House Bill No. 4175
2012 Legislative Session
"[A] Permits certain Oregon counties to use federal forest reserve monies in county road funds for law enforcement activities; [B] allows a county to make inter-fund loans from a county's road fund to any other county fund for the purpose of patrolling by law enforcement."
What Does HB 4175 Actually Do?
According to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means Staff Measure Summary March 2, 2012:
Seven counties are listed in Section 1 of the bill.
They are NOT required to repay money used from the road fund.
Section 1 is repealed (sunsets) Jan. 2, 2016.
(a) Coos County;
(b) Curry County;
(c) Douglas County;
(d) Josephine County;
(e) Klamath County;
(f) Lane County; and
(g) Linn County:
They are NOT required to repay money used from the road fund.
Section 1 is repealed (sunsets) Jan. 2, 2016.
(a) Coos County;
(b) Curry County;
(c) Douglas County;
(d) Josephine County;
(e) Klamath County;
(f) Lane County; and
(g) Linn County:
Section 5 of the bill refers to interfund "loans" by a county
from the county's road fund into any county fund that
will be used for the purpose of patrolling county roads.
They ARE required to repay the "loan" from the road
fund within three years.
from the county's road fund into any county fund that
will be used for the purpose of patrolling county roads.
They ARE required to repay the "loan" from the road
fund within three years.
TRANSLATION
With nearly $35,000,000 in road fund reserves, in early February 2013 during a public meeting the Curry County commission chair stated
to those present which included the Sheriff, "July 1st is when we're going to have to go into a 2.1 (million) budget scenario.
We're going to have to lay off 65 employees."
This bill was originally intended to enable seven counties the ability to transfer monies from road fund reserves (if available) to
fund law enforcement road patrol.
In Curry County however it has been a secret "gold mine" to fall back on if multiple attempts
to deceive the public into approving tax increases failed. The fear mongering escalated into a frenzy during the months
leading up to ballot tax measure 8-71 in May 2013. This measure if passed would increase individual property taxes about 25
percent.
March 13, 2013 Senate Bill 496 was passed. The language identified the types of law enforcement costs which road fund transfers under HB 4175 would cover. The bill identifies some indirect costs that are covered such as administrative expenses and dispatch. Identical language was passed by the House June 14, 2013.
What Citizens Are Saying About
HB 4175
HB 4175
Days after defeat of the law enforcement tax measure, commissioners began promoting a sales tax measure and in the next breath informed
the media they were "borrowing" $950,000 from the road fund. This they claimed would fund about half the number of deputies
required.
The Chair was asked to please provide the 65 position titles planned for layoff and refused.
July 1st has
come and gone. No lay offs.
Just another LIE in the life of Commission Chair Smith.
New!
New!
New!
New!
