Deschutes County government could have a budget shortfall in fiscal year 2027 unless county officials do something about it.

Deschutes County Commissioners may make some decisions this week to save money and limit budget growth.

One thing the county may do is cut some of its internal auditing functions. It would be, in a way, telling its own watchdog to keep quiet.

“The good news is that we can take action now to avoid any sort of financial blip in the future,” County Administrator Nick Lelack told the county’s budget committee earlier this month. “The actions do have consequences and those are certainly unfortunate.”

The county’s general fund is structurally imbalanced. Expenditures are growing faster than revenues. The county must reduce its general fund budget by about $2.5 million. Overall, the county must reduce annual expenses by more than $3 million.

Commissioners have already identified ways to reduce about $1 million. Some of the additional options before commissioners this week include increasing fees in what it calls environmental health. The county subsidizes its environmental health efforts to the tune of about $500,000. It could instead raise fees for inspections of restaurants, new restaurants, pools, school cafeterias, child care centers and the like.

The county could also move its dispute resolution contract to the justice court from the general fund. It’s only $20,000. But every little bit helps.

There are additional plans to maybe hold positions open, such as the human resources director. And the county may make a cut in its internal auditing.

The staff in internal auditing is currently at two. The proposed reduction would take it to one and a half. Darryl Parrish, a member of the county’s auditing committee, said it would slow things down. The current work plan for internal audits would not be completed because of the cut. It would reduce the county’s ability to identify and evaluate areas of significant risk.

Most county programs focus on doing some sort of good for residents. Internal auditing is about ensuring those programs are meeting high standards.

Nobody can know what might be missed if it is trimmed. But we do know the internal auditing function has repeatedly been able to identify problems with the handling of money. It also, for instance, reported that the Deschutes County Clerk’s Office was relying on handshake agreements rather than formal contracts for some of its contract work.

The county’s internal auditing has a history worth remembering. The county created its internal auditing function after former Deschutes County Sheriff Greg Brown faced an investigation for embezzling money.

Almost no matter what the county cuts, we are pretty sure there will be a good argument why it should not be cut. That said, we hope commissioners look hard before the county trims its own watchdog. The sound we will hear is the watchdog not barking.