Washington County leaders heard a quarterly management update Nov. 4 that outlined deep budget and staffing pressures across public safety and human services, while staff described a multiyear plan to rewrite job descriptions and modernize pay systems.

County Administrator Katherine Harrington told the Board of Commissioners the CLASS-and-comp project is a two-year effort designed to meet Oregon Pay Equity requirements and to produce the county's first comprehensive job descriptions and class-and-comp system in more than 20 years. "We have a clear project manager assigned to this project, Jennifer Kwan," Harrington said, noting Kwan previously led the county's website redesign.

Harrington also summarized several operational initiatives and constraints. She said the county has launched Grammarly AI and is piloting Microsoft Teams Premium and Teams chat to reduce routine work and document meeting action items. "From a county perspective, we are seeing this as the ability for staff to not have to do routine tasks and using higher and best use of their time," she said.

Why it matters: Staff said the county faces possible further reductions should the governor direct agency budget cuts. Several programs that serve people at risk'including community corrections and behavioral-health care-coordination tied to Medicaid contracts'were identified as especially vulnerable.

Cuts to community corrections: The quarterly packet documents the loss of state funding that eliminated 18 full-time positions, closed the counseling and victim-services unit, ended the intern program and reduced center capacity by 48 beds. The report said contracted services and housing funds were scaled back. Those changes prompted a departmental hiring freeze through the end of the quarter.

Behavioral-health contract nonrenewal: The county said coordinated-care organization CareOregon will not renew a contract that provided Medicaid-funded care coordination for people with complex mental-health and addiction needs, and a separate jail care-coordination contract of about $108,000 per year will not be renewed. Behavioral-health managers reported staff reductions were reduced from an initially proposed 20 FTE to eight; five employees will be laid off and several positions are vacant or tied to retirements. To blunt the impact, staff said they plan to: leverage approximately $1,000,000 in anticipated new contract revenue tied to state jail-diversion and civil-commitment programs, eliminate roughly $400,000 in provider contracts, and use about $1,000,000 in unbudgeted interest revenue over 18 months while assessing longer-term effects.

"I'm waving a flag," Harrington told commissioners, describing the situation as a caution rather than a full stop but urging close attention to potential further cuts.

Public safety staffing: The county reported that fill rates for jail deputies have improved and that the fiscal forecast presented later this week will contemplate reinstating some previously cut jail deputy positions. Harrington commended the sheriff for cooperation during the staffing adjustments.

Family Peace Center and DA relocation: The packet says the district attorney's domestic-violence unit'including prosecutors, victims'advocates and grant-funded investigators'will co-locate at the Family Peace Center. Harrington said tenant improvements will be paid with salary savings and the board will see the lease rate as part of a spring supplemental budget; she confirmed the DA will pay lease costs going forward.

Website accessibility and score confusion: Harrington and commissioners discussed the county website's accessibility work. During the presentation staff stated an accessibility score; the transcript includes a brief numeric confusion (a participant misread 91.8 as 9.8). Harrington agreed to provide a written follow-up detailing the county's ADA compliance standard and the planned timeline to achieve compliance.

What the board directed: Commissioners asked for clearer written follow-up on ADA compliance, the staffing and program impacts of the CareOregon contract loss (particularly jail care coordination), and specifics on lease arrangements for the Family Peace Center relocation. Harrington said staff would provide additional written materials and follow up by email.

Notes: The county packet and the manager's presentation were the source materials for this summary. No formal motions or votes were recorded during the quarterly report discussion.