Association of Oregon Counties Annual Conference Remarks

November 19, 2025

Good morning, everybody. 

I want to give a special thanks to President Shafer for your leadership of the Association of Oregon Counties this past year, and your focus on behavioral health - a priority we have in common. 

Since the last time I was in front of you for the 2024 AOC Annual Conference, we have deepened our partnership and tackled complex issues with meaningful solutions. I started this year by asking you to attend my State of the State, where I set the intention for our continued partnership and resilience in the face of challenges. And my, have those challenges come to bear. But, I am so glad to be before you again today. 

Oregon Counties deliver for Oregonians everyday in ways big and small, and seldom receive the recognition you deserve. When disaster hits, county emergency management is on the front line. When faced with a homelessness crisis, county leaders have worked with the state and local governments to stand up shelters and get thousands of our neighbors off the streets. County public health authorities keep our communities healthy. And so much more.  

In nearly three years as your Governor, I have come to deeply understand how critical it is that state government works with county leaders and staff as essential partners. To better the lives of everyday Oregonians, all levels of local and state governments must work together well, solving problems at their root and sourcing ideas from the very experts who will help enact them.

I am pleased to see that many leaders of state agencies will be available for the meet and greet later today. Please go see them and tell them what’s on your mind. Every conversation we have strengthens our partnership and our effectiveness. And there will be ice cream.

Now I must address the elephant in the room: the revenue forecast today. As we gather this morning, the state economist is preparing to present his forecast to the legislature. I know you are all worried about what it may say. 

Across local and state governments, we are in a difficult budget environment. Your counties face structural budgetary challenges, made more difficult to manage in these dynamic times. 

My North Star is to make everyday Oregonians’ lives easier and give them opportunities to build the futures they want. That’s why, when the legislature asked state agencies to submit lists of budget reduction options, I directed state agencies to complete this exercise by combing through each of their programs, prioritize maintaining critical supports and identify potential cuts to spending that would cause the least harm for Oregonians’ everyday lives and wellbeing. I asked them  to consider freezing vacant positions, reducing administrative costs, and forgoing new supplies before considering cuts to services, including services that counties rely on.

We have one more revenue forecast after today before we know what budget realities we have to manage at the state level. However, we do know that state and county budgets cannot backfill the loss of revenue we will be facing shortly. We all will have hard decisions to make. My office will lean on the leaders in this room as we go forward.

We have been through difficult budget cycles together before. Oregon is resilient and creative and collaborative. We will get through this difficult moment by working together, as partners. 

Every county leader and staff here today has heard a similar refrain from their constituents. They are struggling to make ends meet, watching prices of everyday goods increase and facing skyrocketing health care costs. Their economic futures seem uncertain. They are asking their leaders to do something to make it just a little easier every day to afford the basic costs of living. 

We have to work on growing our economy, for the prosperity of our communities and for the revenue that flows to the counties and the state to pay for critical services. I directed my office and state agencies to expand our efforts to connect with local businesses, offer support to expand and grow, and hear how the state can be better partners to individual businesses and key sectors that drive our economy. 

My ask for you all this morning is to keep our partnership strong, to make sure no Oregonian is left behind. We have a lot of work ahead, and we have to keep doing that work together.

In closing, I want to reiterate a message with you all that I've shared with Oregonians. 

In the friendships I have fostered across our beautiful state since becoming your Governor, I know that good people, in every corner, are working tirelessly to shape a better future for their families and communities. Let us build on this shared resolve and stay committed to collaboration for the common good. 

We are strong, resilient, and unified by our shared belief in a brighter tomorrow. As your Governor, I will always work hard to uplift and protect our wonderful state, boldly and with perseverance in partnership with you and other elected and community leaders. 

I appreciate your service to our state, and look forward to continued collaboration with incoming AOC leadership in the months and years to come. 

Thank you.