Riverside County Board of Supervisors Approve $8.6 Billion Budget, Provides New Funding for Short Term Rental Ordinance Enforcement, and Awards $316,900 to Several Third District Community Organizations
Fri, 30/06/2023 - 05:00
Riverside County, CA – On Tuesday, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors approved an $8.6 billion budget for the next fiscal year that will increase access to county services and ensure the continuation of vital programs for residents. In the approved budget, $1.8 million was specifically included to improve enforcement of the County’s short-term rental ordinance, a need identified by Supervisor Chuck Washington and Supervisor V. Manuel Perez.
“I support short term rentals as an option for those visiting Riverside County. We want to be confident that property owners are operating in good faith with the County and that we do our best to minimize impacts to nearby neighbors,” said Supervisor Washington. “These dollars will ensure rentals are managed properly with safety at the forefront and will allow officers to respond to calls for assistance in a timely manner without sacrificing service to other unincorporated neighborhoods.”
The budget provides $825,000 to Code Enforcement to create a 10-person countywide team, four of whom will be dedicated to short term rental ordinance enforcement in Wine Country. To assist with this effort, $662,000 is allocated to the Sheriff’s Department to form a four-deputy dedicated "problem-oriented policing" (POP) team to extend enforcement hours beyond 10 p.m. and respond to short-term rental complaints, such as after-hours complaints of noise, disturbances of the peace, and public safety concerns.
In addition to these priorities, the approved County budget was increased 15.1% over the previous fiscal year and will provide $2.5 billion for Health Services, $2 billion for Public Safety, $1.9 billion for Human Services, and $977 million for Public Works and Community Services.
At the meeting, the Board of Supervisors also approved $2,486,000 in ARPA funding to Riverside County’s Murrieta Innovation Center (MIC), as well as the distribution of $316,900 in Third District Community Improvement Designation (CID) funds to 18 organizations whose work directly benefits residents of the Third District.
Organizations who received funding recently include: Habitat for Humanity Inland Valley for the “Home Repair & Preservation” program that offers home repairs to qualified low-income homeowners; the Community Food Pantry of Murrieta, who assists 200 families weekly, to purchase nutritious food for low-income residents; Mil Vet for the “Military Care Packages” program to provide monthly care packages to military staff who are deployed overseas; the City of Murrieta Public Library for the Murrieta Public Library children’s library expansion; and First 5 Riverside County to expand service capacity for So Cal Water Babies by increasing the number of swim instructors and scholarships for children in the “Survival Float” program.
“We are extremely grateful for Supervisor Washington’s continued support of Habitat for Humanity Inland Valley,” said CEO, Tammy Marine. “With this funding and the help of our amazing volunteers, the ‘Home Repair & Preservation’ program will be able to provide home repairs to qualified low-income homeowners in unincorporated Third District communities.”
The new budget will take effect on July 1, and Code Enforcement and the Sheriff’s Department are expected to form these dedicated teams in the coming months. For more information about CID funding, visit https://supervisorchuckwashington.com/nonprofit-grant.
