Washington County commissioners on Nov. 4 discussed a draft emergency declaration intended to address potential disruptions in federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) distributions. The board debated whether to designate the Oregon Food Bank as the primary conduit for county funding, weighed the size of any county allocation and heard a recommendation from the county budget officer to await a fiscal forecast before committing additional reserve funds.

Tanya, the county budget officer, told the board that the county's proposed contribution "does not address food insecurity, within Washington County," and urged caution about committing additional reserves before the fiscal forecast is released. Tanya said she would recommend pausing on additional funding beyond the amount in the draft until the Thursday fiscal forecast is presented so the board could better understand longer-term budget implications.

Several commissioners said routing funds through the Oregon Food Bank would maximize distribution efficiency to county residents; one commissioner suggested increasing the county's contribution to as much as $500,000, though no funding change was adopted during the work session. County Counsel and other commissioners recommended giving the County Administrator some discretion so staff could act quickly if state SNAP channels or other mechanisms would be more effective for delivering aid.

Board members also raised fiscal-policy concerns: staff warned that using reserves for immediate relief would lower the county's reserve balance and require restorations in future budget cycles. The budget officer said restoration of reserves will be part of the fiscal forecast and could require cuts to general fund services.

No formal vote on the SNAP emergency declaration occurred during the work session; commissioners agreed that at least one commissioner would present the item in the upcoming business meeting and that staff would have time to set up the item for action.

The work session record shows the board agreed to treat the proposal as a short-term, iterative response and to coordinate distribution with community-based organizations, subject to budgetary limits and legal compliance. The precise dollar figure to be authorized by the county in the final order was discussed but not finalized in the work session transcript.