By Sheriff Joshua Brown
This edition of my Roll Call is a disheartening one to write, and I apologize for its length. However, it contains vital information regarding TCSO’s ability to continue to serve Tillamook County effectively that I felt needed to be shared with you.
All county departments are currently involved in meetings and hearings as part of the annual budget process for the county. In the beginning of this process, the Tillamook County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) presented a powerpoint stating their Board Adopted Budget Priority Service Levels by Functioning Area. They stated that Public Safety was their number one priority for the upcoming fiscal year. We were also told that there was an expected $1.8 million dollar budget deficit and that expected timber revenues may come up short. All departments were asked to tighten their belts and be conservative with their budget requests.
The Sheriff’s Office then presented a very conservative and responsible budget in an effort to be a good partner given the potential shortfalls of the timber revenue. We did not ask for additional positions or funding for any major projects. We also only requested two new patrol vehicles, despite the fact that we are still operating some vehicles that are more than a decade old, with several with more than 120,000 miles on them. I felt our proposed budget was very reasonable and would still allow for us to fill our open positions with candidates currently in the background process. The hope being that with close to full-staffing, we could provide an increased level of service to our community that I have envisioned since being elected Sheriff.
Yet, in the County budget proposed by Treasurer Shawn Blanchard and BOCC Chairperson Erin Skaar, six currently-funded Deputy positions are to be cut by removing them from the Sheriff’s Office’s budget and that funding then being moved into a contingency fund controlled by BOCC and the Treasurer. https://www.co.tillamook.or.us/treasurer/page/budget
This move would make that money available to be spent on anything deemed necessary by the BOCC and Treasurer, and would effectively prevent us from hiring candidates already in the background process without getting explicit permission to have funding once again allocated for each individual position. All of this without a guarantee they would approve any of our personnel requests.
More disturbing is the fact that their plan to eliminate working class jobs is in the same proposed budget that will move $1.8 million dollars, which originated from the General Fund, into the building fund for a $4.6 million dollar courthouse annex building. It is my understanding that this annex will house new modern offices for BOCC’s elected members and staff, and would include a new, larger meeting room.
At this point there are more questions than answers as to why personnel cuts to the Sheriff’s Office were the focus (and the most financially impacted of any county department) in the county’s effort to build a contingency fund.
Our BOCC liaison, Commissioner Mary Faith Bell, who is against these proposed cuts, has assured me that she is looking into the matter and for options that could move money into the contingency fund but also allow the Sheriff’s Office’s budget, and all currently-funded deputy positions, to remain intact. In an effort for continued transparency, I will provide updates when possible.
As we navigate through this process, I would ask that you contact your County Commissioners and Treasurer and let them know how you feel about their proposed budget plans. Also, please show up to give public comment during the next budget hearing scheduled for May 10th, 2023, at 3:00 pm, at the Tillamook County Courthouse. If you are unable to make the meeting, you can send an email to publiccomments@co.tillamook.or.us or you can mail a written letter to 201 Laurel Av. Tillamook OR, 97141.
