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Public safety remains top priority
The Clackamas County Budget Committee on Thursday passed a general county operating budget of approximately $1.57 billion. This approved budget, which includes dedicated state and federal funds, grants, property taxes, and other revenue sources, now goes to the Board of County Commissioners for final adoption on June 20, 2024.
Including eight service districts/agencies/authorities that the Board oversees, it is expected that the total county budget will be nearly $2.1 billion.
The Board will accept or modify the approved Budget Committee budget at the June 20, 2024 Business Meeting. The Board’s decision is final and will be implemented on July 1. The Clackamas County Budget Committee is made up of the five members of the Board and five members of the public.
The budget for Clackamas County is the largest in history. In part, this is due to several temporary influxes of money, including American Rescue Plan Act dollars, opioid settlement funds, and Supportive Housing Services measure funds from Metro.
As required by Oregon law, the general county operating budget, and all those passed thus far, are balanced. Further, the budget is considered structurally balanced and sustainable, per the definitions of the Government Finance Officers Association.
Public safety remains top priority
The centerpiece of the budget, mirroring last year’s budget and previous ones, is public safety. The county’s discretionary General Fund, which the Board of County Commissioners can generally allocate wherever it chooses and is made up of property tax dollars, is projected to be ~$160.9 million.
Of this General Fund amount, 65.8%, or approximately $105.8 million, is dedicated to public safety programs and services. That amount includes General Fund infusions for the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office (~$78.3 million), District Attorney’s Office (~$15.1 million), Juvenile Department (~$8.6 million), Disaster Management Office (~$3.4 million), and C-COM 911 (~$375K). These departments also receive funding from other sources, not only the General Fund.
This action is reflective of the Board of County Commissioners’ ongoing commitment to public safety, as outlined by one of the five strategic priorities – Ensure Safe, Healthy and Secure Communities – which guide the county’s actions.
The current Fiscal Year 2023-24 budget, which was approved in June 2023, saw Clackamas County reduce its General Fund by $15 million dollars in order to accommodate the future annual payments for the replacement county courthouse project. That reduction did not cause any significant reductions in programs or services at the county – other funding streams were identified to fill the gaps.
County Administrator Gary Schmidt broke down much of these details in his annual budget address, delivered at the beginning of the budget hearings for the general county operating budget. Schmidt’s budget message, along with all presentations and corresponding documents, can be found on our Budget Presentations page.
Service Districts/Agencies/Authorities
The Board of County Commissioners also oversees eight service districts/agencies/authorities. Those are the Clackamas County Development Agency, Clackamas County Enhanced Law Enforcement District (ELED), Clackamas County Extension and 4-H Service District, Clackamas Water Environment Services, Housing Authority of Clackamas County, Library Service District of Clackamas County, North Clackamas Parks and Recreation District, and Street Lighting Service District No. 5. All service districts/agencies/authorities budgets were passed, with the exception of ELED, which was recessed until early June.
Combined with the general county operating budget, the total county budget (including these eight service districts/agencies/authorities) for the forthcoming fiscal year will be nearly $2.1 billion.