The Multnomah County Board of Commission approved the county budget for the fiscal year that begins on July 1 on Thursday, June 12.

The budget includes numerous cuts intended to reduce a projected $85 million budget shortfall, the largest in the county’s history.

Unlike when the Portland City Council approved its budget the day before, the county hearing was restrained and relatively short, with the board members remaining courteous to each other.

In a statement, the county called those decisions “painful tradeoffs” meant to preserve core health, public safety and homeless services programs in the face of Multnomah County’s largest spending gap in a decade — a $15 million general fund shortfall and a $70 million shortfall for homeless services.

“Our county must continue to be a safe haven for our values of democracy, equity, accountability, kindness and support for one another,” Chair Jessica Vega Pederson said. “Following months of public deliberations, I believe the budget we adopt today reflects the priorities of our board and the needs our community has shared. People can trust that Multnomah County will continue to serve our community with life-changing, life-saving care and support.”

The budget will fund 11 county departments, totaling nearly 6,000 full-time employees. The funding includes offices that support independently elected officials, including the auditor, sheriff and district attorney. It will eliminate at least 100 full-time positions, in what officials described as mostly “administrative reductions.” Those cuts include staff for the offices of Chair Jessica Vega Pederson, the chief operating officer and positions in the county’s Complaints Investigation Unit.

The District Attorney’s Office benefited from Thursday’s deliberations, in large part because of support from Commissioners Julia Brim-Edwards and Vince Jones-Dixon, DA Nathan Vasquez said in a statement. He secured some investments that the original budget proposal would not have granted.

“This funding means we can continue making our neighborhoods safer,” Vasquez said, in part. “It allows us to keep the pressure on auto thieves and those who target our stores. It enables us to fight for victims and support their path to justice. Most of all, it strengthens our ability to restore a sense of security in our communities and we are determined to do just that.”

According to a county statement, “Balancing the 2026 budget — while upholding the County’s values — was extraordinarily challenging.

“Office vacancies and reduced property values in downtown Portland sharply reduced property tax revenues — among the main sources of revenue for the County’s General Fund. Meanwhile, personnel costs are higher due to inflation and other factors. That combination led to a $15.5 million shortfall in the County’s General Fund.

“Additionally, because of falling revenues from Metro’s Supportive Housing Services tax, the County’s Homeless Services Department has faced its own significant spending gap.”