Lane County budget committee approves FY2025-26 budget, adopts local-option levies and transient room tax uses

The Lane County Budget Committee voted unanimously to approve the county's fiscal year 2025-26 budget and a slate of local-option taxes and levies, also authorizing specific uses of transient room tax dollars and several technical budget adjustments.

The vote approved the budget as presented by county staff and included motions to adopt the county's permanent property tax rate (as presented to the committee), a local-option tax of 55 cents per $1,000 of assessed value for jail and youth treatment beds (50 cents for jail services, 5 cents for youth services), a levy to support 4-H and Oregon State University extension (as presented), a 16-cent-per-$1,000 levy to fund Lane County parks, and the use of transient room tax dollars for the Lane Events Center and the Parks Division in dollar amounts shown in committee materials. The committee also approved a set of additions, reductions and technical adjustments to the FY25-26 budget.

County staff framed the vote against a backdrop of what they called a structural revenue shortfall and programmatic strain. "We have the largest reduction in positions, in full time equivalent positions that we've had in over a decade," said Mister Mokajewski, County staff with the budget team, summarizing the proposed budget and the staffing reductions included in it. He told the committee the county had taken a "surgical" approach to cuts to minimize service impacts and noted continuing uncertainty from the state and federal funding outlook.

Mokajewski highlighted differences in property tax rates between Lane County and a set of comparable Oregon counties, telling the committee that when temporary levies and debt service are included, "the average county rate...is $3.20" in the comparables and that, by his calculation, "Lane County's property tax rate...is 37% lower than the average." He said that including the county's levies produced an effective Lane County rate of about $2 (as presented to the committee) and that the county's lower tax rate has constrained the county's ability to invest in public safety, assessments and other services.

Mokajewski also called out two new initiatives in the proposed budget: one-time and ongoing opioid-related funding dedicated for a Lane Stabilization Center and the creation of a housing land bank to support workforce housing. He urged the committee and the public to view the budget choices as part of a broader discussion about revenue and service levels.

Committee members debated a separate proposal from Commissioner Trigger to reduce each commissioner's discretionary office account from $15,000 to $5,000. Commissioner Trigger described the accounts as "a fund that each commissioner has at their disposal and discretion" for items such as conference registration, small district needs and occasional staffing support; Trigger said the reduction would restore the per-commissioner amount closer to historic levels while limiting larger allocations for ongoing staff positions.

Several commissioners opposed the reduction. Commissioner Lehi described multiple local uses of the discretionary funds, saying, "These funds are a direct reflection about how the commissioner is involved not only in their district, but also understand specific needs of the district that could multiply." Lehi cited examples such as drone purchases for the Springfield Police Department and donations that allowed Springfield High School's Mariachi band to travel. Commissioner Buck and Commissioner Farr likewise said they had used the accounts to fund community events, youth programming and repairs for local nonprofits and favored keeping a larger discretionary balance.

On procedural items, the committee unanimously approved the presented additions, reductions and technical adjustments and then approved the individual motions to set the permanent tax rate (as presented), the 55-cent local option for jail and youth beds, the OSU Extension/4-H levy, the parks levy, the listed transient room tax allocations and the full FY25-26 budget. Committee members repeatedly described the votes as unanimous in the meeting record.

Mokajewski and several commissioners emphasized the pressure on public safety resources in the county. "We can't respond in the ways that we really should be to our residents throughout Lane County because of those issues," Mokajewski said, noting limits on patrol capacity, a lack of a traffic team and strains in the district attorney's office and the assessor's office. The committee was told a public safety funding task force will present findings to the board on June 24; committee members said they expect that report to inform future budget and revenue conversations.

The committee adjourned after approving the budget and motions.