Cogen's County Budget: No Major Program Cuts Yet

Portland Mercury:

Jeff CogenThe really difficult work on Multnomah County's budget will come this summer—and then again next year—once the state and federal governments solve their respective fiscal crises and figure out how much money they'll be pulling back from the local governments that rely on that cash over the next two years. But budgeting rules being what they are, Multnomah County Chairman Jeff Cogen is putting forward a proposed spending plan this morning—making his best guess on the 25 percent to 30 percent of the budget that comes from Salem and Washington, DC, while also hoping to stave off cutbacks to social services programs for as long as possible. That task was made easier by better-than-expected property tax revenues and business income tax receipts that fattened the county's general fund by $17 million since the past fiscal year, up to $410 million. Cogen had to balance just a $4.4 million deficit, a shortfall created by heavy use of one-time funds last year and debt associated with a new city/county mental health treatment center. (Overall, including all funds, the county's budget is $1.4 billion.) Instead of targeting programs, Cogen was able to trim millions from administrative and personnel costs—asking managers to go without cost-of-living and merit raises, reorganizing offices, and thinning the county's management staff overall. That allowed him to stash away millions in contingency funds to weather state and federal funding cuts, and maintain—and even improve—other services provided by the county. "I have prioritized preserving critical services in our community and chosen to cut administrative and support services," Cogen wrote in his budget message. "Unfortunately...it is not the end of the story for this fiscal year." [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

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