Residents can comment on state budget cuts Saturday
By LARRY MEYER
ARGUS OBSERVER
Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:19 AM PDT
ONTARIO — Residents of Southeast Oregon will have the opportunity to weigh in on Oregon’s budget woes and proposed budget cuts in person Saturday when the Oregon Legislature’s Joint Ways and Means Committee holds one of several hearings in Ontario at Room 10 of the Weese Building at Treasure Valley Community College.
State Rep. Cliff Bentz will meet with constituents at 2 p.m., followed by the hearing, which will run from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
This is the opportunity for the public to tell the state’s budget writers what they should fund and what they should cut. State agencies have already provided lists of suggested cuts, up to 30 percent, from their budgets, in light of the expected deficits when the next state revenue forecast comes out in May.
Proposed cuts include funding for several mental health programs provided at the county level, closure of 25 National Guard armories around the state, which could leave the new one now under construction in Ontario closed without ever opening its doors, and reduction of programs provided by the Oregon Department of Human Services.
“At this time we’re not sure what to expect,” Wendy Hill, DHS District 14 manager, said.
Noting her offices are looking at issues similar to those across the state, Hill said options being considered include more furlough days.
DHS district managers are communicating with each other and to their staff about how they can cut expenses, such as finding energy savings, she said. The hope is to prevent a reduction in programs and staff.
“We’re trying to work together,” she said.
A program designed to help adults go back to work and another to provide child care are proposed for cuts, Hill said.
“We really need input (from the public),” she said. “We need to keep staff available.”
The Joint Ways and Means Committee has been holding similar hearings around the state and will be at the National Guard Armory in Pendleton Saturday morning before the afternoon session in Ontario.
The full list of proposed reductions can be found on the Oregon Legislature’s Web Site.
