Commissioners question Stepping Stones budget, ask to place PATH funding and MOU on board agenda

Umatilla County commissioners on Thursday reviewed a funding request and memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the PATH/Stepping Stones shelter program and agreed to place the item on the board agenda for formal consideration.

Commissioner Kristen pressed staff for line-item detail after reviewing the submitted budget and asked why the county was being billed roughly 31 percent under the shared MOU. Dan, a county staff member, said the percentage reflects an earlier agreement reached when the county, the City of Umatilla and Stepping Stones established a shared board meeting structure and budget split. Dan said some grant receipts and timing differences explain why line items in the submitted budget do not fully match the county invoice projections.

The commissioners discussed specific numbers. Staff and commissioners cited a requested county contribution that they calculated at about $161,287. Commissioners compared that figure to Stepping Stones' reported 2026 line items discussed in the packet: expenses of roughly $668,122 and income of about $663,777, a difference of approximately $5,000. Commissioners asked why the county's requested share appeared to exceed the net shortfall and whether previously counted grants (for example, last year’s philanthropic grants and donations) were included in the current budget.

Members also pressed program-performance questions under forthcoming statewide shelter guidelines, which will emphasize re-housing. One commissioner pointed out that staff reported Stepping Stones re-housed three people in four months from a program with about 21 beds; commissioners debated whether that outcome met accountability expectations, with staff noting that the re-housing rate could be reasonable given local and state averages and that turnover, eligibility and program-specific constraints affect outcomes.

Commissioners and staff discussed operational constraints: limited beds, eligibility periods (a 14-day intake pathway for some programs versus immediate access to a sleep center), and the county's limited ability to move people into housing without additional beds or supportive resources. Commissioners asked staff to provide clearer accounting of grant timing, a current fund balance (an earlier comment referenced a prior balance of about $1.7 million on Sept. 1, which staff said they would confirm), and what specific outcomes the county should expect for its funding.

The board also discussed the term and cap in the proposed agreement. One commissioner expressed concern about lack of an explicit upper spending limit beyond the first-year numbers; staff replied that the MOU includes a cap but that commissioners could consider an amendment if they wanted a lower, explicit yearly cap. The commission agreed to place the item on tomorrow’s formal agenda for the board to review and, if needed, vote.

Next steps: staff will bring more detailed budget reconciliation and grant-timing information to the board meeting. The work session did not record any formal motion or vote on the funding at this meeting.