County CFO: Next Year's Deficit $10 Million More Than Estimated

RIVERSIDE - Riverside County's deficit in the next fiscal year will be about $10 million more than estimated, while increasing labor and pension obligations, along with the cost of building a new jail, will require ''creative thinking'' to balance the budget in future years, the county's chief financial officer told the Board of Supervisors today.

''We need to keep up with the (spending) curve that's before us,'' CFO Ed Corser said during a third-quarter report on the 2011-12 fiscal year. ''Instead of across-the-board spending cuts, we need to look at the priorities of the Board of Supervisors...