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Washington County Proposed Budget Preserves Critical Services Amid Uncertainty

The proposed budget achieves balance through a combination of strategic decision making and key savings.
Media release
County Administrative Office
Finance

Posted

Updated

The budget committees for Washington County, Enhanced Sheriff’s Patrol District (ESPD), Urban Road Maintenance District (URMD), North Bethany County Service District for Roads and the Service District for Lighting each voted to approve their proposed budgets Wednesday, May 20. Here is a summary of each budget committee’s actions:

  • Washington County – This budget committee approved a balanced $2.1 billion County budget that preserves essential services, prioritizes key capital investments and achieves necessary savings across the organization.

  • Enhanced Sheriff’s Patrol District (ESPD) and the Urban Road Maintenance District (URMD) – This budget committee approved a $60 million balanced budget for the ESPD, the county special district providing law enforcement patrol services in the urban unincorporated areas of Washington County. The budget committee also approved a $15 million budget for the URMD, the county special district providing urban road maintenance to the urban unincorporated area.

  • North Bethany County Service District for Roads – This budget committee approved a balanced budget for $11.4 million to provide transportation improvements within a portion of northeastern Washington County that was brought into the urban growth boundary in 2002.

  • Washington County Service District for Lighting Number 1 – This budget committee approved a balanced budget of $4.2 million to provide the infrastructure needed for street lighting service in the urban unincorporated areas of Washington County.

“We are grateful to be able to move forward with only minimal reductions while remaining mindful of the continued challenges and uncertainties ahead,” said County Administrator Tanya Ange.

Supporting documents, including questions and answers, streaming video links and other information about these budget committee meetings can be found on the county's budget web page for fiscal year 2026-27.

The Board of County Commissioners will consider adopting these approved budgets after public hearings at the board’s regular business meeting on June 16. More information about the meeting can be found here and guidance about testifying as part of the public hearing can be found here.

Original release:

HILLSBORO, Ore. — Washington County is pleased to announce that the proposed $2.2 billion budget for fiscal year 2026-27 is now available online for public review and comment. The balanced proposal reflects years of strategic planning and difficult decisions to meet community needs amid ongoing financial constraints.

Over the past five years, the County has made a series of challenging budget decisions to remain financially stable. These choices have affected internal operations as well as services that the community relies on. During this time, Washington County has consistently faced limited revenue growth while costs have increased year over year.

“We are thankful for the dedication of our staff and the understanding of our community during a period of difficult decisions,” said County Administrator Tanya Ange. “This proposed budget reflects both our pride in public service and the sobering reality that Oregon’s constrained property tax system does not align with the pace and scale of today’s service expectations.”

Achieving a balanced budget in an unusual year

For tax year 2025–26, Washington County experienced unusually high assessed value growth within Oregon’s limited property tax system. While the County typically sees annual assessed value increases of 4% to 5%, this year’s countywide rate of assessed value growth was certified at 11%. As a result, property taxes collected in the fall of 2026 will be based on a significantly larger assessed value base.

This one-time spike is largely driven by increased valuations of major industrial properties in Hillsboro. Although this year’s change boosts the overall assessed value, future growth is anticipated to return to the typical 4.5% range as those same properties show slower growth and standard depreciation in the years ahead.

On the expense side, the County realized approximately $6.2 million in General Fund savings through the retirement of miscellaneous debt service, lower-than-expected cost allocation charges and several expenditures that came in below projections. Overall, expenditures from the General Fund—the part of the budget that policymakers have the most flexibility over when it comes to spending decisions—remain flat in the proposed budget when compared to last year’s modified budget. Expenditures from the total budget, including both the General Fund and special funds, increase by $29.6 million in the proposed budget.

Together, earlier difficult decisions, the one-time benefit of higher assessed values and savings in key areas have allowed the County to propose a balanced budget this year with minimal reductions.

However, this moment of stability does not change the reality of Oregon’s restrictive property tax system, which continues to limit revenue growth and create ongoing financial pressures.

Ongoing challenges

May 2027 marks 30 years since Oregon voters approved Measure 50, the last major update to the state’s property tax structure. Combined with Measure 5, these measures cut, capped and rolled back property taxes and limited assessed value growth to 3% annually except with new development. This constrained system has not kept pace with population growth or rising service demands. Despite being Oregon’s second-largest and one of its fastest‑growing counties, Washington County retains the lowest permanent property tax rate in the region.

Additionally, uncertainty in the federal budget environment remains a significant concern. Counties across Oregon, including Washington County, depend on federal funding to support public health, housing and homelessness programs, transportation projects, emergency management and justice system operations. When federal funding fluctuates, local governments and the communities served face disruptions to services and other challenges.

At the same time, the cost of providing services continues to rise due to wage pressures, increasing health care expenses and inflation in supplies and service contracts. These trends mirror challenges across Oregon and underscore the importance of careful financial management to maintain critical services.

Capital investments

For decades, the County has balanced daily service demands with the costs of maintaining aging facilities—often deferring maintenance to preserve operational capacity. This year’s proposed budget introduces a new approach that uses ongoing General Fund revenue to support proactive maintenance and targeted upgrades.

The proposed budget includes $10 million in capital investments to address key facility needs beyond the County’s typical level of investment. Planned projects include:

  • Updates to the Juvenile Services Building
  • Repairs to the Courthouse complex storm drain system
  • Repairs to the Public Services Building
  • Updates to the Law Enforcement Center locker rooms

Budget meetings

Washington County has four distinct budget committees: the Washington County/Service District for Lighting No. 1, Urban Road Maintenance District, Enhanced Sheriff’s Patrol District and the North Bethany County Service District for Roads. Each committee focuses on specific service areas, and some share membership.

Members of the public are encouraged to participate in this year’s budget process by:

  • Attend any of the budget meetings or public hearings virtually or in person at the Charles D. Cameron Public Services Building, Auditorium, 155 N. First Avenue, Hillsboro.

Meeting dates and times include:

  • Tuesday, May 12, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.: Board hosted community town hall.
  • Thursday, May 14, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.: First of two meetings of the County Budget and Service District for Lighting No. 1 Budget Committees. Public comment invited at the end of the meeting.
  • Friday, May 15, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Second of two meetings of the County Budget and Service District for Lighting No. 1 Budget Committees. Public comment invited at the end of the meeting.
  • Wednesday, May 20, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Washington County Budget Committee, along with each county service district’s budget committees, to hold a public hearing and consider approval.

As Washington County enters FY 2026–27, the organization is in a position of relative stability, tempered by a cautious outlook. While the local economy remains strong, the County continues to operate in a changing fiscal environment where community needs grow faster than the revenues available to meet them.

Washington County, Oregon, has a mission to provide excellent and cost-effective services that support healthy, peaceful, safe and sustainable communities and encourage meaningful participation in community activities and county governance. The organization is staffed by over 2,369 full-time equivalent employees serving a diverse and growing population of 618,737 on the western side of the Portland metropolitan area. More information about Washington County can be found at washingtoncountyor.gov.

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