How do the State’s finances affect us at the County level?
| State-County Services | County | State | Other Revenue |
| Public Safety | 55% | 34% | 11% |
| Community Corrections | 20% | 60% | 20% |
| District Attorney | 70% | 7% | 23% |
| Juvenile services | 68% | 17% | 15% |
| Health | | | |
| Mental Health | 11% | 29% | 60% |
| Public Health | 27% | 11% | 62% |
The Big Three—Public Safety, Health and Human Services, and Education use 93% of budget
- Oregonians list feeling safe in our homes and communities as a top priority. We have 14,000 inmates and 36 county jails and supervise 30,000 persons on probation, parole or post-prison supervision. Each tax-paying resident spends $612/yr to meet public safety responsibilities; $84/incarcerated State Prisoner/day. This squeezes funding for other programs, even within the public safety area.
- Nearly one in every seven Oregonians now has health coverage through the state’s Medicaid programs, SCHIP and the Oregon Health Plan. The Federal Government provides 3 dollars for each state dollar spent. The State provides coverage for 78,415 disabled persons, including more than 10,000 children. Mental health services support 106,000 adults and children. Each tax-paying resident will pay $231/ year. In addition, we also provide “Safety Net Services” for seniors and people with disabilities (320,000 people), child protective services (8,466 children/day), and one in 5 Oregonians receive “food Stamps” from the SNAP program. We spend $224 per tax-paying resident.
- As the State faces severe budget shortfalls it is unclear how care services for the elderly or disabled, which keep people out of nursing homes, can be sustained. In District 57, the percent of people sixty-five and older ranges from approximately twelve percent in Morrow, Umatilla and Union Counties to almost twenty-four percent In Wallowa County. Keeping people in their homes is cost effective and contributes to the well-being of the affected persons.
- The State Constitution requires that we provide education for our children. K-12 serves 561,698 students. The State’s contribution amounts to $731 for each tax-paying resident. Compared nationally, Oregon’s total funding per K-12 student has fallen from 15th to 30th and slipped to 44thper student in higher education.
The other 7% of the budget
- The Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs provides services for Veterans, such as building and operating Veterans Homes, providing low cost home loans and money for specially equipped cars among many. The Oregon Air and Army National Guard are 3% funded by the State. Our County Military Service Officers help veterans access benefits. We have 80, 000 Veterans in Oregon who are receiving benefits and those currently serving in the military will need benefits in the future.
- To be responsive to local issues, agencies dealing with natural resources and energy must be adequately funded.
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