About JoCo funding --‘We’ll get back to you’
Commissioners (from left) Dwight Ellis, Dave Toler, and Jim Raffenburg (Photo by Michelle Binker, Illinois Valley News)
From our weekly issue dated February 20, 2008
Money.
That was the prime topic when Josephine County commissioners met with representatives of the governor’s Economic Revitalization Team (ERT) to discuss county goals and issues.
ERT Director Ray Naff, who also is the director of the governor’s Office of Intergovernmental Relations, and Jeff Griffin, ERT regional coordinator, spent nearly an hour with the commissioners Thursday, Feb. 14 in Grants Pass. The meeting focused largely on county funding options.
Naff said that while the state’s Federal Forest Payments Taskforce is pursuing strategic opportunities, it’s crucial to look at the issue of Safety Net funding “from two paths at the same time.”
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“While it’s important to try and get this extended, we also have to look at life if there is no extension,” Naff said. “Are there things we can do to bring efficiencies at the state and local levels?”
Commissioner Jim Raffenburg noted that there seems to be little promise of state help, and Naff agreed.
“A lot of things that might have been on the table for this special legislative session are off,” he said, due to lower than forecast state revenue.
Commission Chairman Dave Toler asked if there was any way to get more timber revenue within the next year or two.
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“Based on knowledge from the forest service and BLM that there is the potential to do that with sales that will go through,” Toler said, “how can we establish a minimal floor so that we can start getting some of those timber receipts in the next few years?”
“That,” Naff answered, “is the million dollar question, and one of the reasons why extending the Safety Net is so important.”
“Even if all the stars align perfectly it’s going to take a while to get any kind of an increased timber cut in place. If we get an extension, then we have time to refocus our efforts on trying to achieve a higher level of cut to bring revenue back to the counties.
“Whatever we do it’s going to take time,” Naff said.
He added that the governor is not prepared to back the BLM’s proposed alternative for Western Oregon Plan Revsion, due out in March.
Griffin asked about progress of the alternative energy taskforce organized by Toler. He replied that a broad spectrum of citizens, from homebuilders to alternative energy providers and citizens, are participating in education and development. Noted was the recent work in bio-mass energy, specifically the new co-generation plant at Rough & Ready Lumber Co. in rural Cave Junction.
