Kern County's budget will take an $8 million hit in the upcoming 2009-2010 budget year in order to keep its retirement system afloat.

The board of the Kern County Employees' Retirement Association acted Wednesday to decrease the earnings it expects from it's $2.1 billion investment portfolio by .25 percent.

That will hit county coffers next year when supervisors try to build an annual budget.

For more on the move check out our online story here.

The board of the Kern County Employees' Retirement Association approved the purchase of 1.25 acres of ground across from the Park at River Walk Wednesday for the construction of new offices.

Escrow on the land is expected to close on Dec. 2, said Dan Robinson of American Realty Advisors, who handled the transaction for KCERA.

The land cost somewhere around $800,000 said KCERA boss Ann Holdren.

Efforts are underway to hire an architectual firm to design the new office and a contractor to build it.

Currently KCERA inhabits offices on the first floor of the Kern County Administrative Center on Truxtun Avenue.

Kern County Solid Waste guru told supervisors Tuesday that the bad economy could cost Kern County's trash department $61 million over the next ten years.

Over all dumpage in Kern is down 11 percent due to the economic downturn, and the amount of trash that generates gate fees at the county landfills is down 34 percent.

Apparently, when people are poor, they don't make as much trash.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing?