Multnomah County finalizes $4 billion budget for 2025

Following hours of heated negotiations, the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners adopted its nearly $4 billion budget to fund the county’s 11 departments and the salaries of nearly 6,000 employees.

The budget, which passed 4-1 with Commissioner Sharon Meieran voting no, dedicates significant funds to homeless services, housing assistance and expanded shelter access, but pulls back in some programs and public safety departments, such as the detectives unit of the sheriff’s office.

“Every year, we get to ask the question, ‘What do we want the county to be like?’” Chair Jessica Vega Pederson said at the meeting Thursday. “And every year, we put forward a budget with that answer.”

The county’s overall budget for 2025 is increasing 11.5% — or $408 million — thanks to bumps in Metro supportive housing and Preschool for All tax collection and carryover. Its general fund budget — the county’s largest pool of discretionary funding, primarily from property and business taxes — remains steady. Inflation and rising salaries for employees meant the county had to close a budget gap of $3.9 million.

Most of Thursday’s deliberations were over relatively small amounts of spending, but some of the proposed cuts raised serious concerns from county residents, commissioners and employees over the two month process. The budget will cut one detective from the sheriff’s office, all pandemic-era funding to the Multnomah Mother’s Trust — which since 2021 had offered $500 per month in income to 100 Black female headed households with children — and $335,000 from a program that aims to decrease youth violence.

“I did not support every choice we’ve agreed to in this budget,” Commissioner Jesse Beason said. “But this is how it goes. We compromise to govern across differences in ways that we hope do not violate our core values.”

The budget bolsters programs under the chief operating officer, including $2.7 million to create a Strategic Planning, Performance, Agility, Reinvention and Knowledge unit called “SPARK.” Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards strongly opposed the program, which is dedicated to “building a more responsive, future-ready government,” county documents show.

“I remain unconvinced that adding management without clear outcomes is how we should prioritize the funds and I would expect we would not prioritize this when we are facing a structural deficit, and homeless, fentanyl and safety crises and asking other units of county government to take constraints,” Brim-Edwards said.

The budget also funds two election programs to the tune of $2 million. One would educate people on and implement ranked-choice voting, scheduled to go into effect for Portland elections in November and county elections in 2026. The other would research a small donor elections program for the county, similar to Portland’s.

Commissioners earmarked money to add more employees to the animal services department as well, which county auditors have repeatedly slammed for mismanagement.

Multnomah County has set aggressive timelines to open what officials call a deflection center by Sept. 1, which will help people enter treatment before facing criminal penalties for minor drug possession under Measure 110. The budget includes $29 million in funding, most of which came from the state, for the deflection center and recovery services, as well as a separate 24/7 drop-off sobering center.

Additionally, county commissioners approved $782,000 in additional funding for the district attorney’s office for prosecution resources, juvenile case management and increased victim assistance services.

The original budget released by Vega Pederson in April opened up six weeks of discussion, with over 20 budget sessions and three opportunities for public comment.

Over that time, Meieran and Brim-Edwards consistently called out perceived faults in the budget process, including the initial step of “approving” the chair’s budget in order to consider it for final adoption. County policy requires that no fund be increased by more than 10% once that happens. Commissioners voted 3-2 on April 25 to move the budget process forward, with Brim-Edwards and Meieran voting against it.

During Thursday’s meeting, Meieran proposed seven amendments to the budget, including an ambulance pilot program to temporarily staff ambulances with one paramedic and an EMT and creating a fentanyl task force, among other things. Each was struck down by the board, only receiving backing from Brim-Edwards.

Meieran, who leaves office in December after eight years due to term limits, expressed deep disappointment in the final budget.

“After all I’ve been saying and doing the past few years, it should be no surprise that I begin today by observing that Multnomah County is badly flailing without a plan,” Meieran said. “The budget approved by this board is proof that once again we have failed to make the fundamental choices necessary to drive change.”

Commissioner Lori Stegmann, who successfully fought to add $580,000 in funding for courtroom support for eviction prevention and $180,000 for a food pantry in East County, said the budget will support the county’s most vulnerable residents.

“As the largest safety net provider in Oregon, we are often the last resort for many people,” Stegmann said. “For many program offers contained in this budget, there was broad agreement. It’s important that the board is on the same page, because with this vote we adopt a common document that will serve the residents of our county for the next year.”

— Austin De Dios covers Multnomah County politics, programs and more. Reach him at 503-319-9744, adedios@oregonian.com or @AustinDeDios.

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