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Gorge Commission faces budget cut, delays key IT and planning projects
Summary
The Columbia River Gorge Commission learned May 13 that a recommended funding match to Washington will reduce its budget and place projects — including a database migration and Klickitat County planning support — on hold while staff draft a pared-down work plan.
The Columbia River Gorge Commission was told May 13 that a recommended change in the Oregon Ways and Means subcommittee would reduce the agency’s near-term budget and force staff to reprioritize work for the next one to two years. Executive Director Christina Volodymykoski said the subcommittee recommended sending the Commission’s budget to full Ways and Means with a figure “that amount is 1,561,000.”
Volodymykoski said commissioners should expect a draft work plan next month that reflects reduced resources and that some activities will be put on hold until Oregon and Washington can consider supplemental funding in early 2026. “So I am not prepared to talk today about what any of the impacts of that budget reduction are,” she said, adding that she will return in June with details on workload redistribution.
The budget reduction already has specific operational impacts. Volodymykoski said the funding for Phase 3 of the agency’s Access database replacement — work that would migrate records into a new enterprise permitting and licensing system and enable online applications — was not included. She also said planning funding for Klickitat County was eliminated. Those items, she said, are “on hold until we can get funding for Phase 3 restored.”
Commissioners asked for context about how unusual the reduction was. Commissioner Liberty asked whether other Washington agencies had seen similar cuts; Volodymykoski said she was not aware of other agencies getting a 25% cut and noted a statewide shortfall of roughly $12–13 billion. She also said Oregon Co-chair Levy would write to the Washington legislature criticizing the action and that the two governors’ offices were in contact about natural-resources funding, though she could not confirm whether Governor Kotek personally spoke with Governor Ferguson.
Chair Jim Mills and others thanked staff and acknowledged a difficult period ahead as the Commission narrows priorities. Volodymykoski said the Commission had been funded at roughly 75% of its normal budget and described the situation as a prompt to “focus on the things that have the most impact.”
The Commission did not vote on any budget actions during the meeting; staff will present a draft work plan and any recommended changes for commissioner consideration at a future meeting.
For now, the Commission’s immediate next steps are preparing a prioritized work plan for June and exploring supplemental funding in the 2026 legislative sessions in both states.
