Coos County Government is facing a 3.5 Million shortfall for the 2024 -2025 budget year. Dear Coos County, During this year’s budget process, the Coos County Board of Commissioners (BOC) asked all departments to submit a series of budgets, including the following. Budget using the projected passage of the Coos County law enforcement levy measure 6-213. As required by law the budget was reconciled on this budget, pending the election results in late May 2024. Budget with a 15% reduction, based on what funding sources the BOC would have available to fund county resources. After the failure of measure 6-213, all county Department Heads were advised Coos County faces an approximate 3.5 million shortfall, which needs to be shored up to balance the budget. The first meeting to address this shortfall was held today, June 5, 2024. I wanted to share some notes, talking points, and items you should be aware of moving forward as the BOC works to balance the budget. The Sheriff’s Office and several other departments are primarily funded by the county’s general fund and thus could potentially bear the brunt of the reductions. As a planning tool, I put together a preliminary budget that eliminates ALL open positions within the Sheriff’s Office, those that have not been filled, and those that will be vacated by retirement/attrition. Also discussed was returning the Coos County Jail to 49 beds and reducing other services, including patrol. This would save the county approximately 1.8 million, cutting the deficit in half. This leaves a 1.2 million shortfall, and the BOC will look at other departments’ proposed budgets and continue the process of making up the additional shortfall. There is still the possibility the Coos County Sheriff’s Office will have to make further reductions. I advised the BOC that with the re-criminalization of narcotics in September, my staff would be hindered from dealing with these offenders and new offenses committed. If no deputy is on duty, criteria would also need to be established for a call-out procedure. The D.A. spoke briefly and acknowledged that his two open Deputy District Attorney positions will likely be eliminated. The D.A. informed the BOC that if this occurs, “C” misdemeanors such as (Trespassing, Disorderly Conduct, and others) would not be prosecuted due to the lack of prosecutorial resources. The D.A. also echoed my statements about the re-criminalization of narcotics and again highlighted the lack of prosecutable resources. The BOC made it clear that no decisions have been made and indicated that there will be more discussion on all areas of the budget in the coming days. This is a tough time for all parties involved, including ALL county employees, their families, and those we serve. I wanted to take a moment and let you know what we are working through and what I know moving forward. Respectfully, Gabe Fabrizio, Sheriff, Coos County.
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