County approves $1.3 million stopgap for jail beds, asks pretrial subcommittee for recommendations
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Summary
The Multnomah County Board approved a roughly $1.3 million budget modification to cover a shortfall in funding for jail beds and attached a new budget note directing the county’s pretrial subcommittee to produce options and resource estimates to inform the midyear rebalance and FY2027 planning.
The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners on Thursday approved a roughly $1.3 million budget modification to cover a decline in this fiscal year’s funding for jail beds and added a board-requested budget note instructing the county’s pretrial subcommittee to develop recommendations and resource estimates.
Chief of business services for the sheriff’s office John Harms Millant told the board the sheriff’s office “is receiving less funding from the State Department of Corrections in this fiscal year than anticipated” and that the proposed modification would “move contingency to cover that delta,” money that “typically pays for jail beds here at the county.”
The board also voted to attach a budget note asking the pretrial subcommittee of the Local Public Safety Coordinating Commission (LPSCC) to produce options and a report back that would inform the midyear budget rebalance and help the commission plan for FY2027. The amended budget note requests a status check in early January and a final report by March 1, and it asks the subcommittee to identify likely resource needs or a budget modification if implementation requires ongoing dollars.
Commissioners debated how prescriptive to be in the note. Commissioner Singleton moved an amendment that explicitly names the Department of Community Justice (DCJ) and the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) as parties to be involved, adds a January check‑in and a March 1 final report date, and asks for pros and cons of a range of delivery models — for example, returning pretrial work to the courts, consolidating under a county department, contracting to community-based organizations, or a hybrid model. The amendment passed on roll call.
Board members repeatedly emphasized that the contingency funding approved Thursday is one‑time money and that any structural changes to pretrial services would require follow‑up budget decisions. Several commissioners urged clear descriptions of who would be resourced to carry out any model recommended by LPSCC and said the receiving entity should not be left carrying unfunded staff or operational burdens.
The modification and attached note passed on a final roll-call vote. The sheriff’s office and county budget staff said the office will continue to return to the board as more detailed options and cost estimates become available.
Votes and next steps: the board approved the budget modification, adopted the amended budget note directing LPSCC’s pretrial subcommittee to report back with options and resource estimates (status update in January, final recommendations by March 1), and asked county staff to return with cost and implementation details for any recommendation that would require ongoing funding.
