COUNTY CUTS COULD HIT HEALTH and SAFETY SERVICES

By Matt Cooper The Register-Guard
Published: February 6, 2008

The Lane County commissioners on Tuesday developed a worst-case budget scenario that could reduce crime and punishment services; eliminate popular health, animal and agricultural programs; and cut the equivalent of 230 county jobs by July 1.

The cuts would hinge on whether Congress renews $47 million in annual federal timber aid to the county. And Congress might not decide that before the board must adopt a budget in June. The board on Tuesday also developed scenarios that include receiving part or all of the federal money, which would allow the county to keep many or all of the jeopardized services.

The federal money provides one-third of the county general fund and half of the road fund. The county’s heavy reliance on the traditional aid was evident Tuesday in the board’s repeated inability to find ways to cut without hurting services.

“It’s like having to decide which of our family members we have to escort out of the house,” Commissioner Bill Fleenor said.

Board chairman Faye Stewart stressed after the meeting that the financial picture could change in the coming months, given staff recommendations to generate revenue and efforts to renew the federal money.

Last year, Congress eventually provided a one-year extension of the timber payments that had expired the year before, and that allowed Lane County to avoid major cuts this year.

Rural timber counties — including Lane — have historically been paid by the U.S. government when their federal land can’t be taxed and the timber cut has plummeted due to environmental restrictions.

Seated at a round table in a business building at Lane Community College, the five commissioners spent almost all of the four-hour meeting on this worst-case scenario: forwarding a budget proposal to committee that does without $20 million in federal timber money for the general fund.

Without that money, the commissioners couldn’t find funding even for their own priorities — popular programs including nutrition for women, infants and children; animal services; and the Lane County OSU Extension Service, which provides agricultural and other programs.

Lane County District Attorney Doug Harcleroad told the board that a total loss of federal money would eliminate much of the prosecution of domestic violence, DUI and car theft cases, and many other felonies categorized as nonviolent.

County Sheriff Russ Burger said that without the money, county jail beds available for local offenders could drop to as low as 12, from 150.

“I don’t want these people out on the street,” Stewart said. “Our community can’t suffer these cuts.”

Without any federal money, the county might not prosecute juvenile defendants, including the county’s most serious youth offenders, said Lisa Smith, youth services director.

Depending on federal support, the board might have to cut the equivalent of 50 to 230 average county jobs by July 1. Layoffs must be planned by mid-April in order to be implemented by the end of June, staff said.

The county has about 1,450 workers, so a reduction of 230 jobs would be equal to a 16 percent staff cut.

The commissioners debated the savings that could be achieved by temporary layoffs or furloughs and were urged not to dip into the reserve because that could hurt the county’s bond rating for borrowing.

They were repeatedly unable to find a service to cut without triggering other harmful consequences.

For example, public health programs including communicable disease control and health services for high-risk pregnant women didn’t survive to be included in the bare-bones proposed worst-case budget. That could force the state to take over those services and bill the county at a cost that could be even higher, county counsel Teresa Wilson said.

Oregon’s federal lawmakers hope to persuade Congress to renew the timber payments at lower levels for three more years, or provide one more year of payment at the current amount.

But the advice from the county’s state-level partners is “budget like you don’t have the (federal) money,” Stewart said.

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