Washington County presents proposed budget to committees, outlines $20.5 million gap and sweeping reductions

Budget Officer Tanya Angie presented Washington County’s proposed 2025–26 budget to the county’s budget committee, saying the plan closes a $20,500,000 shortfall through reductions, program changes and one‑time revenue choices.

“The math has to be correct. Two plus two has to equal four,” Angie said as she opened the county’s budget message and described department reduction scenarios and next steps for committee review.

The proposed budget responds to two main pressures identified by county staff: constrained growth in permanent property tax revenue under Oregon’s Measures 5 and 50, and the expiration of two Strategic Investment Program (SIP) agreements, which together create the $20.5 million general‑fund gap. County staff told the committee the SIP expirations—agreements with Intel and Genentech that provided time‑limited fees/abatements—will reduce SIP receipts by about $10,600,000 this year.

Nut graf: Washington County leaders framed the proposed budget as a legally required balanced budget built from a mix of targeted reductions and limited investments. Staff emphasized the aim of preserving mandated services while asking the budget committee to review tradeoffs ahead of deliberations scheduled for mid‑May.

Key decisions and numbers - General fund gap: $20,500,000, described by staff as coming from constrained property tax growth and the SIP revenue loss. - SIP expiration impact: Approximately $10,600,000 decrease in SIP transfers to the general fund when two 15‑year SIP agreements ended (Intel and Genentech). - Personnel reductions: Departments proposed reduction scenarios at 10%, 13% and 17% levels; the proposed budget reflects the elimination of 73.5 full‑time equivalent positions contributing to roughly $26,100,000 in general fund savings across multiple years. - General fund transfers cut: A combined $12,000,000 reduction in…