LWVOR testified on behalf of the budgets for the Department of State Lands, which monitors wetlands (among its many jobs), State Parks (with concerns that the Measure 66 Lottery dollars are being spent on programs other than parks maintenance and acquiring new land) and the Department of Land Conservation and Development (focusing on local planning grant dollars and funding for the Big Look).  

The Ways and Means Subcommittee process has been open and information accessible this session.  But it's still important to follow the money. 

Money for Parks

The League has been most concerned that we are losing ground on the number of state park acres per 1,000 Oregonians.  Oregon Benchmark 90 sets as a goal assuring that we have 35 park acres for every 1,000 Oregonians.  In the early 1990s data shows Oregon was at 31 park acres but, with exploding population increases and lack of funds to aggressively seek new park property, we have declined to 27.5 park acres per 1,000 pop.  Last session, the Oregon State Fair was added to Parks, taking $4.2 million each biennium to pay off fair bonds.  We can't afford to see more dollars eroded away for programs not linked to maintenance and acquisition.  Contact your senator and representative with your concern that M66 Lottery dollars should be spent to buy parks land.  

Involving Citizens in the Big Look

The Dept. of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) budget includes funding for the Big Look (Oregon Task Force on Land Use Planning) to re-examine our 30+year old statewide land use planning program (as well as funding to process M37 claims and grants to local governments to help with local planning).  The Big Look will be meeting in Hood River March 15-16 (http://www.oregon.gov/LCD/BIGLOOK/).  Consultants have been hired and a more aggressive public outreach should begin in July.  The League wants to be sure there are dollars for citizen involvement at both the state and local level.  Contact your senator and representative with concerns that land use planning needs public buy-in, so dollars are needed for citizen involvement programs.  

Peggy Lynch, Action Committee Portfolio Member

Fixing M 37

On the policy side, a M37 "fix" has still not been adopted.  The claims bubble will begin to affect state and local governments (with the 180-day deadline for processing) at the end of April.  The clock is ticking...  

On March 6^th, the Fairness Committee heard SB 833, which extends the deadline another 360 days, and which nearly everybody testified against.  But this bill does not address the multiple issues surrounding M37.  We need a true "fix."  Please see the 5 Minute Activist for what you can do to help.

How Much Water?

Water is also an important issue this session.  HB 2564 sets up a system to measure water usage statewide.  A work group has been formed to develop a good solution to how the state can have better information on who's using what amount of water so we can know how much is left for the future!