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After learning that Del Norte County’s financial situation isn’t as dire as it was in June, county supervisors found out that its vacancy rate had also improved.

The county’s overall vacancy rate dropped from 25% last year to 20.5% in 2026, Human Resources Director Kerri Vue told supervisors on Sept. 8. Out of 483 authorized full-time positions, 99 are currently vacant, she said.

“This reflects an official drop from triple digit vacancies for the first time in many years,” Vue said.

Vue presented these statistics to county supervisors after they opened the public hearing process ahead of final adoption of Del Norte’s 2026-27 budget. County supervisors learned that despite reporting a $9.6 million deficit in June, last-minute revenue and efforts from departments to reduce expenditures led to more resources than anticipation.

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Eleven weeks after he presented county supervisors with a recommended general fund budget that included a $9.6 million deficit, Del Norte’s top administrative official said staff found additional resources to make an accelerated payment associated with the former Bar-O Boys Ranch.

But County Administrative Officer Neal Lopez blamed timing issues when District 2 Supervisor Valerie Starkey asked why that recommended $500,000 accelerated payment to the Bar-O Boys Ranch fund wasn’t included in the staff report she and her colleagues received Tuesday.

Lopez said he and others on the budget team also received last-minute information concerning the 2025-26 ending fund balance that would allow for the additional payment.