Unprecedented action is needed to tackle unprecedented circumstances facing Oregon’s timber counties that are on the brink of insolvency, Gov. John Kitzhaber told a legislative committee Monday.
Kitzhaber urged members of the House Rules Committee to support a plan that would allow him to take emergency actions in Oregon counties that have been devastated by the loss of federal timber subsidies.
“This is certainly not my first choice, and nothing that I am looking forward to having to do,” Kitzhaber told the committee. “On the other hand, if these counties reach the point where life and property are truly in danger, the only tools that I have available now are pretty much mobilizing the National Guard, which is an equally unpalatable option. This at least allows us to have a conversation.”
The situation became more pressing after Curry and Josephine counties rejected property tax levies that would have funded local law enforcement. A jail levy, however, passed in Lane County.
The measure would authorize the governor to declare a public safety emergency for up to 18 months, with the unanimous agreement of legislative leaders from both parties.
From The Herald and News: https://www.heraldandnews.com/members/news/frontpage/article_b3b05cb2-ccd6-11e2-b03d-001a4bcf887a.html