[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99,111],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6368051,"mediaKeyId","2158182-daad809d456023dd1b077c0835a99008","parentId",2158182,"title","District attorney says recent spike in homicides is straining office capacity; warns cuts risk case outcomes","audioSeconds",240,"startMs",10271000,"endMs",10511000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2158182-daad809d456023dd1b077c0835a99008&start=10271&end=10511","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2158182-daad809d456023dd1b077c0835a99008/thumbnail_10271000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6368051/Deschutes-County/Oregon/District-attorney-says-recent-spike-in-homicides-is-straining-office-capacity-warns-cuts-risk-case-outcomes","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6368051-856ef21320ffbe0cb6720910a978ba0a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771188226&Signature=FpEJFQyqOqQpvv1Jf9~fA~X5-RXAKtIHrU2LQrrPrzOlCkdrXo6lEHiNkDPFOGs6KVQ6bb8O3hKRLgxsJwKoiKh9ek2Ub1PvrYJ6wakEgqCeeTPsk09FyaVPl5lYA8FYdbBQEnYn-aCu~UMOSlEI5~rgC543Y1kY9VCNpiO8IzFKrxGDyw5PnghB~aL4I1rg59moO0ivWES528FAzaRtahN6lU1~4pqCr2Yk3ts7ENCnWZxmCZPIkpeRzVwxA0nx4djMe56~-nW72wnxvKGTaOn2Rz-JZlOCVIOwLWTbWjsHuxIqllbBkrmRMx4TCuw57lMxOi5hpZiAPYsV708v~A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Deschutes County, OR","date","2025-01-27T22:48:40Z","article","The Deschutes County district attorney's office told commissioners at the Jan. 27 retreat that a surge in homicide investigations and other complex prosecutions is stretching the office's capacity and that staff reductions proposed under the FY26 limited-growth framework could create risks to case processing.

Business manager Jessica Chandler opened the office's presentation and the office followed with a detailed description of caseload and staffing. The DA's office said, \"In the last 2 months since late November, we've had in Deschutes County, we've had 4 murders,\" and that senior prosecutors have been at crime scenes and working with law enforcement on search warrants and long investigations. The office noted additional complex, long-running cases that require significant attorney time.

The nut graf: the DA cautioned that the proposed budget reductions'including holding a deputy DA position vacant and trimming a legal assistant'would exacerbate existing strain. \"The proposal is that we have a 0.25 FTE deputy DA 2 position left vacant... The materials and services reductions... would be very difficult for us,\" the DA's office said. Staff warned of specific operational risks: missed discovery deadlines, delays in filing or preparing for motions, and reduced capacity to support lengthy homicide prosecutions.

The DA's presentation included context about longer-term staffing recommendations. The office referenced a 2020 review by a prosecutors'center that recommended additional deputy prosecutors; the DA said two deputies were added since that review but further capacity growth had not kept pace with case complexity. The office recommended that the board consider the risk profile of cutting prosecutorial staff and asked commissioners to weigh proposed savings against public-safety and court-process risks.

Commissioners did not vote but discussed options, including possible use of one-time county resources or staged cuts that preserve capacity for violent-felony cases. Several commissioners acknowledged the office's arguments and asked staff to identify the minimum FTE changes that would meet the budget target while limiting risks to case outcomes.

Ending: The district attorney's office will supply more detailed scenarios showing how each proposed staffing or materials cut would change timelines and workload; commissioners asked that the sheriff, courts and county administration coordinate to identify the most legally and operationally sensitive service areas before the budget is finalized.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","01/27/2025 - Board of Commissioners - Annual Retreat","oneSentenceSummary","The Deschutes County district attorney's office told commissioners at the Jan. 27 retreat that a surge in homicide investigations and other complex prosecutions is stretching the office's capacity and that staff reductions proposed under the FY26 limited-growth framework could create risks to case processing.","taxTitle","Deschutes County, Oregon","taxId",2763,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6368057,"Public health leaders warn fee increases or county aid needed to avoid cuts after FY26 planning",467,5891000,6358000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2158182-daad809d456023dd1b077c0835a99008&start=5891&end=6358","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2158182-daad809d456023dd1b077c0835a99008/thumbnail_5891000.jpg","/articles/6368057/Deschutes-County/Oregon/Public-health-leaders-warn-fee-increases-or-county-aid-needed-to-avoid-cuts-after-FY26-planning","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6368057-be9817301e3cfeda64556e5a1c6f47ee/orig.mp4?Expires=1771188226&Signature=X5kwMt0CafM2oKUqX4zxXkH0n1oQuXmrrD~OZvw26k4spU-LWskrCmJbJALkcBVNObkQptCzUKbnMgrVguHz6JFDYBwG5WKJMzm5-ax~GQW-vPbp~r~x56FMvo4W9xVaeFsBcMd-7y-ypb4pEcluLyth6U7ilcDVdokI2nh4XxCbEdBm-tm3iv4tiPtSHBgWrL2kT1zPt4F0Gu-NOR5USpwif3U-lkwb7~JbEgwowVqrMrJXlpWlDcAbYjx-y6F0XFMvvqE4T7Fd5073qhYKcXb6p4rUnkvEBA0ukCqwEsYUT4zyZJiJbuvgtb~4xOn09ChhvrI7GusEfPBsqGHnOQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Deschutes County Public Health managers told commissioners Jan. 27 that the department faces a roughly $1.8 million total funding gap going into fiscal year 2026 and outlined options to close it, including program reductions, fee increases in environmental health, and one-time county support.

Public Health Deputy Director Heather Kaiser summarized the department's planning work: \"we met as managers, public health managers. We had a retreat 2 weeks ago and really looked at our budget for where we know that today, based on what Charlotte has given us, where we can find additional savings this fiscal year heading into next fiscal year.\" Kaiser and Business Officer Cheryl Smallman said the department has already taken steps this year, including closing the reproductive-health clinic and trimming discretionary spending, and is targeting additional vacancy savings and grant revenue. \"Our target was $1,800,000,\" Kaiser said.

The nut graf: staff said the gap can be partly closed with program reductions and administrative savings, but environmental health—the county function that inspects restaurants, septic systems and other regulated facilities—would likely need fee increases or county subsidy if revenue previously directed to community services is not restored. Smallman told the board that keeping local video lottery allocations (a county funding source that had been redirected) at current levels would avoid the need for a 14% fee increase in environmental health in one scenario.

Public health managers provided a menu of scenarios and their likely impacts: a combination of clinic closure, FTE reductions already made, vacancy savings and grant-seeking could reduce the gap substantially; but they warned that many environmental health fees are already near peer-county levels and that further increases would be difficult for small businesses to absorb. Smallman cautioned that some revenue streams (inspections and fee seasonality) make exact projections uncertain: \"a lot of our environmental health fees come in, this month and next month. So I don't have a full picture yet of what our final budget's going to be around that.\"

Commissioners asked for specifics and for staff to bring back refined proposals and an explicit comparison of the trade-offs. Several commissioners signaled willingness to consider one-year county support from discretionary reserves (including video lottery funds) if that would buy time for state public-health-modernization funding to materialize. Staff said the governor's proposed public-health modernization funding at the state level is not yet sufficient to plug the gap and cannot be relied on for immediate general-fund support.

Ending: Public health leaders will return to the budget process with detailed options for the board and the budget committee; commissioners asked staff to prepare clear descriptions of which services would be reduced under each scenario, and the timeline for any proposed fee changes.","Deschutes County Public Health presented a plan at the Jan. 27 retreat that would close much of a projected $1.8 million shortfall through clinic closures, vacancy savings and possible environmental-health fee increases; staff urged commissioners to consider short-term county support or preserves video-lottery allocations to avoid staff cuts.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6368064,"Deschutes County retreat sets limited-growth framework for FY26 as departments outline cuts",713,4037000,4750000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2158182-daad809d456023dd1b077c0835a99008&start=4037&end=4750","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2158182-daad809d456023dd1b077c0835a99008/thumbnail_4037000.jpg","/articles/6368064/Deschutes-County/Oregon/Deschutes-County-retreat-sets-limited-growth-framework-for-FY26-as-departments-outline-cuts","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6368064-d3d1980c3d1a28cf19645b34718e0e1e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771188226&Signature=HXH8eKYkuTO5ATATxWfccxnJFPjbnLLbBFKZIcMPa4Upxpmfw6YyD0tQKUq0IaB583z0Q7BK3lZUwe~YAEt6FCUVLH5vIOQVez~Sl9HGRD7qvxA2aUhRedI8M2X63TPHoUa~zW1S49yAnFSKo9aGoanLsSaK2MWLVAoNL~Dq46L3zPdFj8sxYh9kb6dd4XSj5ZDPIXxggmictDeB9i3jcJEmgAw-tygV9KiQhBkrdqWxhTKKYJiybULJmdi~5qM82FmpxOCqGfVCranyKNHAqAU3eGeovxB1R2EaNyCazKhzoGgdmj8QtkYJl2OqF5XE55ChZfRRavVD9KF7rwDx7A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Deschutes County commissioners and staff spent much of their Jan. 27 annual retreat outlining a proposed budget approach for fiscal year 2026 that asks departments to limit spending growth and identify savings to close a forecasted shortfall.

County Financial Officer Robert Tintall opened the budget portion with a summary of the process so far: \"we started having meetings in July August about as soon as we adopted last year's budget, we knew we had to look at the fiscal year 26 budget.\" He and Budget Manager Cam Sparks presented a framework that would hold general fund expenditure growth to 3.3% and internal service fund growth to 8% while reallocating roughly $1 million in previously approved non-departmental general-fund items.

The nut graf: County staff say the limited-growth approach would save about $1.5 million annually and is designed to reset the county's expenditure trajectory so recurring expenses align with recurring revenues. Cam Sparks told commissioners, \"this framework does save the general fund $1,500,000 annually. And these savings are really imperative in order to maintain or achieve financial sustainability within the general fund.\" The plan asks most departments to find savings through vacancy management, trimming materials and services, and other operational adjustments.

Departments presented preliminary strategies. Public health managers said they had already closed a reproductive-health clinic and planned targeted FTE reductions and fee changes; community justice proposed holding several positions vacant and reducing M&S; the district attorney's office warned staffing reductions would strain capacity to handle serious criminal cases. Campbell and others emphasized that many savings are still estimates and that detailed decisions will be refined during the February–March budget development cycle.

Commissioners pressed staff about trade-offs and timing. Administration staff said the proposed limits are intended to be a multi-year approach: repeated annual reviews will be needed if revenue growth remains constrained. Robert Tintall reminded the board of the county's financial policy against using one-time revenues for ongoing operations, noting: \"1 time revenue should not support ongoing personnel and operating costs.\" Several commissioners said they want a conservative baseline this year and to use the limited-growth framework to avoid recurring mismatches between revenue and obligations.

The budget discussion was not a vote but a direction to staff: commissioners asked departments to return with concrete plans showing how they will meet targets and to flag services that would be materially affected. Sparks told the board that \"the goal of today is we're requesting feedback from the board to help inform the development of the fiscal year 26 budget.\" Staff said a proposed budget will be ready for the formal budget committee process in the months ahead, with department-level presentations built into the committee schedule.

Ending: County leaders described the limited-growth approach as a pragmatic response to uncertainty on revenues and rising costs. Commissioners and department heads agreed to continue refining proposals in February and March and to bring specific trade-offs back to the budget committee for public review.","At an annual retreat Jan. 27, Deschutes County officials presented a limited-growth budget framework that would cap general fund spending growth at 3.3% for fiscal year 2026 and ask departments to find $1.5 million in recurring savings; public health, community justice and the district attorney's office identified the largest shortfalls.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6368041,"Sheriff outlines staffing, culture and homelessness enforcement plans after promotions and outreach",545,8995000,9540000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2158182-daad809d456023dd1b077c0835a99008&start=8995&end=9540","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2158182-daad809d456023dd1b077c0835a99008/thumbnail_8995000.jpg","/articles/6368041/Deschutes-County/Oregon/Sheriff-outlines-staffing-culture-and-homelessness-enforcement-plans-after-promotions-and-outreach","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6368041-73e24a5e1148e2674d0d656816b77afd/orig.mp4?Expires=1771188226&Signature=myOP02mUfM1w8RgC2CHbm0hzF1cN4ckhnWcQo6lPDZog-zJUjfqUlamIB0KT7Ci2vbhnw4VpYSTy-STv8eTqrSaWumhxO1Cxx4VPea5dX3PmZpFaKrWS3W55jgoSeDPSqXMSE48LdVW7qQpA3G6lXbOh2sndoY5G32vc3PjjVruE~m2QlDtvFhiuml7CaAngfI~9DK6uI2ODg-vaSPzkjXfrND-6BBjq7te9vvb6a7-UPetp~y9UYBwIPmVCqlatj6WqzcXf99Bk5~aRZUb-R~NmBQOiwtoOr~PoovO8VNLLalvZYatTUUnBvCGg~tX~yg42DH8fOA4u7uMytZb3jw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the county retreat Jan. 27, Sheriff Vandercamp briefed commissioners on personnel work, culture changes and enforcement plans for unsanctioned camping on county and federal lands.

Vandercamp described changes to promotions and internal oversight: \"We welcomed Aaron Wells from Redmond Police to join as our undersheriff... He brings almost 20 years of experience as a captain in Redmond.\" The sheriff said his office changed the promotion process to a condensed, multi-stage panel that included community members and produced higher candidate engagement.

He said the office is launching mentoring, wellness and staffing initiatives to reduce burnout among deputies and to create clearer pathways for corrections deputies to move into patrol. Vandercamp said a targeted hiring and lateral recruitment push is under way and that he expects multiple patrol hires during spring: \"I'm very excited to see what we get this next round... I wanna have many people in place by summer.\"

On unsanctioned camping and enforcement in federal lands north of Bend, the sheriff described a progressive, partnership-based approach: first outreach and offers of help, second coordinated cleanups and referrals to services, and finally enforcement for noncompliant sites. \"One of the feedback pieces I had from our staff was they kinda felt like, hey, I'm a deputy... I'll always be deputy and nobody cared if I ever really do something more with my career. So we have, identified some ideas on how we can have supervisors and command staff find people to mentor within the office and show them other office, opportunities or promotion opportunities,\" he said, describing both employee-engagement and field strategy.

The sheriff also said his finance and administrative teams are being restructured to improve internal controls and reduce waste. On homelessness in remote public land sites, Vandercamp said county efforts will pair enforcement with solid-waste removal, partner support, and relocation options where possible; he stressed the need for durable community solutions and cross-agency coordination.

Ending: Vandercamp asked for continued support from commissioners for the recruitment and retention strategy, for funds to convert some administrative work into long-term savings, and for patient engagement on multi-agency approaches to remote encampments.","Sheriff Vandercamp used the Jan. 27 retreat to describe personnel changes, a new mentorship and promotion process, and a stepped approach to addressing unsanctioned camping on public lands; he said promotions and mentoring are intended to stabilize patrol staffing and that enforcement will be paired with services.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6368046,"New public-safety radio tower near Deschutes County road shop will expand local coverage, staff say",46,7394000,7440000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2158182-daad809d456023dd1b077c0835a99008&start=7394&end=7440","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2158182-daad809d456023dd1b077c0835a99008/thumbnail_7394000.jpg","/articles/6368046/Deschutes-County/Oregon/New-public-safety-radio-tower-near-Deschutes-County-road-shop-will-expand-local-coverage-staff-say","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6368046-da024d72ef8dfabb18578336d6bc37b4/orig.mp4?Expires=1771188226&Signature=kEpI~li6cC9H0p5PCqyakof4wnnyHrGLBaK~DjusopHZUErOBzvxdlk~hs--rBWeUHgSiWW0SV2qwXnwaK9oJheADf0E63Mpo8Yw4r4itXvQ09ZdtUFcdj2ckJPPGHeSvJzmsvNR5s7UwKtTFPCiF6E3VamVbP4984W4mO2WtVe7NlYD8PeX2vU9ZPYVwNj6NGRIxEjpIAHL18q26xObFmaFSdEkxRw47eOwV6oe-zqjtgAuugCet5K8W0NmQ94mLl~9YsgJ9nlJAxKxuWqOtkO2h1UrwosuD~fWSg0mBDg2EEESahgVmKJclBKNeqhJqTTJb3yZVAhTBqe5eoFbIQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Deschutes County 911 staff briefed commissioners and toured a planned new public-safety radio tower site at the county road department during the Jan. 27 retreat, saying the site will expand coverage density as the urban area grows.

Emily Van Sarabel, the county's new technical systems manager, introduced the project: \"My name is Emily Van Sarabel. I just started with 911... in the technical systems manager role.\" Emily and lead radio engineer Nick told the board the new 50-foot tower will become part of a simulcast cluster that improves coverage and redundancy across Bend and nearby areas.

Nick described the engineering rationale: \"The existing 3 radio sites cover the core of Bend. However, as we see more growth, especially on this side of town, this seemed like a great place to basically add more service, or signal, if you will... the building and the tower work is scheduled about the 1st April.\" Staff said the site includes an equipment shelter with batteries and a generator backed by a propane tank; the design emphasizes redundancy to maintain operations in extended outages.

The nut graf: county staff said the project is a near-term addition to the existing P25 public-safety radio system, designed to add capacity and signal redundancy as development increases; a separate Redmond simulcast cell is also expanding with a Kingwood site. Staff noted that changes in building construction and materials can affect indoor coverage and that building-specific bi-directional amplifiers (BDAs) remain an option for critical facilities.

Commissioners asked about schedule, costs, and how new construction might affect RF propagation; staff said the site is scheduled for completion and tenant equipment installation within months and that ongoing maintenance and battery-generator refresh cycles will follow. The project requires coordination with utilities and county facilities.

Ending: County 911 staff recommended partners and stakeholders be kept informed as tower work proceeds; commissioners accepted the briefing and will receive follow-up budget and schedule details as work advances.","At the Jan. 27 retreat county 911 staff gave commissioners a tour and timeline for a new public-safety radio tower at the road department site; work aims to improve signal density for Bend and fill gaps as growth continues.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

District attorney says recent spike in homicides is straining office capacity; warns cuts risk case outcomes

Public health leaders warn fee increases or county aid needed to avoid cuts after FY26 planning

Deschutes County retreat sets limited-growth framework for FY26 as departments outline cuts

Sheriff outlines staffing, culture and homelessness enforcement plans after promotions and outreach

New public-safety radio tower near Deschutes County road shop will expand local coverage, staff say