GOLD BEACH – Curry County elected officials, along with State Rep. Wayne Krieger, began working on strategies to keep the county solvent as they held the first of what is expected to be regular meetings on the county’s budget crisis.

“The purpose of this meeting is to get together and toss out potential solutions,” County Commission Chair George Rhodes said to start Wednesday’s meeting. “It looks like we will have to cut 45 percent out of our looming budget.”

Curry County is to receive its final Secure Rural Schools (SRS) payment from the federal government this month – just over $1 million. County Accountant Gary Short has already told officials they may need to cut $2 million out of next year’s budget.

Commissioner Bill Waddle said that it’s unlikely that the county will know whether Congress will approve some money before mid-January.

He said House committees seem receptive to turning over management of forests to a trust to allow logging.

“We’ve shown them that if they’ll do bridge funding, we can pay them back as we cut timber,” Waddle said. “That is well received. But it won’t get anywhere in the Senate. There is a mountain of opposition. (Sen. Ron) Wyden is doing everything he can, but he’s not the top dog. There are two other higher dogs.

“What’s going to probably happen is nothing will come out of either the Senate or House and we’ll get thrown in the big bill continuing government. We’ll know in mid-January,” Waddle said.

The officials’ meeting came shortly after the county received a formal memo from Oregon Consensus, which at the governor’s request will help the county form a Citizen’s Advisory Committee to explore options to address the impending financial crisis.

County officials believe that committee will push for an increase in the property tax for the county’s general fund.

“I propose the County Budget Committee talk about two budgets – one budget to incorporate some kind of tax levy, the other budget without,” Waddle said.

Officials are talking about the levy appearing on the May ballot.

“If we as a county can no longer provide mandated services, who is going to provide them?” Waddle said. “If nobody’s going to provide them, the people need to know that, too.”

Short said that without more income, the county will go from an $8 million operating budget to $4 million.

“I think it’s less than that,” Sheriff John Bishop said.

“I know that one-third of my department is funded by state contract money. There isn’t one that’s going up. My Marine Board is looking at a 38 percent cut,” he said.

Bishop said the Legislature will meet in February and expects to cut the state budget.

“Any kind of policy involving money, that’s not going to happen,” Rep. Krieger told the officials.

He said the state has two more revenue forecasts coming before the February session, and the outlook is not good.

“There doesn’t seem to be an easy answer for anyone,” Krieger said.

Krieger said he saw the letter from the governor to the county saying the county needed to raise taxes.

“We still have the highest number of veterans. There’s a lot of senior citizens. Anything you take out of their income makes it harder for them, too,” he said.

Krieger noted that 70 percent of Curry County land is not in the tax base, with most federally owned.

Central Curry School Supt. “Jeff Davis is trying to hold things together. He’s not providing a basic education,” Krieger said.

He said 95 percent of the youth leave Coos and Curry counties.

“They don’t have anything here for them,” Krieger said.

“We have to come up with a plan to keep this county operating at whatever level,” Waddle said.

“We aren’t even getting a clear picture of what happens when you have all these things go away,” Krieger said.

Commissioner David Itzen said the commissioners were hoping the Legislature would step up and give the county a clear picture of what would happen if the county couldn’t function.

“Would we be made a part of another county, would the state take over?” Itzen asked.

“We have to do legislation to provide a process,” Krieger said.

Bishop said there had been seven Oregon counties on a critical list.

“Now we have 13,” he said.

County Clerk Reneé Kolen said that if the state should take over the county, “there is no place for the state to go. No land records.”

Bishop said he keeps hearing that State Police would take over law enforcement.

“They don’t have resources to take over their own responsibility,” Bishop said. “If I don’t have any deputies, there will be no response.”

Krieger said one problem is the state keeps expanding, adding departments and employees.

“At some time, at the state level, we have to say what is the role of state government. We can’t continue to grow government,” he said.

Bishop said the county needs to determine what is the absolute least it can do to meet mandates.

“My bottom line budget is me and the jail and the state funded programs,” Bishop said.

He said under state mandates, he must run a jail and serve civil papers.

“That’s cutting out patrol, dispatch,” Bishop said.

“You tell me I’m losing one deputy, then I come back and say we’re down to 10 hours a day on patrol,” he said.

Rhodes said the officials need to get their message out.

“We have to get out there will be a cost,” Rhodes said.

But without adequate funding, “businesses won’t come here, kids won’t stay here. The message is the impact of doing nothing. That’s what is going to happen.”

Rhodes said the officials will meet next on Nov. 10. 

“I want your numbers. For every dollar you cut out of your budget, this is what we lose,” he said.

“In normal years, we can’t run on what we get now,” County Assessor Jim Kolen said.