Deschutes County taxpayers who saw small decreases in their county taxes during the past two years may soon be asked to pay for capital projects that could include a new courtroom, a center to help people experiencing mental health or substance abuse crises and a new county building in Redmond.

The county isn’t asking yet for a bond measure, Deschutes County Commission Chairman Tony DeBone said Tuesday during the state of the county address at 10 Barrel East, but it could be needed in the coming years.

“The capital needs in the future are just going to creep up on us, and some day we may need to pull the trigger on that,” DeBone said.

Local governments can borrow money through general obligation bonds that are paid back through property taxes and use them to pay for major capital improvements.

Those could include new or reconstructed roads, new buildings or major renovations.

If the county succeeds in getting another circuit court judge, something it’s sought for years, that judge will need a courtroom, DeBone said. A bond also could pay for a new county building to meet population growth in Redmond and provide the rest of the money for a mental health stabilization center, which the county partially funded this year.

Meanwhile, commissioners said they’ve been able to reduce taxes by 3 cents per $1,000 in assessed value during the past two years while making sure the county is able to weather the next recession. Each 1-cent decrease costs the county between $200,000 and $300,000 in potential revenue.

“For us as a county to actually be able to hand some of that money back to the taxpayers now speaks a lot to the fiscal responsibility of the county as a whole,” Commissioner Tammy Baney said.

In the rural county, upcoming major road projects include adding an underpass or roundabout on U.S. Highway 20 in Tumalo and a roundabout at the intersection of the Old Bend-Redmond Highway and Tumalo Road.

Commissioners said they’re continuing to work on problems with the new radio system used by local law enforcement, which has had spotty coverage and other issues since it was implemented. They’re hiring a project manager and will meet Thursday morning to discuss the radio system.

“This is a complicated system,” Commissioner Phil Henderson said. “It was decided about two years ago to go from an analog system to a digital system, which is a different kind of system.”

— Reporter: 541-633-2160; jshumway@bendbulletin.com