Protecting critical services and investing in future success

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Dear Friends,

Last week during our board of commissioners meeting, I presented my proposed budget for operating Multnomah County in the upcoming fiscal year. In this budget, I remain as dedicated as ever to preserving the critical services this organization provides to the residents of Multnomah County.

When beginning work on this budget, I sent my policy team out into the community to listen to and report back on the needs and concerns of our residents. In this challenging economic climate, folks across the board expressed a need for access to health care, the safety of their children and families, paths to meaningful employment and the means to secure a roof over their heads.

With this in mind, the budget I'm presenting (click here to view it in its entirety) focuses on the essentials and addresses the needs of this community.

Before the Board of County Commissioners officially adopts the budget on May 31, I encourage you to weigh in on the process by attending any of the three upcoming public budget hearings on May 9, 16 and 23.

Sincerely,

Jeff Cogen signature

On April 10, after 14 months of construction, Multnomah County opened the doors to its new East County Courthouse in Gresham. The long awaited new facility, located on Southeast 185th Avenue and Stark will allow residents of the east county area to access judicial services without having to travel to downtown Portland.

Legal matters handled at the new courthouse include: misdemeanor and small claim cases, landlord/tenant actions and document filings for civil and domestic unions.

For more on the East County Courthouse grand opening ceremony:

Watch video from the event ● Read 'Closer to home: County opens new East County Courthouse to serve residents' ● View this time-lapse video of the construction process

Need to know where your nearest ballot drop site is? Want to monitor results from the election as they come in? Explore the links below for answers to all your election-related questions:

● Online Voters' Guide

● Official Drop Sites in Multnomah County

● Multnomah County Elections

● Guide to Voting in Oregon

● Oregon Secretary of State's website

The Board of Commissioners approved a resolution on April 26 that allows the county to enter into an agreement with the City of Portland, the Portland Development Commission and Portland State University that will bring at least $26.5 million to the county from the proposed PSU education urban renewal area.

The agreement outlines that the county will receive $19 million from PDC to develop a new facility to house the Department of County Human Services within the designated urban renewal area in 2023. [Read more]

Click here to watch The Sustainable Jail Project informational video.

Recently, the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office and the Office of Sustainability teamed up to further our organization's commitment to fiscal and environmental responsibility through the official launch of a new program called the Sustainable Jail Project.

The Sustainable Jail Project, which began as a small-scale, informal effort in 2010, calls for the county to look for and act upon opportunities to run county jails in a more eco-conscience and cost-effective way.
[Read more]

ACE Academy Students presenting Sellwood Bridge Model

ACE Academy students and the board pose with Sellwood Bridge models.

At the April 26 meeting, high school seniors Valerie Cecchini, Ryan Kennell, Joshua Coon and Logan Evans presented scale models of the old and new Sellwood Bridge to the Board of Commissioners.

The skillfully constructed, 6-foot-long project created by the students on a budget of $300, is part of an ongoing effort called the Sellwood Bridge School-Based Outreach program, to engage the future leaders of our community in the historic replacement of the Sellwood Bridge.

Cecchini, Kennell, Coon and Evans attend ACE Academy, Sellwood Bridge School-Based Outreach program partner and charter school that gives young people interested in the design-build industry hands-on experience.

Click here to learn more about the ACE students' Sellwood Bridge presentation.

Multnomah County is Oregon's most populous county with about 735,000 residents. Multnomah County is governed by a Board of four elected Commissioners and one Chair. Multnomah County employees provide citizens a wide range of health and human services, public safety services and other government services.

Multnomah County values the privacy of personal information and will not sell or otherwise disclose your email address, except as provided under Chapter 192 of the Oregon Revised Statues pertaining to Records; Public Reports and Meetings.