Oregon Public Broadcasting

Multnomah County is making plans for a $35 million budget shortfall over the next two years. That’s after eight years of red ink.

In a budget message Thursday, county chair Ted Wheeler announced plans for an immediate four percent cut.  Then next year, another 15 percent has to go. Wheeler downplayed reductions in service, and instead said the financial emergency is a chance to reinvent how the county operates. He emphasizes corralling big dollar items, and working with other local governments. Wheeler: "For example, the Wapato Jail and the East County Justice Center. We need to cast a much wider net in terms of thinking about the options for those two facilities. We also need to talk about how we deliver services. We need to be working much more collaboratively with other jurisdictions. There are ways to deliver our services more effectively at a much lower cost."

Wheeler says he's already had constructive conversations with the city of Portland about how to reduce overlapping services, like public safety and transportation. There's a lot of time for local leaders to work on the budget problem. The next county budget won't be final until next June.