Oregon planners outline $71.2 million DLCD budget, cite staffing growth and federal funding reliance

The Joint Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Natural Resources held an informational hearing Feb. 3 on Senate Bill 5528 and the Department of Land Conservation and Development’s proposed budget, during which DLCD leaders described a $71.2 million governor’s-recommended budget that maintains current service levels while expanding housing and technical assistance work.

Paul Siebert, an analyst with the Legislative Fiscal Office, told the committee the department has “seen some significant growth” and that staff numbers rose “almost 50% between the 2021–23 biennium and the current biennium.” Angela Grama, a budget and policy analyst with the Department of Administrative Services Chief Financial Office, said in broad strokes the budget “maintains current service levels for operation while making investments into priority housing and homelessness initiatives.”

The nut of the presentation from Brenda Bateman, director of the Department of Land Conservation and Development, was that DLCD’s expanded responsibilities for housing have driven the agency’s growth. Bateman said DLCD has added a housing division and a Housing Accountability and Production Office in recent years to help implement housing-related statutes and newly adopted rules. She…