FY 2026 Adopted Budget Notes and Department Follow-up

Budget notes are a key part of the County's budget process. Budget notes may:

• document Board discussions and decisions,
• request future policy discussion,
• highlight areas for in-depth exploration during the year,
• earmark General Fund contingency for future investments, or
• give departments direction in how to achieve the Board’s policy goals during the year.

Transparency in County Budgeting and Contracting

It is requested that the Chair direct the Department of County Management (DCM) to regularly  report to the Commission to include a detailed accounting of budgets-to-actuals for all fund types and program offers for FY 2026 and for future fiscal years. Additionally, it is requested that the Chair direct the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to provide at least quarterly reports to the Board of County Commissioners of all contracts or contract amendments signed by the County Chair, the Chair’s designee or other authorized signees, with thresholds and contract types. The Board further requests that it be provided with recommended Financial and Budget Policy language on recurring contract reporting, including thresholds and contract types, before December 31, 2025.

Key Performance Indicators (KPls) and Equity Impact Statements 

The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners is responsible for ensuring transparent and accountable spending of public dollars. In order to faithfully execute this function, the Board requires accurate information provided at regular intervals on the success of Department programs relative to Board-approved KPls. Establishment and evaluation of KPls allows the Board to make decisions concerning redundancies, efficiencies, and cost savings within and across departments. 

It is the policy of the Board to: 

• Help departments develop KPls for programs to create consistency across programs and fiscal years. KPls should speak to how well the program is delivering on the goals established in the program offer through objective quantitative and qualitative measures.
• Review equity impact of program offers and determine equity impacts across race, ethnicity, income, gender, sexuality, age, ability, or any other criteria deemed relevant to the program. The Board policy is that this review is done in partnership with the Office of Diversity and Equity.
• Ensure program offers include consistency in format and relevant information. KPls should include populations served, populations in need of services, qualitative and quantitative data, descriptions about the types and levels of services provided. KPls should also be constructed in a way that allows the Board to estimate the impacts of changes to funding, with a focus on Multnomah County's most vulnerable and historically marginalized populations.

It is the policy of the Board that KPIs be provided to the Board of Commissioners at regular intervals and as a tool to inform budgetary and policy decisions, including but not limited to Department proposed program offers for the annual budget, program offers in the Chair's proposed Annual Budget, Budget Modifications, Resolutions, and Ordinances. The Board’s policy is that these new KPls and Equity Impacts are specified in time to inform the FY 2027 budget process. 

Report Out for Preschool for All Sites

It is the policy of the Board that all vacant spaces owned or leased by the County for suitability to build out for infant/toddler childcare and/or preschool use be evaluated, and a report provided to the Board by end of year 2025 with a list of all available and feasible spaces, including whether zoning changes are needed and next steps advised by the city planning department.

Facilities Capital Planning Process 

It is the policy of the Board to develop a systems and process improvement plan to identify key decision points that are cost drivers and how Multnomah County can make improvements in order to drive capital project cost down. Examples of process improvements include, but are not limited to, estimated budget parameters before planning begins, review of value-added regarding green building and renovations, identified likely source of funding for full project scope prior to beginning planning process, and evaluation of commercial practices that could be implemented to minimize cost overruns.

Medicaid Behavioral Health Services 

Multnomah County is the Local Mental Health Authority (LMHA) and a Federally Qualified Health Center. Together with the State of Oregon and Coordinated Care Organizations (CCOs), it is tasked with providing health services to all eligible people. Decisions made by Multnomah County affect CCOs and other organizations, and Multnomah County is affected by decisions made by other organizations. Thus, it is important that information relevant to our shared client population is shared with ample opportunity for collaboration and coordination. 

It is the policy of the Board that the Health Department invites Multnomah County CCO partners CareOregon, Trillium Community Health Plan, and Health Share of Oregon, for a Board briefing in FY 2026. A primary goal for this briefing will be to discuss and consider the ways Multnomah County and CCOs collaborate to maintain and expand service delivery, with a focus on strengthening collaboration and addressing challenges and barriers to partnership. Briefing topics should include: 

• Outline the scope of behavioral health services funded and provided by each CCO;
• Identify issues related to network adequacy, reimbursement rates, workforce, and other challenges, and CCO strategies for addressing these issues;
• Update on CCO plans to expand behavioral health services to meet demand;
• Outline care coordination efforts and case management services and how they coordinate with County services such as housing, long term care, etc.
• Outline the roles of the Oregon Health Authority, CCOs, and LMHA/Community Mental Health Program (CMHP) in the provision of behavioral health services, including how they work individually and collaboratively to meet the needs of our Medicaid population;
• Highlight funding decisions made at the Federal, State, and local level that impact service delivery and network adequacy, particularly in behavioral health; and
• Discuss the ways Multnomah County and CCOs collaborate to maintain and expand service delivery, including opportunities and challenges to broadening and deepening collaboration.

Span of Control

The ratio of management-to-staff is often guided by the principle of "span of control." Best practice generally suggests a 1:5 to 1:10 ratio of managers to staff, with each manager leading approximately 5-10 direct reports. However, the ideal ratio can vary based on the nature of the work, the experience of employees and managers, and the level of interaction between them. That being said, on an organizational level it is important to maintain a management-to-staff ratio in line with our objective of maximizing the number of employees whose primary responsibilities are delivering direct services to the community. 

It is vital that Multnomah County maintains the ability to deliver high-quality services in a leaner environment. An important step toward this leaner operating model is an evaluation of the span of control and a tighter adherence to maximizing the number of frontline employees while learning to manage that work in a more efficient management structure. 

This budget note states the Board’s expectation that policy compliance will be demonstrated by January 2026 in the following manner: 

A written report will be provided to the Board of Commissioners on achieving an average management-to-staff ratio of 1:7 or greater. The report should include organizational charts and an implementation strategy.

Americans with Disability Act (ADA) Ramps

It is the policy of the Board that sustainable sources of funding be identified that are sufficient to complete the County's ADA Transition Plan ("the Plan") within a period of ten years. 

The Board requests a report and Board Briefing by January 2, 2026 on: 

• The implementation status of the Plan and schedule for completion;
• Options to sufficiently fund implementation of the Plan, including but not limited to bonding against General Fund revenues;
• Feedback received from previous outreach and engagement;
• Plans for continued public outreach and engagement; and
• Connections to the County's long-term capital plan and asset management strategy.

Animal Services Fee Study

Multnomah County Animal Services (MCAS) collects a number of fees, including pet and facility licensing fees and boarding and adoption fees. MCAS has not increased any fees since 2019 after analysis of neighboring counties.

This budget note requests the Chair direct the Department of Community Services (DCS), of which MCAS is a division, to conduct an Animal Services fees assessment study work plan distributed to the Board of County Commissioners by July 30, 2025, and provide a comprehensive Animal Services fee assessment with recommendations distributed to the Board of County Commissioners by September 30, 2025.

Service Connection Technology 

It is the policy of the Board to develop a plan for Board funding consideration in FY 2027 to support the technology upgrades and implementation of the application that connects juveniles in, or transitioning out of, the juvenile justice system with services. This application will support improved participation for youth and families in treatment and wraparound service referrals and mutual accountability. The Board requests that the Chair direct the Department of County Assets (DCA) and Department of Community Justice (DCJ) to submit an implementation plan to the Board by October 30, 2025.

Countywide Fee Assessment

This budget note requests the Chair to direct the Chief Operating Officer’s Office to conduct a comprehensive, countywide fee assessment and by February 1, 2026, provide a report to the Commission that considers impacts on payers, consistency across similar fees, and recommendations on appropriate levels of cost recovery and fee waivers.

Youth Violence Prevention

Request the Chair to direct the Office of the Chief Operating Officer to oversee a third-party study around best practices in youth violence prevention in Multnomah County. The study should explore and report the characteristics of local collaboration models that drive successful youth empowerment and public safety outcomes. The study effort should also conduct a scan of the Multnomah County youth violence prevention landscape and identify a menu of opportunities to improve efficiency and effectiveness in regional collaboration, presented in the format of an Action Plan. Finally the study should explore and provide recommendations for technology solutions that allow for seamless collaboration and data sharing across sectors and government agencies to improve service to youth and families.

Grant Writing and DCA Procurement Staffing Reductions Assessment

The Board requests that the Chair provide a report back to the Board by December 31, 2025, regarding the implementation and impacts to other departments, including any additional costs and staffing needs, from the reductions of 2.00 FTE in contracting/procurement in Program 78105 and 1.00 FTE Senior Grants position in the Government Relations Office in Program 10016.

Manager Evaluations

The Board of County Commissioners requests that the Chair direct the Central Human Resources Office and Department of County Management to report back to the Board by February 28, 2026, with an assessment of manager evaluations and how to move to a 360 evaluation process in FY 2027. Examples of feedback to be included are reviews from all of the manager’s direct reports, their manager, program partners and/or clients being served by the program they oversee. The manager under review will not choose those conducting their review.

Adult Addictions Treatment Continuum Budget Note Program (40085)

The Board requests that the Chair direct the Adult Addictions Treatment Continuum and Homeless Services Department (HSD) staff to provide recommendations to:

1. Increase referral access for homeless service providers to addictions treatment programs, regardless of the provider's ability to diagnose clients.
2. Align publicly funded resources to provide a pathway for people from detox/sobering to:
   1. clean and sober shelter and outpatient treatment
   2. transitional recovery treatment programs / inpatient treatment
   3. Permanent housing with supports for recovery either through PSH in home services or outpatient treatment
3. Collect housing and homelessness data and enter data into the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) for those experiencing homelessness. Data to include
   1. Required HMIS data elements, as determined by the HSD
   2. Housing outcomes, as determined in partnership with HSD, to include but not be limited to:
      1. Number and % of people exiting transitional recovery treatment to permanent housing
      2. Number and % of retention (stably housed)
         1. 6 months post subsidy
         2. 12 month post subsidy

The Board further requests this assessment to be presented to the board by May 1, 2026. The Board expects that this assessment will be heavily influenced by front line providers, those with lived experience, and current consumers of services.

Consistency of Data for Homelessness Work

The County funds day centers, emergency shelters, outreach, eviction prevention, rapid rehousing, and permanent supportive housing across multiple departments. Some of this work is done in-house, some is contracted to community based organizations. Currently, these programs do not all measure the same outcomes (client and process based) making it impossible to conduct assessments on the effectiveness of these investments; learn and share promising, emerging, or best practices that may result from the most effective programs; or aggregate data across the County enterprise.

By December 31, 2025, it is requested that the Chair direct the Chief Operating Officer, in coordination with the Health Department, Department of County Human Services, Homeless Services Department, Department of Community Justice, and the Sheriff's Office, to provide an update to the Board on the data elements that can be collected across the enterprise. Examples of data that will be included, at a minimum:

• Basic HMIS data elements needed for the By-Name-List as identified by the Homeless Services Department will be collected at all types of programs listed in paragraph 1.
• For programs where people move into permanent housing or receive eviction prevention, and transitional recovery programs:
  • Retention rates at 6, 12, and 24 months (measured post subsidy for rapid rehousing programs)
• For shelter programs:
  • Positive exits as defined by the HSD in consultation with the County Steering and Oversight Committee (SOC) representatives
• For outreach programs
  • Positive exits as defined by the HSD in consultation with the County SOC representatives
• For day centers
  • Number of unduplicated participants served, as defined by HSD in consultation with the County SOC representatives 

Programs may collect other data specific to their model and those data elements will be included in the presentation but the focus of this budget note is to get alignment on some basic/core data elements that we need to be able to see the full impact of ending homelessness work across the County enterprise, regardless of department or funding source.

Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office Human Resources 

This budget note requests that the Sheriff provide an update on recruitment, retention, and overall staffing in the Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), including any ongoing impacts on MCSO’s work due to persistent vacancies by the end of February 2026.

Capital Projects Plan 

As a part of efforts to improve the technical effectiveness and equity approaches for the County’s capital infrastructure investments – building on input provided by the Board of Commissioners throughout 2025 – this budget note requests that the Chair provide a FY 2027 Capital Plan that: 

• Tracks all capital projects together (defined as IT projects equal or greater than $500,000, and Transportation/Facilities projects equal or greater to $1,000,000).
• Highlights the equity impacts of proposed projects.
• Demonstrates and refining as needed, the project prioritization process.
• Works across all proposed projects to better identify and propose possible external funding sources.
• Identifies where the Board responsibilities and engagement will take place. 

The Board further requests a presentation of the Capital Plan by February 28, 2026.

School Based Mental Health Quality Improvement Strategy

This budget note requests the Chair support the following transmittals and briefings in FY 2026: 

• By end of July 2025, transmit a plan to the Board of County Commissioners for where mental health consultants will be placed based on the department’s local health and risk data, student health surveys, current School Based Mental Health (SBMH) encounter data, District contracts and information from other school-based services (i.e. Student Health Centers and SUN Schools) in order to minimize disruption of services.
• By end of August 2025, transmit a plan to the Board of County Commissioners for a financially-sustainable SBMH program model that incorporates service goals and outcomes aligned with clinical best practices, quality assurance measures to ensure that all billable codes are being utilized, and a productivity standard that aligns with expected revenue goals.
• Quarterly, written reports to the Board of County Commissioners that include qualitative and quantitative metrics on outcomes related to the impact of the program, including details on billing practices, caseload per clinician, and total youth served, disaggregated by school, race and ethnicity.
• By the end of March 2026, brief the Board of County Commissioners on initial outcomes from the program’s efforts to meet previously stated goals.

Making the Multnomah County Building a More Welcoming and Accessible Space

This budget note requests the Chair to direct the COO’s Office to develop a proposal and report with cost estimates for the Board to consider to make the front entrance and lobby of the Multnomah County Building a more welcoming and accessible space for residents and the public seeking County services. A report and cost estimate is requested to be provided to the Board in writing by February 28, 2026, and it should consider a reconfiguration of the first floor lobby that includes an improved reception area and incorporates accessible design best practices, as well as a non-uniformed staffing presence to provide information referral services to the public.

Employment Services

To better understand the Countywide investment in employment services in multiple departments, to better track investments and impact on accessibility and outcome for specific populations (youth, adults post-incarceration, domestic violence survivors, early childhood workers, adults in or transitioning from homelessness, and historically underserved communities) and the workforce pipeline (baseline job readiness, pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship, journey-level, small business, and management development) this budget note states the Board’s intention to receive a report on the existing conditions of tracking measures, populations served, and connection to the level of the workforce pipeline by November 1, 2025. 

This information will be used in tandem with the work of the Commissioner Singleton and Commissioner Jones-Dixon workforce table to provide a set of recommendations for future investment plan and strategy in employment services throughout the County in preparation for the FY 2027 budget.

Lone Fir Cemetery Memorial Project

It is a priority of the Board to directly commit funding to the Lone Fir Memorial project, as well as to acknowledge the historical injustices as a result of Multnomah County's historical actions and issue a formal apology on June 26, 2025, to the Chinese American Community.

In FY 2026, the Board allocated $1.0 million dollars to elevate and prioritize the healing of historical injustices to the Chinese American community that began with the County's administration of Lone Fir Cemetery's Block 14 and the many Chinese Americans buried there.

The Board will closely monitor construction efforts of this project over the next year, and intends to prioritize available funds in the next budget cycle to support the completion of the historical altar, including a gathering space, seating, interpretive elements, and a new stone altar marking the location of the historic altar — all essential to enabling traditional rituals and community reflection.

This will provide an enduring record of the County's memorialization and public apology that helps to heal these harms for today and future generations.