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Riverside County supervisors to address Prop. 172 tax gaps Tuesday -

Riverside County supervisors could be in for another lengthy debate Tuesday as they again take up how best to overcome a $71 million budget gap.

Supervisors are scheduled to discuss whether to provide general-fund money to the sheriff, district attorney, probation and fire departments to help them overcome unexpected losses in Prop. 172 sales-tax revenues.

Prop. 172 is a voter-approved sales tax dedicated to public safety. The county has seen revenues from the tax drop this year by more than $15 million.

In addition, the county's top administrator calls personnel and program cuts unavoidable and will ask supervisors for direction on how much to trim department budgets.

"The past few years of declining revenue now mandate the budget cuts we face in the coming fiscal year," CEO Bill Luna wrote in a mid-year budget report headed before supervisors Tuesday.

"We must address the inevitable and reorganize, funding only the programs our revenue will support   Read Full Article...