With every Multnomah County District up for election this May, we are operating in an exceptionally politically-charged environment. During the budget process, I see my role as interim Commissioner to: lead with the values shared by my predecessor Susheela Jayapal—which her re-election by voters at nearly 80% suggest are also the values of District 2;  provide transparency around County processes and; do my best to seek community input, advocate, and make decisions free from political calculations. All of this is easier said than done. I am bound to disappoint some. But Multnomah County has much to do to meet the needs of our residents and the people of North and Northeast Portland deserve attentive representation through this budget process until they elect a new District 2 representative. 

To better understand this budget process, let’s start with what services Multnomah County provides. In simplest terms, Multnomah County is primarily responsible for the local safety net. This is not to diminish the importance of County functions like libraries and bridges. But the bulk of our public charge is to provide services to those who our society and economy often leave behind. Local safety nets have seen a drastic and meteoric rise in demand, budgets and importance—and that's because of the failure of the federal government to adequately invest in the workforce, housing, and social service needs for communities across America. Later in this email, I attempt to parse out the difference in responsibilities between Multnomah County and the City of Portland.  

The budget process, spelled out by our County Charter, puts a lot of executive authority in the Chair’s Office. As Commissioners, we cannot engage with the Chair or Multnomah County departments about their proposed budgets until the Chair shares her budget on April 25. Meanwhile, my team and I will be analyzing departments' proposed budgets and collecting community input to prepare for our work after April 25 and up until a final budget vote in June.

This budget year will not be easy.  Uniquely challenging in this year’s budget is the end of one-time Federal money tied to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, we have fewer flexible resources—also known as General Fund—to pay for things than we had last year. While there are targeted resources to address homelessness and make preschool possible for a growing number of our kids, those resources are specific and restricted in their use. This will force some difficult decisions about our funding priorities as many one-time federal and general fund resources support vital programs and services.

Beyond making these difficult decisions, here are some of the key questions that will guide me in my budget decision-making:
 

• What programs will keep people currently facing housing insecurity housed, healthy, and safe so as not to fall into the cycle of homelessness?
• When addressing the proliferation of people living unhoused on our streets, what is the right balance between our investments in temporary shelter vs permanent housing?
• How can we expedite the creation of both temporary shelters and permanent supportive housing so our outcomes match the urgency of the moment?
• How can we improve our administrative capacity to get money out the door and into the community faster? How do we work better with nonprofit organizations to improve our contracting practices?
• How do we build the workforce needed for the services Multnomah County residents are demanding?  How do we support living wages for all our contracted workers? Where can the county step in to improve the mental and behavioral health workforce pipeline shortages affecting the whole country?
• What can we do as a county to ensure that  Black, Native and other people of color are no longer overrepresented in the homelessness continuum?
• What services are the responsibilities of the various layers of government, and how do we best work together to accomplish shared goals?

Some of my early priorities for this budget include:

• The priorities that District 2 (North and Northeast Portland) residents have identified
• Ensuring our programs continue to advance equity for Black, Native and other folks of color, including immigrants & refugees
• Keeping people housed and housing security
• Effective and innovative community safety programs focused on restoration, diversion, and healing

As the budget is being crafted, proposed, deliberated, amended, and ultimately voted on - now is the time for our community to get engaged and share their priorities. So open up that calendar and get ready to plug in some dates, because this newsletter will be sharing a number of ways you can influence our budget before a final vote occurs, which is expected in early June.

It's no secret that I consider myself an amateur beekeeper—a middling one at that. Still, I see parallels between bees and our own community: how there is both a single bee in charge and no single bee in charge—that the hive both recognizes the need for leadership and the collective responsibility each one has to care for each other for their society to continue and thrive. As a beekeeper, I help foster some conditions needed for the hive to succeed. But the bees are in charge and the weather ultimately does far more to determine their success than I ever could. It’s an apt metaphor for my role as a Multnomah County Commissioner: There are large headwinds beyond our local control—and while I have an important vote to cast, it is mostly the way we treat and care for one another and this place we call home that will determine our collective success. 

So, hopefully our bee-themed educational and promotional materials will help you bee the best advocate for yourself and your fellow neighbors during this spring budget season!