Multnomah County approves proposed FY 2026 budget for TSCC review amid public concern over cuts

The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners voted 4–1 on May 8 to approve a resolution transmitting Chair Vega Peterson’s proposed fiscal year 2026 budget to the Tax Supervising and Conservation Commission (TSCC) for review. Commissioner Singleton moved the resolution and Commissioner Moyer seconded it; Commissioners Moyer, Singleton, Jones Dixon and Chair Vega Peterson voted yes and Commissioner Brim Edwards voted no.

County Budget Director Christian Elkin and Jeff Renfro of the budget office presented an overview of the proposal to commissioners and the public before the vote. Elkin told the board the approval is a required step in the Oregon local budget process and begins a five‑week period of department work sessions and hearings leading to final adoption. “This is an exciting day,” Elkin said during the presentation.

The proposed $4.0 billion total county budget includes about $3.0 billion in operating spending; the package before the board implements roughly $25.7 million in general‑fund reductions and includes 5,866 full‑time equivalents, the presenters said. The budget office reported $62.3 million in one‑time funds, corporate reserves of about $77.8 million (roughly 12% of corporate revenues), and contingency set‑asides including $21.1 million tied to business income tax volatility and a $1.7 million one‑time uncertainty set‑aside.

Why it matters: Approval allows staff to transmit a required proposed budget document and locks in certain tax assumptions and the 10% per‑fund change threshold that will govern later amendments. The vote does not finalize the budget; adoption is scheduled for mid‑June after additional hearings and amendments.

Public testimony on the proposal focused on services that would be reduced if the budget is adopted as proposed. School counselors and mental‑health providers, public‑defender case managers and community legal services were among the programs highlighted by speakers.

Jed McLean, a Franklin High School licensed clinical social worker, urged the board to preserve school‑based therapists that the chair’s proposal cuts at several high schools and a middle school. “We can’t afford to lose any of these therapists,” McLean said, adding that school‑based providers prevent crisis care and hospitalizations that are more expensive and less accessible.

Speakers from Metropolitan Public Defender and the Partners for Justice navigator program described client outcomes and asked the board to continue funding defense‑embedded case managers and related community‑law contracts. Joseph Westover, who supervises case managers at Metropolitan Public Defender, said the case managers’ work “is game changing” for clients with homelessness, trauma and substance‑use disorders because they link people to housing, treatment and crisis care.

Sonia Goodstefani, director of the Community Law Department at the Metropolitan Public Defender’s Office, said proposed cuts would remove more than $1 million from four contracts and reduce staff by about 40%, limiting eviction defense, court‑debt relief, immigration advocacy and expungement support. She said those contracts helped roughly 2,000 clients last year, helped file more than 5,000 motions and waived over $4 million in debt.

Several speakers connected the budget choices to larger questions about homelessness, housing stability and public safety. Other public commentators raised broader concerns about crime, child poverty studies and property tax policy; the board received 20 written testimonies in addition to oral remarks.

Board discussion and dissent: Commissioner Brim Edwards said the timeline and the short period between receipt of the chair’s budget and the approval vote limited the commission’s ability to review impacts. Citing Oregon budget rules and the local process, Edwards said approving the proposed budget without more time undercuts the commission’s oversight role and announced a no vote. Several other commissioners described intentions to prioritize frontline services and to bring amendments focused on homeless services, school‑based mental health and outreach programs during the work‑session period.

Budget office details: Jeff Renfro reviewed property‑tax assumptions used in the proposal, including the Multnomah County general fund permanent rate of $4.34 per $1,000 of assessed value and collection assumptions (4.5% discounted delinquency and 4.5% permanent‑rate compression). The office also noted a 25% compression assumption for the Oregon Historical Society levy because local option levies are compressed first under the property‑tax system.

Next steps: The county will hold multiple public hearings over the next five weeks, TSCC will hold its hearing on June 4, and the board’s budget‑adoption hearing is scheduled for June 12. The approval action transmits the proposed budget and preserves the county’s ability to pursue amendments within the limits described by the budget office.

Vote record: The board approved the resolution to transmit the proposed FY 2026 budget to TSCC by a vote of 4–1. Commissioner Singleton moved and Commissioner Moyer seconded the motion. The board will return to hearings and departmental work sessions prior to final adoption.

Closing: Commissioners and staff emphasized that approval is procedural under state law and not the final adoption; additional public hearings and department presentations will inform any amendments that reach the final adopted budget.