Jefferson County officials have proposed a $2.6 million decrease in the overall county budget for the 2025–26 fiscal year compared to last year’s adopted plan. The proposed budget keeps most departments at similar or increased levels of funding, but some departments and funds see significant cuts.

The largest single cut is in the Public Works Department, where road equipment expenditures are expected to decline by approximately $1.07 million, because road equipment was purchased earlier in the fiscal year. Two other departments also saw overall funding cuts, community justice with a $184,755 decrease and the survey department, with a slight decrease of $6,309.

Decreases in community justice come largely from a reorganization within the department that affects the total wages within the department. The road department budget also includes $314,000 from the secure rural schools federal program, which was not renewed by the federal government.

Other departments seeing reductions in individual funds within their department include the Sheriff general fund, which is down $272,689, and Victims Assistance, which is slated for a $157,883 cut, 58% of their previous budget. Victims Assistance is a grant-funded program and additional grants may be received to bolster budget, but cannot be included in the budget plan until grants are applied for.

Contributions to the Paid Leave Oregon program have also been removed from the line item. This is because of a change in how the liability fund is budgeted, and the county continues to pay this fee. “The fund should not have been set up with a budget as it is a liability fund and does not have its own revenue and expenditures, which is why there is no proposed budget for this year,” said county finance director Gabriel Soliz.

The county has also adjusted a $240,105 allocation to its disaster relief fund, a 391.82% decrease. These funds are a one-time funding source, and as funds are spent, less expenditures are expected each year. Funding for the Central Oregon Health Board — mental health fund has also been reduced by $168,449.

Other funds seeing decreases of over 15% include: County Fair Capital Project (-28.44%), Parks Development Fund (-19.54%), Corrections and drug programming (-60.95%), Community justice juvenile special projects (-306.14%).

A significant portion of the overall reduction stems from changes in how the county will use its remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Jefferson County plans to spend $2.2 million in ARPA dollars this year, nearly $2 million less than last year. Those funds, originally intended for COVID-19 recovery efforts, are now discretionary and can be directed toward a wider range of local projects.

Despite some changes within specific fund allocations, most county departments are proposed to maintain funding with minor changes from the previous year.

Other departments seeing an overall increase include: Buildings and Grounds (17.48%), Clerk (8.2%), Community Development (8.44%), General Government Fund (3.45%), Public Health (1.25%), Public Works — Roads (8.76%), Sheriff (1.92%), District Attorney (16.57%) and Veterans (28.99%).

The budget includes $1.9 million from general fund reserves, including a contingency that is not planned expense. Changes to the budget also account for a 3% cost-of-living adjustment for most of the county staff, and an 8% COLA for elected officials. It also assumes a 10% increase in healthcare plan costs.

The budget process

The proposed budget was released in early spring 2025, and initial budget hearings were held April 15 and 17. Through discussion with the budget committee and each department head, some adjustments may be made before the budget is given final approval by the Jefferson County Commissioners. No additional budgets or budget changes were submitted by the departments before hearings began.

The Board of Commissioners has a scheduled work session on the budget June 4, with a budget summary announced before that time. Citizen testimony will be open during the June 11 budget hearing, with a plan to adopt the budget at that time.