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Committee Finalizes Recommendations for Lane County fiscal year 2008-09 budget
The Lane County Budget Committee finished its deliberations tonight, recommending restoration of some services, and reducing or eliminating others. Budget recommendations will go to the Lane County Board of Commissioners for consideration in the adoption of a final budget this June.
“This has been an incredibly difficult process where we have a number of essential and valued services that we’d like to purchase for our community, and not enough money available to fund them all,” said Board Chair Faye Stewart. “Even with some restorations, many programs will no longer provide services to the community and others will continue below current service levels.”
Budget Committee members recommended restoring some level of services and programs including: the Buckley House; Youth Services’ Phoenix Program, Pathways Program, and day treatment program; two District Attorneys for the prosecution of non-person felony crimes; five traffic deputies; 24-hour patrol, Emergency Management services; Search and Rescue; Marine Patrol; law enforcement contracts with the cities of Creswell and Veneta; Dunes Patrol; Community Service; and 48 beds at the jail. Other add-backs include Lane County Animal Services, maternal child health services, supervision of misdemeanant violent offenders, drug court, Extension Services funding, and the Womens, Infant, and Children program.
Reductions include communicable disease services; and the elimination of the 100-bed Forest Work Camp, Federal Forest Work Crews, and Federal Forest patrols. The Community Corrections Center will be left with 60 fewer beds (35 already closed) greatly reducing investigative capacity, civil processing, court security, and inmate transport, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The jail will have only 93 beds (out of 504) available for local offenders.
Budget Committee members were able to restore several previously impacted services due, in part, to a tentative agreement with the City of Eugene to swap $4.5 million of Road Fund in exchange for General Fund to buy back some public health and safety services. A similar swap of $250,000 is being negotiated with the City of Springfield.
Approximately $1.6 million in reserve funding was also tapped to restore services. The Budget Committee will reconvene should federal Secure Rural Schools funding become available to discuss the possible reallocation of funds to reduced/eliminated programs and services, and to restore reserves.
Budget information and materials may be found at www.lanecounty.org <http://www.lanecounty.org> under the “Budget” section.
The Lane County Budget Committee finished its deliberations tonight, recommending restoration of some services, and reducing or eliminating others. Budget recommendations will go to the Lane County Board of Commissioners for consideration in the adoption of a final budget this June.
“This has been an incredibly difficult process where we have a number of essential and valued services that we’d like to purchase for our community, and not enough money available to fund them all,” said Board Chair Faye Stewart. “Even with some restorations, many programs will no longer provide services to the community and others will continue below current service levels.”
Budget Committee members recommended restoring some level of services and programs including: the Buckley House; Youth Services’ Phoenix Program, Pathways Program, and day treatment program; two District Attorneys for the prosecution of non-person felony crimes; five traffic deputies; 24-hour patrol, Emergency Management services; Search and Rescue; Marine Patrol; law enforcement contracts with the cities of Creswell and Veneta; Dunes Patrol; Community Service; and 48 beds at the jail. Other add-backs include Lane County Animal Services, maternal child health services, supervision of misdemeanant violent offenders, drug court, Extension Services funding, and the Womens, Infant, and Children program.
Reductions include communicable disease services; and the elimination of the 100-bed Forest Work Camp, Federal Forest Work Crews, and Federal Forest patrols. The Community Corrections Center will be left with 60 fewer beds (35 already closed) greatly reducing investigative capacity, civil processing, court security, and inmate transport, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The jail will have only 93 beds (out of 504) available for local offenders.
Budget Committee members were able to restore several previously impacted services due, in part, to a tentative agreement with the City of Eugene to swap $4.5 million of Road Fund in exchange for General Fund to buy back some public health and safety services. A similar swap of $250,000 is being negotiated with the City of Springfield.
Approximately $1.6 million in reserve funding was also tapped to restore services. The Budget Committee will reconvene should federal Secure Rural Schools funding become available to discuss the possible reallocation of funds to reduced/eliminated programs and services, and to restore reserves.
Budget information and materials may be found at www.lanecounty.org <http://www.lanecounty.org> under the “Budget” section.