Lane County got a break Friday when the federal bailout bill was passed, infusing $49.6 million dollars back into the budget. A little more than $15 million of that will go into the general fund, which pays for county programs and public safety.
With such a small amount, the county’s Financial Planning Manager, David Garnick, expects the money to go fast.
The budget committee, consisting of the five County Board commissioners and five Lane County citizens, will meet Oct. 21st, at the earliest, with an opportunity for the public to comment afterward. The reciepants of the money will most likely be cut programs.
Lane County lost $49.6 million in June after the federal Secure Rural Schools Act was not renewed. When the fiscal year began July 1, Garnick watched as the reduced budget rolled into action.
“As painful as thisbudget is on employees programs and vulnerable members of the community,” he said, “it was still the prudent thing to do.”
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