Lane County residents will get their first chance tonight to offer input in the first of a series of budget committee meetings concerning the dreary, if not catastrophic, 2008-09 county budget.
Federal lawmakers have not been able to renew a federal payment program that reimburses counties that have been adversely affected by slumping timber sales. This amount in Lane County was between $45 and $50 million annually since 2001.
Without the money, the county will be forced to cut nearly 13 percent of its workforce, close popular programs such as animal services and empty a large portion of the county’s jail cells.
Roughly 190 “full-time equivalent” positions will need to be cut, which could result in more than 200 people being laid off as many county jobs are only half-time or part-time positions.
Prior to the recessions of the 1980s, the county had 6.4 employees for every 1,000 citizens in Lane County. In the 2008-09 budget, the county will only have 3.8 employees per 1,000 citizens.
“At a time when there are more residents to serve, Lane County has less capacity to provide that service,” the message in the proposed budget reads.
Residents who want to be involved in the public hearing will need to attend tonight’s meeting, which will begin at 6:15 p.m. It will be held in Harris Hall on the Main Floor of the Lane County Public Service Building at 125 East 8th Avenue.
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