Quarterly management report: county highlights IT modernization, SHS projects and full ARPA obligation

County leadership presented the first-quarter management report to the Board of Commissioners on Feb. 4, 2025, highlighting enterprise IT modernization work, shelter and homelessness services (SHS) activity, levy planning for libraries and public safety, completion of ARPA project obligations, and the status of a countywide classification and compensation study.

Staff told the board the county continues work to replace its enterprise resource planning system (ERP) and to implement an employee intranet; the report also described a community-facing website redesign and investments in internet resiliency. On homeless services, staff reported the Beaverton shelter opened in December and that the county has funded two transitional housing projects to create 119 recovery and stabilization units; staff also said revenue collections for SHS are down compared with prior projections.

The Washington County Cooperative Library Services (WCCLS) levy and governance work remains on track, staff said. A library levy steering committee and EMC Research polling tested potential levy options; staff noted a polling test that included the option to replace the current levy with a rate of $0.65 per $1,000 of assessed value, which staff said would be an 18-cent increase over the current rate.

On finance and federal recovery funds, the report said Washington County obligated all ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) state and local fiscal recovery funds by the Treasury’s contractual obligation deadline and did not return any ARPA or CARES funds. The presentation noted the county received $117,000,000 in ARPA funds and that all board-approved ARPA investments had been obligated by Dec. 30, 2024.

Staff also briefed the board on an ongoing jail-capacity and community corrections expansion study being conducted with the consulting firm Matrix; staff said the project timeline will be adjusted and communicated once more information is gathered. The report summarized assessment-and-taxation activity noting the county’s portfolio properties increased to $1.197 trillion in real market value and that the county retains approximately 16.3% of collected property tax dollars (distributing the remainder to taxing districts).

Tanya (county staff presenter) detailed a countywide classification and compensation project that has produced job descriptions for the first time across county positions and set a target completion date for the study of June 30, 2025; staff noted implementation is often staged over multiple years. Staff also noted leadership transitions and procurement constraints affected some work-plan items.

Board members asked several clarifying questions. Commissioners discussed whether the board should consolidate the May and July quarterly reports into a single six-month presentation because of competing budget-season demands; several commissioners noted the quarterly report also serves as public transparency for community members who do not receive day-to-day departmental updates. Commissioners also asked for more frequent or targeted briefings on specific items such as the jail-capacity study, class-and-compensation implementation plans, and assessment-and-taxation staffing and processes.

Staff announced a temporary reduction in law-library in-person hours because of staffing constraints. The law library will provide in-person and remote services Mondays and Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and in-person and remote services Wednesdays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to noon with remote-only service from noon to 5 p.m.; staff said they will post the updated schedule on the law library website and will attempt to maintain service with variable-hour hires as funding allows.

Ending

Staff said the next quarterly management report is planned for May (with a follow-up in July noted as tentative); commissioners asked staff to return with clearer timelines for key studies and for a written follow-up on specific items requested during the session.