The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors announced on Tuesday that it reached a unanimous agreement with County Executive Officer Michael F. Brown to institute his retirement on October 31, 2010.

The amended contract provision ensures Mr. Brown continues as the County’s CEO until Oct. 31, 2010 when he will be able to participate in a two-year retirement incentive, according to a press release.

The goal for the Supervisors was to keep Brown on board to help face the county’s upcoming budget cycle for the 2010-11 Fiscal Year that the county is saying will be one of the most daunting challenges ever faced in Santa Barbara County’s history.

“We want Mr. Brown to stay as the top executive leader of our County organization,” Board of Supervisors Chair Joe Centeno, Fifth District, said in a press release. “Mr. Brown will stay at the helm until October 31, 2010 and we are depending on him to lead us out of this financial quagmire.”

Brown has been Santa Barbara County’s CEO for 13 years.