In an extraordinary display of political animus, the Clackamas County sheriff and chair of the Board of Commissioners have traded barbed public messages over the state of the county’s finances and cutbacks to cope with a shortfall of millions of dollars.

The spirited discord unfolded as Sheriff Craig Roberts is rumored to be considering a run for county chair against his former ally, incumbent county board chairman Jim Bernard.

Roberts late Friday called for “a forensic financial analysis” of the county’s management practices to explain a shortfall for next fiscal year, estimated by county officials to be from $4 million to $8 million.

Roberts sent a letter to Bernard, then followed up with a public statement. He said the county faces a financial crisis and accused officials of a lack of transparency about its the budget-writing process.

“While attempting to determine how the county ended up in this situation, I have received inadequate responses that provide little clarity,” Roberts said.

He also blasted the board’s support for a new courthouse, saying it would likely turn to general fund money for a significant portion of the estimated $230 million project. He accused the board of supporting the project “at the cost of county jobs and much-needed services.”

The state and county have committed to build the courthouse, but the county is trying to figure out how it will pay for its share. The state has said it will pay up to $95 million toward the project.

Roberts’ barbed statement prompted Bernard to issue one of his own, saying the county’s general fund “is not in a crisis.”

“There is no mismanagement of public funds,” Bernard said. “The county has balanced its budget year after year, as is required by state law.”

Bernard said the county administrator, Gary Schmidt, hired a financial consultant in December “to review the practices and operations” of the finance department and that the department itself has been reorganized and has begun “overhauling its systems and procedures.”

County officials said expenses are outpacing property tax revenue but point to the county’s triple A bond rating and years of “clean” audits, including the most recently available in 2017-2018, as a sign of overall fiscal health.

The shortfall expected for the next fiscal year to begin July 1 follows a $12 million shortfall for the current fiscal year that was met with cuts of 3% to 5% in multiple county departments.

Officials attribute the deficit to how recent forecasts were calculated, which used approved budget numbers instead of actual spending.

Property taxes continue to rise at about 4 percent a year. That revenue funds the county’s estimated $134 million general fund, which pays for public safety, social services, parks and libraries among other services. All departments were told to submit “reduction packages” reflecting between 5 and 15 percent cuts for fiscal 2020-2021, though officials say all those cuts may not end up being made.

County officials say revenue hasn’t kept pace with the rise in personnel expenses, including employee salaries, Public Employees Retirement System costs and cost-of-living increases.

The public feud comes as Roberts apparently mulls a challenge to Bernard, an idea he has discussed privately in recent weeks.

Roberts was first elected sheriff in 2005 and late last year floated the possibility of retiring in closed-door conversations with the commission. He asked the commission to appoint Undersheriff Angie Brandenburg as his successor. It is unclear what happened after that.

He has not responded to emails from The Oregonian/OregonLive about his plans regarding the Sheriff’s Office. He did not respond Monday morning to an email asking if he planned to run for a seat on the commission.

Roberts’ election committee for sheriff has been largely inactive for months.

One candidate for sheriff announced his plans Monday: Lynn Schoenfeld, 51, of Beavercreek, a veteran patrol sergeant with the Sheriff’s Office, said he will retire this month and run. Schoenfeld said he has set up a campaign committee and plans to file the required paperwork with with the Oregon Secretary of State.

Schoenfeld is the only one to enter the race so far, though Brandenburg has privately expressed interest in the post.

Roberts’ relationship with the board has soured over time.

They clashed over the board’s 2018 decision to have a police oversight group review how the Sheriff’s Office mishandled a complaint about a veteran detective with a history of ignoring cases, including child sex abuse allegations.

That review by the OIR Group resulted in a scathing evaluation that found Roberts’ agency repeatedly failed to act on a complaint submitted by one of the detective’s supervisors. The consultants said they were struck by the refusal of top officials within the agency to take responsibility publicly for mishandling the complaint against Detective Jeff Green. Green pleaded guilty in 2017 to two misdemeanors for failing to investigate reports of child abuse. He retired in 2015 and died in 2018.

The board expected the consultants to continue working with the Sheriff’s Office to monitor resulting reforms, which included changing how the agency carries out internal affairs investigations, but Roberts declined.

It is not the first time Roberts has publicly argued with county officials. He and Clackamas County District Attorney John Foote have a frosty relationship that spilled into view over Roberts’ handling of the 2010 case of an off-duty sergeant, Jeffrey A. Grahn, who fatally shot two women and wounded a third woman who later died. Grahn killed himself at the scene.

-- Noelle Crombie; ncrombie@oregonian.com; 503-276-7184; @noellecrombie

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