Jackson County Democrats

OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

OFFICE OF THE SENATE PRESIDENT
OFFICE OF THE HOUSE SPEAKER

Contact:
ROBIN MAXEY (503) 986-1605
robin.maxey@state.or.us

GEOFF SUGERMAN (503) 986-1210 geoff.sugerman@state.or.us

(SALEM) - Senator Margaret Carter and Representative Peter Buckley--co-chairs of the Legislature's Joint Ways and Means Committee--announced today they will hold eight public budget hearings around the state over the last two weeks of April.

The hearings will begin in Lincoln City on April 20 (see full schedule below) and will include stops in Pendleton, Ontario, Portland, Bend, Eugene and Ashland, as well as a hearing at the State Capitol where participants from Hood River will be able to participate via video conferencing.

Members of the committee will also stop in Klamath Falls during their drive from the Bend hearing on April 29 on their way to Jackson County the following day. While there, they intend to fan out across Klamath Falls and meet individually with local citizens as they go about their day.

"We wanted to try something a bit different. So in Klamath Falls, rather that a formal public hearing, we'll walk around town, visiting restaurants, City Hall and local businesses and ask people their opinion on the challenges facing us as we work our way out of this economic recession," said Buckley (D-Ashland). "We want to hear what services are critical to folks in rural Oregon, as well as what matters most to the people in our larger population centers. So please take this chance to come tell us how you feel."

"The budget is not just a collection of spreadsheets. It's a living, breathing document that has tremendous impact on the daily lives of the people our state" Carter (D-Portland) said. "Oregonians from every corner of the state will have the opportunity to let us know what is important to them. From the Pacific to the Snake and from the Willamette Valley to the Columbia River Gorge we bring the budget process to the people we represent."

At each one of the public hearings, attendees will also receive a survey instrument, allowing them to make choices about proposed service cuts, potential revenue increases and other critical budget issues.

Public hearings will be held 5:30 to 8 p.m. in Lincoln City on April 20, Portland from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on April 21 and 5:30 p.m. Salem on April 23. The Salem hearing will include testimony from individuals in Hood River and McMinnville, who will go before the committee via video link

On Saturday, April 25, members of the Joint Ways and Means Committee will be in Pendleton and Ontario to hear from local residents.

The following week, the committee will hold official public hearings from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Bend on April 29 and Ashland on April 30 and a 1 to 4 p.m. hearing in Eugene May 1.

Also this week, Buckley and Carter unveiled Oregonbudget.gov, a new simplified internet address where Oregonians can find information on the state budget. The budget information, including proposals for potential service cuts provided by each state agency, was first released last week on the internet website of the Legislative Fiscal Office.

"While the information itself hasn't changed, the new easy-to-remember web address will help more Oregonians connect to the budget process. Anyone in Oregon with a computer and an internet connection can go to Oregonbudget.gov and see how the state's $4 billion budget deficit will affect them," Carter said.

"This is part of our efforts to have an open and transparent process. We want to make sure everyone knows the numbers we are working with, how we are constructing the budget and how we are responding to the needs and concerns expressed to us by Oregonians," said Buckley. "We want public input. The public hearings and the website are two ways we can meet that goal of openness. We know working our way out of the recession means we need a balanced approach. What we need now is public input on how to achieve that balance."