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For Immediate Release 06/25/08

Lane County Commissioners Adopt 2008-09 Budget

Contacts: Board Chair Faye Stewart, 682-4203; County Administrator Jeff Spartz, 682-4203; Budget Manager Dave Garnick, 682-3694

The Lane County Board of Commissioners adopted a budget for fiscal year 2008-09 today, reaching a balanced budget with limited revenue.

"This year’s budget adoption process proved to be one difficult decision after another," said Board Chair Faye Stewart. "We did our best to preserve as many programs and services as possible but the reality is substantial cuts and reductions have been made in order to balance our budget."

From July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009 the County’s adopted budget will be about $474 million, including approximately $59million in the Discretionary General Fund. The Discretionary General Fund is the only portion of Lane County’s General Fund budget over which the Budget Committee and Commissioners have any authority to allocate toward the purchase of programs and services.

Federal Secure Rural Schools funding provided Lane County with more than $40 million annually. Failure to renew this federal support has resulted in a nearly $20 million loss to Lane County’s General Fund and $20 million to the Road Fund.

"It’s challenging to absorb this kind of loss without changes to the way we do business and to the services we provide," said Board Vice-Chair Bobby Green.

Reductions amount to about $50million in services for the fiscal year 2008-09 and include reductions to 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.

A total of 120positions were eliminated, including 59 layoffs throughout the County; 57 of those layoffs were in the Sheriff’s Office.

Budget Committee members were able to restore several previously impacted services due, in part, to an 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. Swapping with the city for some of its General Fund monies allows the County to exchange one restricted funding source for another with more flexibility. A similar swap of $250,000 was negotiated with the City of Springfield. Approximately $2 million in reserve funding was also tapped to restore services.

Restoration of some level of services and programs include: 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.

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 under the "Budget" section.

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Amber Fossen
Public Information Officer
Lane County Government
125 E. Eighth Ave.
Eugene, Oregon 97401
(541) 682.3718
(541) 359.9143 (cell)

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