The last piece of the puzzle finally fell into place last week when federal funding was renewed, and now the county budget committee has put all those pieces together as it approved the 2007-2008 fiscal year budget last night.
“We’re lucky to get (the federal money) this year, and if I had to bet well I wouldn’t bet on it next year. The citizens have spoken and they don’t want any more taxes so we’re going to have to live within our means, which has been a mantra around here for the last five years,” David Crowell, the budget committee chair said.
The budget committee saved four programs that were slated to be cut under the proposed budget. The Pathways Drug Abuse Program received the majority of support from committee members to be saved; also included were felony drug prosecutors, the Lane County Animal Regulation Authority funding and the Watermaster District 2 office.
Dealing with the uncertainty of receiving federal funds, the budget committee created two possible budgets earlier in the year, one with the money and one without.
The budget committee will be left with $488,056 in the reserve fund to allocate as they see fit or save for next year. Budget one was created with the expectation of receiving $42 million dollars in federal money and includes a ten percent cut to all county programs in the general fund. Budget two was drafted without the potential federal funds, and it cut over 30 programs in public safety and more than 250 county jobs – County Commissioner Bill Dwyer called it the “doomsday budget.”
Neither budget was adopted alone; rather, a mix of the two was decided on, which committee members aptly named Budget 1.2.
Concerns were voiced about the doubtful future of more federal funding, as well as the continually dwindling state funds and how both of these reductions would affect later revenue for the county. Because residents refused the income tax measure and the current property tax rate is the lowest in the state, the committee was forced into an even more precarious situation of how to fund Lane County’s services and programs in the near and distant future.
“I think (the 1.2 budget) would be smart because Lane County and Lane County government will look entirely different in the next few year … because new revenues are not forth coming,” County Commissioner Bobby Green Sr. said. “I think it is incumbent on us to manage our own situation here locally, and I would also think we need to bring the public along with whatever we do because there is a sense of disconnect with the public.”
Other Oregon counties have experienced the dire situation of a future without the federal funding they have relied on for decades. Jackson County has made drastic cuts including 16 branch libraries, and some people in the county would rather save the money than spend it all in one year, County Administrator William Van Vactor said. Curry County is planning to spend half of their payment, and put the rest in a reserve for future plans, Van Vactor added.
As part of the budget committee’s public input session, more than 100 people heard testimony from dozens of guest speakers who urged the committee to save their programs from possible cuts.
“The budget committee will meet again in late August for mid-term corrections to the budget that would ear-mark reductions,” Budget Planning Manager David Garnick said. “This will make sure that they are prepared for next year and approach future funding in a gradually declining way instead of walking to the ledge and falling off the edge.”
Contact the city, state politics reporter at [email protected]