Subcommittee holds public hearing on SB 5508 funding for Columbia River Gorge Commission

The Senate Natural Resources Subcommittee opened a public hearing on Thursday on SB 5508, the governor's appropriation bill for the Columbia River Gorge Commission, hearing presentations from the state's budget office, the commission's chair and executive director and a conservation group representative.

Kendra Beck, chief financial officer at the Oregon Department of Administrative Services, told the subcommittee the governor's recommended 2025–27 budget supports current services and includes one‑time funding to complete the Columbia River Gorge Commission's access‑database replacement project. Beck said Oregon's portion of joint commission funding is supported entirely from the general fund and that the commission has no Oregon FTEs because position authority rests with Washington.

Michael Mills, chair of the Columbia River Gorge Commission, provided background on the bi‑state agency's role hearing land‑use appeals and coordinating with counties, tribes and federal partners. Christina Walikowski, the commission's executive director, outlined the agency's request and the…