BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Kern County’s budget for fiscal year 2025-2026 remains in “stable position” and is projected to meet budget estimates in terms of revenue, although county officials say they are bracing for potential challenges following federal funding cuts.

The Kern County Board of Supervisors received a presentation on the first-quarter budget status report during its meeting on Tuesday.

Supervisors approved the budget Aug. 26. It includes a total of $4.5 billion in expenditures and 8,669 county positions, according to county officials.

New CalFresh requirements could affect at least 18,000 Kern County residents receiving benefits, according to county

The first-quarter report reflects information up to Sept. 30.

As of that date, the budget has been amended by $633,000, mostly due to increased revenue, according to the report.

While the county is expected to meet budget estimates for the near future, there are potential budget challenges due to changes in the state and federal levels, county officials said in the agenda.

This includes federal funding cuts for programs like CalFresh, which places the financial burden on the state and counties.

H.R. 1, signed into law by President Donald Trump in July, will bring changes in October of 2026 that would reduce the federal reimbursement to 25%, making the state and county cover the other 75%.

Kern County may have to pay $54 million for CalFresh benefits in fiscal year 2027-2028 and $72 million in the following fiscal year, according to Kern County Budget and Finance Director Alex Alva.

The number of positions also had to get adjusted as six departments deleted six and added six positions in total.

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District 4 Supervisor David Couch asked if it was typical for the county to not have collected a quarter of its revenue as of Sept. 30, which county staff said was normal as the sales tax is mostly collected through February when people go out for winter shopping.

The board approved personnel changes for two departments — the Assessor’s Office and Employers’ Training Resource — which adds four positions and gets rid of three.

The mid-year budget status report will be presented to the board of supervisors Feb. 24.

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