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Welcome to the Benton County Budget Office

The Budget Office is responsible for managing the preparation and execution of the county budget and the budgets of six service districts for which the Board of Commissioners is also the Governing Body.

About Us

The purpose of the division is to support the achievement of County goals through planning, research and management of financial resources.

Formal meetings of the Budget Committee to review the budget are advertised as required by law. Notice of periodic Budget Committee work sessions is noticed as part of the Board of Commissioners weekly schedule. For more information, please e-mail or call the Budget Office at 541-766-6257.

Budget Division Functions

Pat Cochran, the Budget Manager, is the designated Budget Officer for the County and each Service District.

The division's responsibilities are to:

• Oversee scheduling and preparation of biennial or annual budget processes
• Ensure all legal requirements for review, adoption and filing of documents and tax levies are met
• Monitor budget activity during the year and recommend adjustments as necessary
• Prepare periodic financial reports for the Board of Commissioners and Budget Committee
• Conduct research on finance and management issues as requested by the Board of Commissioners

The Budget Process

The county budget process is generally defined by Oregon Local Budget Law ORS Chapter 294) and county financial policies. The Budget Officer oversees preparation of a proposed budget based on financial and policy parameters established by the Board of Commissioners with advice of the Budget Committee.

A Budget Committee consisting of three appointed citizens and the Board of Commissioners is presented a proposed budget for review and approval. A summary of the approved budget is published. Then the Board of Commissioners conducts a final public hearing and adopts the budget. All meetings discussing the budget are open to the public.

The budget process of each service district is similar. The county budget and two service districts are prepared on a biennial basis. Four service district budgets are prepared on an annual basis.

The biennial budget period extends from July 1 two years to June 30. The annual budget period extends from July 1 to the following June 30.

Budget Hearings

Benton County, North Albany County Service District, and the Benton County Library Service District are biennial budgets. The current biennium budget began July 1, 2009 and ends June 30, 2011. The budget process for the 2011-13 biennia will begin in late 2010. One or more Budget Committee work sessions are likely to be scheduled in the fall and winter of 2010. These work sessions are noticed as part of the Board of Commissioners calendar. Formal Budget Committee review of the 2011-13 proposed budget will be scheduled in the spring of 2011. Meetings to review the proposed budget are scheduled and advertised as required by law, including notice provided on this Web page.

The budget process for fiscal year 2010-11 for the Alpine, Alsea, Cascade View and South Third Service Districts began in the May 2010 and will conclude with budget adoption in June of 2010.

As needed, and required by law, public hearings are advertised and conducted periodically by the Board of Commissioners to modify the current budget. Notices of these hearings are posted on this website and published or mailed as required by law.