa.  When Yee asked Iwasa how many total positions exist in the Sheriff's department, Iwasa replied, "I don't have that information."

The structure of Sacramento County's government empowers the board of supervisors to set the total funding for each department.  The elected department heads, such as the sheriff and the district attorney, decide how procured money is spent within their departments.

The board also heard from county workers, who protested the .908 work reduction plan that would reduce the total number of hours worked by county employees by nearly 10 percent. 

The proposal differs from a furlough, as county workers would not be given credit toward retirement for hours lost. The board is scheduled to vote on the work reduction plan Oct. 20.

Later this week, the board of supervisors is scheduled to vote on a final 2009-10 budget that may include significant cuts to Child Protective Services and the possible closure of the Gibson Ranch Park and Mather Community Campus, a shelter that serves hundreds of the area's homeless. Virtually every other department and program has faced cuts.

The board is scheduled to reconvene on Thursday and vote on the final budget Friday. The public can watch the meetings live or read more about about the materials presented at the meetings at www.saccountytv.saccounty.net/default.htm.