Deschutes County budget up 8.5 pct., adding 6 new jobs

Deschutes County will hold a public hearing Wednesday morning on itsproposed $341.4 million budget for fiscal year 2016/17.

The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. at the Deschutes Services Building, which is located at 1300 Northwest Wall Street in Bend. At the conclusion of the hearing, the Board of County Commissioners may adopt the county’s 2017 budget.

The Deschutes County Budget Committee, which includes the Board of Commissioners, met earlier this month to review and discuss the budget proposal.

The budget document can be viewed online at: http://weblink.deschutes.org/public/DocView.aspx?dbid=0&id=89687&page=1&cr=1

“With this balanced budget, the county is well positioned to continue to provide quality services and at the same time, continue to build reserves for the future,” said County Chair Alan Unger. “It provides the financial foundation needed to achieve our goals for the coming year.”

Deschutes County’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2016/17 is $341,421,137, which represents an 8.5 percent increase from fiscal year 2015/16.

“We continue to see strong economic recovery in Central Oregon,” said county Administrator Tom Anderson. “Gains in employment, a strong housing market and a consistent volume of building permits all positively impact our property-tax funded services and enable us to continue to provide quality services to our citizens.”

Several capital improvements are included in the county’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2017, including:

$3.8 Million for Road Improvements, including: Completion of the Powell Butte Highway and Neff/Alfalfa roundabout
Significant paving on Huntington Road and Deer Run Road near La Pine
Improvements to Burgess/Day Road, including re-alignment and the addition of turn lanes
$1.37 Million in Solid Waste/Landfill Improvements
New Finance / Human Resource Software

Additionally, the proposed 2017 budget includes the addition of 6.4 new positions. The new jobs will primarily be added in the Community Development Department. With these additions, the county will employ more than 980 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) positions.