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Washington County staff urge caution as Metro readies two SHS ordinances; propose transition fund
Summary
County staff told commissioners Jan. 14 they must scale back Year 4 Supportive Housing Services (SHS) plans after Metro’s revised revenue forecast and proposed Metro ordinances, and recommended creating a transition fund partly from Tri‑County planning body carryforward funds.
Washington County staff told the Board of Commissioners on Jan. 14 that the county must reduce planned Year 4 spending for the Supportive Housing Services (SHS) program after Metro reported lower revenue projections and began drafting two ordinances that could change the program’s governance and revenue rules. Staff proposed asking the Tri‑County Planning Body for carryforward money and considering the county’s reserves to create a transition fund to stabilize services.
Why it matters: Commissioners said they want clear numbers and time to review draft Metro ordinances before the Metro Council’s public hearing on Jan. 23. County staff warned that without a transition fund and clearer revenue projections, the county cannot sustain previously announced Year 4 program expansions and capital commitments.
Jess Larson, Assistant Director overseeing Homeless Services, told the board that staff are already “slowing down some enrollments for some of those new programs because we don't wanna build something we're not gonna be able to sustain,” and are reassessing capital commitments and staffing planned for Years 4–6 in light of Metro’s updated forecast. Larson described a proposal staff will bring back that would create a transition fund “to help us address potential over expenditures in this program year because of the new revenue forecast and the need to transition some of our program capacity over a couple of years.”
Staff identified two possible sources for the transition fund: uncommitted carryforward dollars in the Tri‑County Planning Body’s Regional Investment Fund (RIF) and the county’s own reserves. The presentation said the Tri‑County carryforward that could be available for regional purposes is roughly $9,000,000, described as Washington County’s share of RIF resources that remain uncommitted from the program’s first two years. Erin (county staff presenter) told commissioners the county would prepare a letter to the Tri‑County Planning Body if the board directed staff to request use of those funds and that the request would require coordination with the other two counties.
Board members and staff said Metro is moving quickly: Metro staff were directed to prepare two ordinances, one establishing a referral/ballot measure for voters and a companion ordinance to set more implementation detail and governance. County staff and several commissioners emphasized they have not yet seen the ordinances; one commissioner said Metro President Peterson told the oversight committee the Metro proposal could reduce SHS funding by about 15 percent. Commissioners asked for more financial detail and urged staff to return to the board at the SHS work session scheduled for Jan. 21 so the county can provide input before Metro’s Jan. 23 first reading/public hearing.
The presentation also touched on governance and oversight: Metro’s materials propose combining two oversight committees into one and creating an H2PAC (Housing and Homelessness Policy Advisory Committee) to review allocations, but the draft language and specifics were not available to the county at the time of the meeting. Commissioners pressed for clarity on whether allocations among the three counties might change and how any indexing or tax‑rate changes would be modeled. Erin said Metro had not published the detailed numbers in public meetings and the county needs transparent projections to assess impacts.
The board directed staff to prepare a draft letter for review at the Jan. 21 work session and to pursue coordination with Tri‑County partners on a request to the Tri‑County Planning Body for carryforward RIF funds. Commissioners asked staff to seek fuller financial detail from Metro, to analyze scenarios for proposed tax indexing and rate changes, and to return with recommended language and models before the Jan. 23 public hearing. No formal vote was taken at the work session; the record shows staff received direction to return with a draft Tri‑County request and a revised Year 4 plan for board review.
Ending: Staff said they would circulate an updated packet and a draft letter before the next work session and continue to coordinate with Metro, the other counties and county counsel. Commissioners stressed the need for timely financial disclosures from Metro and reiterated requests for more detailed scenarios before any measure goes to voters.
