A few updates to report. The World has a pretty decent editorial up noting the sneaky way in which the decision to cut the road department was handled and question the obvious legality of holding an unannounced executive session.
Restructuring the Road Department may or may not be a good idea. The decision’s abruptness left citizens and county employees confused about the reasoning behind it. It also raises questions about how well the commissioners understood it themselves. Stufflebean, acting as interim roadmaster, said he had worked for a couple of months on the problem of scant funding. He reportedly handed his solution to Whitty and Griffith late Wednesday afternoon, and they hastily reviewed it in an unscheduled executive session.
The process was legally questionable and politically astonishing. Although specific personnel changes are appropriately discussed in private, restructuring a department affects every county taxpayer. Substantive budget decisions should be made only after thorough public discussion and analysis.
Karmen Fore from Congressman Peter DeFazio’s office had this to say when I asked for a statement given how hard DeFazio has worked to keep federal money flowing to the counties specifically to avert this type of drastic action.
There are similar layoffs counties are making throughout Oregon. I know that is part of the reason why the congressman is focused on a infrastructure-related stimulus bill. Potential relief to states and counties throughout the country will likely come through this vehicle, in the short term, in addition to longer term transportation funding as part of the reauthorization of the surface transportation bill.
Whitty is quick to blame the legislature for all county ills and her position is not unique by any means. Nevertheless, wide spread layoffs of such sweeping natures as we have seen in this county have more of a ring of preemptive strikes based on really faulty intelligence.
