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Deschutes County officials urge ODOT accountability as Legislature readies transportation package
Summary
County staff and officials said the transportation package must address ODOT oversight and sustainable funding for operations and maintenance; officials warned consequences if funding gaps persist.
Deschutes County commissioners and staff spent substantial meeting time this week on the state transportation package and oversight of the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), saying accountability measures and reliable operations funding are central to policy talks in Salem.
County transportation stakeholders told the board the Legislature should pair any revenue package with stronger ODOT accountability and an operations-and-maintenance funding plan. That framing was offered repeatedly during the May 23 legislative update by county staff and commissioners.
Chris Doty, a county transportation official, urged the county's delegation to use the current negotiating leverage to secure accountability components and to avoid one-size political backlash that would discard oversight in favor of only revenue increases. "The opportunity here is to leverage change, accountability, oversight, within transportation, within ODOT as an agency," Doty said.
Doug Riggs, county legislative staff, said the transportation package was being shaped late in the session and that lawmakers may couple transportation choices with other negotiations; he also noted a pending ODOT audit that had not yet been released. Commissioners stressed that prior bills (notably House Bill 20 17) increased capital commitments without fully funding basic operations and maintenance.
Commissioner Adair said that if operations and maintenance are not addressed, services such as snow plowing, pothole repair and other basic functions could suffer. "If we are not able to get a transportation package passed, it will be a disaster for basic operations and maintenance," Adair said.
County participants also discussed possible revenue mechanisms including a cap-and-trade credit sale tied to transportation and incremental gas-tax adjustments. Officials said state-level decisions should account for the total cost of vehicle ownership and Oregon's tax structure.
Ending: No formal county motion on transportation was recorded at the meeting; officials said they will continue to press the county delegation and Ways and Means subcommittee members on accountability and operations-and-maintenance funding.
