Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Yesterday I released my Executive Budget for Fiscal Year 2024, a $3.5 billion action plan that funds the services delivered by eleven county departments. This budget helps our community become a place where more people are housed, earning a living wage, safe in their neighborhoods and hopeful for our children’s future.
This is my first budget, delivered nearly four months since taking office. In it, I share my commitment to addressing critical community needs in homeless services, animal services, behavioral health care and community violence.
This budget confronts the short-term revenue challenges of ramping down federal pandemic relief with the longer-term threats of inflation and tax revenues. And it reflects Multnomah County’s core goals of providing our community, partners and employees with a more equitable and just community.
The Board of County Commissioners will now engage in six-weeks of public worksessions, as well as three public hearings. These Wednesday night hearings are scheduled for May 10, May 17, and May 31. A full calendar of budget worksessions is available on the County Budget Office website. The board votes on the final budget on Thursday, June 8.
Below are key investments and highlights. You can find the full proposed budget here, and I encourage you to lend your voice to the process.
JVP
Specific Investments
Housing, Shelter and Our Homelessness Continuum of Care and Prevention
Never in our history has there been more of a call and need to address the goals that help us resolve our homelessness crisis with urgency, accountability and transparency.
- Funds “Housing Multnomah Now,” a $32 million, 12-month plan to unify efforts to reduce unsheltered homelessness starting in Portland’s central city
- Rehouses 575 households and 140 new shelter beds by the end of this year
- $87 million to aid finding safety on and off the street, including trauma-informed congregate shelters, motel shelter rooms and alternative shelters
- $17 million to sustain our existing shelter capacity
Public, Behavioral and Community Health
Creating and prioritizing opportunities for people to sustain or regain their health — and the stability it can bring — continues to be a focus of our investments and programs.
- $2.5 million to sustain daily operations at the Behavioral Health Resource Center
- $2 million for the Behavioral Health Emergency Coordination Network (BHECN), to help those who are in immediate need of sobering services
- $3 million to sustain the work of the Rockwood Health Center
- Mental and behavioral health supports in 38 school-based mental health sites across six districts
Community Safety and Violence Prevention
Multnomah County is facing an undeniable epidemic of gun violence and increased behavioral health acuity needs. We address this emergency situation through multi-departmental and multi-agency work.
- $750,000 to address the backlog of gun violence cases in the D.A.’s Office
- $1 million in funding for a revised staffing model for Corrections Health
- 3 new culturally-specific Community Health Specialists to focus on youth violence prevention
Youth and Family Supports
Multnomah County invests in a two-generation approach that centers whole families and supports children and caretakers.
- $27.8 million for Preschool for All infrastructure
- Doubling Preschool for All enrollment to serve 1400 children
- $1.3 million for The Multnomah Mother’s Trust Project
- $250,000 to maintain four SUN School sites
Stabilization and Modernization
Multnomah County has a huge opportunity to capitalize on what we learned during the pandemic, turning those lessons into positive change to help communities recover and thrive.
- $1.5 million for a 2% increase in wages for human service providers
- 10 new staff positions in Animal Services, a 31% increase in animal care staff
- $933,000 towards Elections and implementation of Rank Choice Voting
- Funding for the design phase of the Earthquake Ready Burnside Bridge
Now Recruiting! Multnomah County Planning Commission
Multnomah County’s Land Use Planning Division is looking for three Multnomah County residents to serve as volunteer members on the County’s Planning Commission. The Planning Commission is nine volunteers appointed to serve a four-year term to address rural land use planning issues and requirements.
The Planning Commission makes recommendations to the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners on the Comprehensive Plan, zoning code and other ordinances. Applications must be submitted by Thursday, May 18, 2023. You can apply online here or an application may be requested via US mail by calling 503-988-0188 or emailing kevin.c.cook@multco.us. Find more information at the Planning Commission’s webpage or Multnomah County’s Land Use Planning website.