Multnomah County chair releases FY2026 executive budget, prioritizes homelessness, health and public safety amid cuts

Chair Veil Peterson, Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, released the FY2026 Chair’s Executive Budget at the board’s April 24 meeting and described priorities and program-level changes as the county faces a constrained fiscal picture.

“This budget makes the best use of the dollars we have to serve our community’s essential needs,” Chair Veil Peterson said, outlining three overarching themes: health and safety for all; support for people in the most vulnerable situations; and upholding county values while planning for prosperity. The chair said the budget prioritizes direct services for people who are homeless, have disabilities, or lack access to care while trimming administrative costs.

Peterson told the board the proposal requires “tens of millions of dollars in cuts” compared with last year’s budget and said the county is required to make reductions. The chair said reductions include administrative streamlining, staff reductions and pause or elimination of some programs; she specifically listed the public campaign finance program, county enforcement of the City of Portland’s gas-powered leaf blower ordinance, the Nurse-Family Partnership program and the county passport/photo ID program as discontinued or paused in the proposed budget.

Budget director…