Deschutes County Releases Proposed Budget
Deschutes County released its proposed budget for 2025. The total proposed budget is $727.8 million, a 0.6% increase from last year.
“The County remains in a stable financial position. However, sustained inflationary pressures continue to strain available resources,” said County Administrator Nick Lelack. The proposed budget for fiscal year 2025 incorporates a variety of investments, including delivering a $9.7 million Road Capital Improvement Plan and creating and implementing a new drug-arrest deflection program in response to HB 4002.
Other investments include expanding the courthouse in downtown Bend, maintaining 24/7 services at the Deschutes County Stabilization Center and supporting waste management.
—Julianna LaFollette
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Founder of D.A.W.N.S. House Arrested for Theft
Dawn Marie Holland, the former executive director of local nonprofit D.A.W.N.S. House was arrested for theft on May 9 after the Deschutes County Circuit Court issued an arrest warrant. In August 2023, the vice president of D.A.W.N.S. House contacted the Bend Police to report theft of funds from the organization.
After conducting an investigation, Bend PD and the Department of Justice found probable cause to arrest Holland. On May 3, the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office presented the case to a Grand Jury, which indicted Holland on 10 counts of aggravated theft in the first degree, according to a press release.
—Julianna LaFollette
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94+
—The number of music shows in June alone, listed in this week’s Summer Guide feature.
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“There’s only so much capacity in Oregon. There has been a drop in attorneys in Oregon overall. I think it has to do a lot with the pandemic. A lot of people are starting to retire, and less people are going through law school now.”
– Joel Wirtz of Deschutes Defenders, from the News story, “Deschutes County Grapples with Public Defender Shortage”
This article appears in Source Weekly May 16, 2024.
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