Washington County staff propose preserving county control, delay tax cuts in response to MetroSHS reform

Washington County staff recommended on Dec. 17 that the county push back on several elements of Portland MetroArea proposals to reform the region's Supportive Housing Services (SHS) measure, preserve county-level flexibility over program dollars, and delay proposed tax-rate reductions until at least 2028.

The recommendations, delivered during a Washington County Board of Commissioners work session, asked the board to direct a county representative to press three main points at an upcoming Tri-County meeting: keep SHS expenditures within a county-controlled pool rather than creating rigid "buckets"; repurpose a portion of Metro's administrative funds for affordable housing and the regional investment fund; and avoid an immediate tax-rate reduction proposed by some regional stakeholders. "We don't want to shift too far from where we are. We don't want to create a bucket system. We don't want to silo funds to different types of investments," a Washington County staff member said during the presentation.

Why it matters: the county's proposals would change how revenues from the regional income-tax measure are allocated and how much predictability counties would have for homeless services and rent assistance.…