FY 2025 Budget Note | Office of Community Involvement
The Office of Community Involvement (OCI) supports a wide range of efforts to connect members of the public with the work of Multnomah County and the Board of County Commissioners. One portion of that work involves assisting each county department with their community budget advisory committees, known as CBACs, with one per department. Those committees are made up of community members (with preference given to people living and/or working in Multnomah County boundaries) who serve for three year terms. They play an important role by learning about departmental programs and priorities, reviewing department submitted budgets (which usually occurs every February), and submitting their thoughts and recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners (anytime prior to budget work sessions that usually take place in May).
While the committees have proven to be a valuable part of the County’s budgeting process, CBACs are just one of the many committees that provide essential input into the county budgeting process. County departments manage a number of volunteer committees that offer insightful feedback for programs and services. All of the CBACs, programmatic committees and focus groups operate in a constrained information environment due to Oregon budget laws. At the same time, several areas have been identified for improvement and revision. OCI staff are in the process of implementing some of those changes, including establishing guidelines, updating County Code as needed, and hosting a review process to create recommendations. The CIC is also working to create recommendations for updating Countywide Budget Engagement which includes the CBAC program.
During the FY 2025 budget kickoff and subsequent budget hearings, the Board heard from members of the Central Community Budget Advisory Committee (Central CBAC) and other CBACs about ongoing concerns they have regarding meeting regularity, access to departmental staff and information, and timely submission of recommendations to the Board.
In light of the work underway and issues raised by some members of the CBACs, the Board requests a board briefing from the Office of Community Involvement, no later than the 30th of September in order to align with the budget process and timeline. During that briefing, it is requested that OCI provide the following information:
- A clear and concise meeting calendar for each departmental CBAC and the Central CBAC, which takes into account major budget milestones, including the November General Fund forecast, departmental budget submission deadline in February, and finalization of executive decisions;
- The manner in which these recommended changes will be implemented, including a timeline; and
- Recommendations for identifying and addressing conflicts of interest that may arise during a member's CBAC tenure.
Budget Note Follow Up:
B.1 Community Budget Advisory Committee (CBAC) Briefing. Presenters: Stephan Herrera, Senior Policy Advisor, Chair's Office & Interim Director, Office of Community Involvement; Sara Ryan, Chief of Staff, District 2; Condrad Hullen, DCA CBAC Member & Central CBAC Member.
CBAC September 2024 Improvement Memo to the Board of County Commissioners (169.65 KB)
Proposed 24-25-26 CBAC Improvement Work Plan/Timeline (73.84 KB)
Proposed Multnomah County Code: Chapter 3 Budget Advisory Committees (186.02 KB)
9.24.24 CBAC Presentation to the Board of County Commissioners (412.02 KB)