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| State gives county $415,000 payment |
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| For economic development |
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By Holly M. Gill
After taking a beating during this year's session of the Oregon State Legislature, on Monday -- the final day -- Jefferson County made a bit of a comeback.
Legislators voted to award the county $415,000 for economic development because the county was shortchanged when the state and the federal government distributed stimulus and transportation package funds.
Additionally, the state targeted the county when it designated the Metolius River basin as an area of critical state concern, banning two destination resorts that were in the planning stage.
"It's not great, but it's better than nothing, and nothing is where we were headed," Rep. John Huffman, R-The Dalles, said Monday afternoon. "I had spoken so many times at the end of the session, shaming the Legislature for bill after bill against Jefferson County."
Rick Allen, lobbyist for Ponderosa Land and Cattle Co., which had planned a large-scale resort in Jefferson County, attended the final day of the session. He agreed that this Legislative session had unfairly affected the county.
"In no way does that make up for what the resorts would have brought," said Allen, of the one-time payment. "It's kind of a consolation prize."
At least three other bills -- HB 2227, which would have established statewide rules on destination resorts, SB 574, which would have consolidated Education Service Districts, and SB 555, which would have reallocated transportation funding for school districts -- all of which could have hurt the county, did not come up for a vote on the last day of the session.
Huffman said that a contingent from Jefferson County, including School District 509-J Superintendent Rick Molitor, were instrumental in getting the two school-related bills killed.
"Rick Molitor has been in probably three times in the last week and a half to two weeks," said Huffman, adding that he had also "been working fiercely against the ESD consolidation bill."
The bill, which did not come up for a vote, would have eliminated the Jefferson County Education Service District by combining it with the Bend district, and reduced the number of districts statewide from 20 to 13.
SB 555 would have cost Jefferson County $150,000 in funding, Huffman said. "Basically, it would have been reallocated to the metro area. It was hitting rural counties terribly."
Huffman commented that the 2009 Legislative session will end up being expensive for Oregonians. "In these very trying times, it is going to cost Oregon families more to go to the grocery store, fill their tanks with gas and raise a family."
"Businesses will suffer under the increased tax burden, but I feel good that I not only voted against all of these tax increases, but lobbied heavily behind the scenes to try to stop them," he said.
Even though the session is over, there is a great deal of work ahead, Huffman noted. "Here at the end of the session, we actually had a couple of good wins for Jefferson County, and I of course will work on more in the interim ... like the Highway 97 South Y street project."
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