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Klamath County commissioners begin talks on budget shortfall; consider furloughs, workforce reductions and department meetings
Summary
Commissioners discussed a general fund deficit and options including voluntary unpaid time, shorter workweeks, targeted workforce reductions, and meetings with public-safety leadership to address effects from cuts to community corrections funding.
Klamath County commissioners spent a significant portion of their July 8 meeting discussing the county's budget shortfall and potential ways to balance the general fund.
Commissioners and staff said the county faces a general fund deficit of about $1.5 million for the current year, which could translate to a $2.0–$2.3 million shortfall the next year if no changes are made. Staff provided model estimates for several options: a 10% workforce reduction (measured as a percentage of gross payroll) could save roughly $4.4 million annually; a 20% reduction about $8.8 million; and a 25% reduction about $11 million. The county also modeled the savings from not filling currently budgeted vacancies (roughly $2.8 million) and the effect of switching some operations to a four-day workweek, which staff estimated could save roughly $350,000 in the general fund (furlough and reduced-hour estimates excluded sheriff, juvenile detention and road crews from the calculation).
Commissioners expressed differing views. One commissioner said they would not support mandatory furloughs because of the hardship on employees and preferred voluntary options such as unpaid leave or reduced hours. Another commissioner said workforce reductions may be necessary to preserve long-term fiscal stability and urged parity across departments for any requirements. Several commissioners emphasized that cuts to community corrections funding from the state, if unchanged, will have immediate impacts on public safety operations and could force decisions on jail operations and staffing.
The board directed staff to gather additional information and said it will hold discussions with department heads. Commissioners asked finance and HR to solicit ideas from department managers and scheduled a follow-up to meet with the sheriff's office and community corrections leadership to clarify immediate impacts. The board also asked staff to prepare options that consider labor agreements and potential voluntary measures before any mandatory furlough or layoff decisions.
The discussion closed with a plan to continue detailed budget work and a scheduled sit-down with public-safety leadership as the next high-priority step.
