Less than two months after adopting a “balanced” budget, the Lake County Community Development Department’s Building Division reported a $434,452 revenue shortfall due to fewer building permits, and also said it had depleted its just over $78,000 reserve. In November, Supervisors approved a $390,000 county loan to cover three months of salaries, despite “grave concerns” about repayment. Officials attributed the deficit to a revenue shortfall, not a recent $5.3 million staff raise, and challenged the county’s “perfectly balanced” budget claim.