The Coos County Sheriff’s Office needed to take a drastic step.

Strapped for cash, officials had cut the county’s jail capacity in half, losing 49 beds. With no place to put people who had been convicted of crimes, jail staff opened the doors and released 30 inmates in December. Many faced misdemeanor charges. Others were accused of felony property crimes.

“We kept the rapists and the murderers and committers of the more serious crimes in jail,” Coos County Commissioner John Sweet said. “But there were a lot of people who had been judged guilty and were serving their punishment in jail that walked free.”

Like many rural Oregon communities, Coos County has struggled financially in recent years. The coastal county appealed to voters twice last year with levies meant to boost public safety funds. Each time, they failed.

“I sincerely hope there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, whether through a legislative fix or at the local level,” Coos County Sheriff Gabe Fabrizio said. “However, right now I don’t know what that would look like.”

The budget problems facing Coos County are not unusual. Local government agencies across the state are building their budgets for the upcoming fiscal year, and the outlook for many is grim.

At least 21 of Oregon’s 36 county governments, from the Portland metro area to rural southern Oregon, are facing deficits that could prompt cuts to public services, including law enforcement, road maintenance and health care, according to the Association of Oregon Counties.