Miles Cull

Then Lane County Board of Commissioners Chair, Laurie Trieger, wraps up her presentation during the Jan. 18, State of Lane County address . (Miles Cull/Emerald)

Lane County is on track to eliminate roughly 80 positions across multiple departments in what would be the county’s largest workforce reduction in more than a decade, county officials said Wednesday. The staffing cuts are part of Lane County Administrator Steve Mokrohisky’s proposed budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, which begins in July. 

The proposed budget aims to close a projected $6.3 million general fund shortfall. Mokrohisky said the $17.4 million in general fund cuts seek to “minimize impacts to the services residents rely on as much as possible.” The roughly $179 million general fund makes up nearly 15% of the proposed $1.2 billion total budget.

Like other Oregon county and city governments, county officials say the proposed cuts come as Lane County’s expenses are growing faster than its revenue. However, officials say the county faces the additional challenge of having an “artificially low” property tax rate because the county used to rely on timber harvest receipts to fund public safety for decades. In the mid-1990s, when new statewide measures imposed limits on how much property taxes could increase — limits that remain in place today — and timber revenue declined, officials said it created the “perfect storm.”

According to Mokrohisky, only 18 of 80 proposed staffing cuts are currently filled. He said county staff tried to cut existing positions only when affected employees could be reassigned to another position. 

Some of the proposed cuts hit different county departments harder than others. County officials say that most direct services in the county’s general fund, like county administration, county counsel, technology, human resources and facility maintenance, face proposed reductions that average around 6%. Only the Sheriff, the District Attorney and the assessment and taxation department have proposed cuts of less than 2%.

Within public safety services, there would be a 3.75 full-time reduction in Community Justice and Rehabilitation Services, a 0.5 full-time reduction in the District Attorney’s Office, a 2.0 full-time reduction in the Sheriff’s Office, a 2.0 full-time reduction in the Health and Human Services department and a full-time reduction in Emergency Management. According to the proposed budget, the Sheriff’s Office will lose a Population Management and Adult in Custody Programs Deputy and a Corrections Lieutenant.

County officials emphasized the need for more funding for public safety.

“Until new revenue for public safety is identified, Lane County cannot adequately address the need for public safety services across the community,” county officials said. 

Officials said the budget committee will meet multiple times during the next three weeks and receive information from each department. The Board of Commissioners will likely approve the budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year in June.