Task force tackles county payments
SALEM — A new task force brought together county officials from across the state to share some end-of-the-year gloom over their financial woes.
The Task Force on Federal Forest Payments and County Services convened for the first time as it embarks on a yearlong pursuit of a strategy to deal with the inevitable end of federal payments.
Local and state leaders quickly reached a consensus: The job is difficult and the prospects are grim in their quest to secure another congressional extension of federal payments to Oregon counties with a legacy of timber production.
The task force’s first meeting since its formation brought state and county government officials together during a dark time: Congress last week killed a provision that would have extended for four years the so-called timber payments to counties, including Lane County and other rural Northwest counties. Congress probably won’t revisit the issue until February or March, and task force members were pessimistic about whether they could win more than a one-year extension… [more]