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Budget officer presents FY 2026 overview as discretionary revenues hold but federal and state funding risks remain
Summary
County Administrator Ken Huffer presented the FY 2026 draft budget, saying total operating expenses are projected to rise modestly to about $200 million and warning that state and federal funding uncertainty could require mid‑year adjustments.
Yamhill County Budget Officer and County Administrator Ken Huffer presented a 35,000-foot overview of the proposed FY 2026 budget at the April 28 budget committee meeting, outlining projected revenues, key drivers of expense growth and risks tied to state and federal funding.
Huffer said the total FY 2026 operating budget under consideration is just over $200 million, about $5 million higher than the adopted FY 2025 budget. More than half of the budget is devoted to criminal justice and health and human services (HHS), with those two teams continuing to command the largest shares of county spending. He noted the county’s discretionary or general-fund revenues — primarily property tax and locally retained taxes — make up roughly 15% of the total budget and fund most general government functions.
Huffer emphasized several ongoing pressures: personnel costs (approximately 50% of operating expense), rising PERS retirement rates and medical insurance costs, and capital outlays such as financing payments for newly purchased county facilities. He also described the county’s conservative budgeting approach — lower revenue forecasts and higher expenditure estimates — and showed the trend of declining beginning balances that followed pandemic-era federal grants and other one-time funds.
On intergovernmental revenues, Huffer warned that a significant portion of county revenue comes from state and federal sources (about 23% intergovernmental in his slide set). He said the county is monitoring legislative activity in Salem and federal policy changes, and that HHS and other departments may need to adjust spending if state or federal funding is reduced or delayed. He also described the budget process timeline: discretionary allocation approved in December, departmental budgets submitted in February, department presentations in April and a public hearing and deliberations in May and June ahead of formal adoption.
Huffer told committee members the county has a conservative reserve target and noted that, if revenue shortfalls appear after adoption, Oregon budget law allows the county to adjust spending within appropriation limits or to pursue supplemental budgets if the county needs to increase appropriations beyond legal thresholds.
