Lane County projects $6.3 million discretionary general‑fund shortfall for 2025–26; officials outline timeline and tradeoffs

Lane County officials said at a budget kickoff meeting that the county faces a structural imbalance between revenues and expenses and that the county’s discretionary general fund is forecast to show a $6.3 million shortfall for fiscal 2025–26.

The shortfall reflects a combination of modest revenue growth — Christine Moody, Lane County budget manager, said property taxes are expected to rise roughly 3.2–3.5 percent — and faster expense growth (Moody projected 9.6 percent), driven largely by wage, benefit and inflationary pressures. "The 6,300,000 is the discretionary general fund deficit for 25‑26 projected at this time," Moody said.

Why it matters: County Administrator Steve Molkeriskey and other staff framed the problem as long‑running and structural. They traced the county’s fiscal position to decades‑long declines in federal timber receipts and to limits on local property tax growth that took effect in the 1990s and early 2000s. Those changes left Lane County with a lower permanent property‑tax rate than similarly sized Oregon counties while the county’s responsibilities and service costs grew.

Officials described the budget calendar and next steps. Departments must submit proposed budgets by late…