One Billion Dollars and Counting

Hello Darcy,

At our September 27th Board of Supervisor meeting, we passed our 2022-2023 annual budget. For the first time, the Merced County budget was over $1 billion; specifically, we approved $1,057,000. And although we would all like to take credit for this financial increase, it is the result of one-time state and federal money. I am very proud of my fellow Board members that we spent one-time money on one-time projects; meaning we did not use this money on programs that will need on-going investment and resources. And while $1 billion is significant, it is important to remember that Merced County is financially healthy, not wealthy.

Meeting with Portugal’s President Rebelo de Sousa
Recently, I had the opportunity to meet with the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. President Rebelo de Sousa was visiting United States regions with large Portuguese populations. Once a global power, Portugal is now a regional power. However, Portuguese descendants literally populate the globe, bringing influence through our heritage, language, and culture. It was an honor to attend this dinner and learn, firsthand, the efforts and challenges Portugal is facing today.