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 transfers that historically supported the Major Street Transportation Improvement Program (MSTIP) and Washington County Cooperative Library Services (WCCLS); staff quantified those baseline reductions as roughly $8,700,000 for MSTIP and $3,900,000 for WCCLS relative to the baseline. - Public safety and justice: A $7,100,000 reduction in this portfolio overall, with specific savings from vacant patrol and jail deputy positions and restructured juvenile detention support; staff noted overall general‑fund support for public safety in the proposed budget grows modestly versus the current modified budget because some costs are covered by a public safety local option levy. - Health and human services: Roughly $3,300,000 in reductions, including elimination of five public health division positions and shifts in behavioral health contracting. - General government and internal services: About $2,800,000 in reductions; examples include elimination of the Sustainability Office, position reductions in facilities and information technology, and other smaller reductions across internal service departments. - Capital and technology: Major capital projects remain in the proposed budget, including maintenance and improvements for the county’s Law Enforcement Center (estimated $57,400,000) and Justice Services Building HVAC work; the proposed Center for Addiction Treatment and Triage (CAT) was shown with an estimated total cost of $59,700,000. Staff said ARPA and gainshare (SIP/gainshare) funds are primary funding sources for many projects. - Bonds and transportation: The board recently authorized the potential sale of up to $150,000,000 in bonds to support MSTIP projects; staff said the bond authorization was approved within the last month and may be part of a broader revenue strategy. - Employee compensation tradeoffs: The proposed budget includes funding to provide the 6% PERS employee contribution pickup (commonly called the PERS pickup) for employees who do not already receive it, paid instead of a cost‑of‑living adjustment (COLA) in the current proposal. Staff said the change is intended to improve recruitment and retention.

Process and timeline Angie told committee members the budget document was released at 6 p.m. the night of the presentation and provided a schedule for upcoming budget committee meetings and staff presentations. Staff asked committee members to submit questions by May 7 for a first round of answers and noted follow up deadlines for later rounds; the committee will hold department presentations and deliberations in meetings planned mid‑May with an additional reserved date if more time is needed.

Staff roles and next steps Interim Chief Financial Officer John Steyer and assistant county administrators (including Erin Calvert and Ann Ober) were introduced as the departmental presenters who will lead the committee through portfolio‑level briefings (public safety, health and human services, internal services, parks and facilities, and non‑departmental items). Interim County Counsel Courtney Duperesen reviewed meeting procedures and said the committee would follow Robert’s Rules of Order and the county’s procedural cheat sheet for motions, seconds and deliberations.

Quotes and tone from staff Angie framed the choices as difficult and emphasized the long‑term constraints the county faces under Oregon’s property tax limits: “There are no painless cuts in this budget,” she said, adding that staff had prioritized minimizing layoffs through careful use of vacant positions.

Votes at a glance (committee leadership and adjournment) - Washington County & Service District for Lighting, Budget Committee: Karen Bollin nominated and elected Chair; Joe Everton elected Vice Chair. Motion moved and seconded; committee recorded the motion as carrying unanimously (vote counts not specified in the transcript). - ESPD/URMD combined budget committee: Richard Steinberg elected Chair; Scott Hartnett elected Vice Chair. Motion carried unanimously (vote counts not specified). - North Bethany Community Service District for Roads: Sarah Beachy elected Chair; Bruce Young elected Vice Chair. Motion carried unanimously (vote counts not specified). - Motion to adjourn the three budget committee meetings: moved by Bruce Young, seconded by Anthony Mills; carried unanimously (vote counts not specified).

Why it matters Washington County officials told the budget committee the proposed package is meant to balance legal requirements for a balanced proposed budget while protecting core, mandated services where possible. The combination of constrained permanent property tax revenue, the expiration of multi‑year SIP agreements and rising service costs has forced multiyear reductions; staff described this as the fifth consecutive year with a significant general‑fund gap.

What the committee will do next Committee members were asked to review the printed budget packet and submit questions by the stated deadlines so staff can compile responses ahead of department presentations in mid‑May. Staff also explained how amendments would be handled procedurally and emphasized that any amendment restoring spending requires offsetting revenue to keep the proposed budget balanced.

Ending Angie closed by thanking staff and committee members and repeating that while reductions are significant, staff aimed to limit layoffs by eliminating vacant positions when possible. The budget committee will consider the proposed budget, ask questions of department presenters and may propose amendments before recommending a balanced budget to the Board of Commissioners.