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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (April 26, 2017)
Appeal Tribune Wednesday, April 26, 2017 3A Lawmakers brainstorm ways to trim budget DIANE DIETZ STATESMAN JOURNAL A bipartisan group of Oregon lawmakers Fri- day unveiled a list of ideas about how to contain the cost of state government -- this Legislative session, and for decades into the future — including a two- year hiring freeze, a con- solidation of public work- er health plans and an up- grade of the state’s debt collection practices. Releasing the page- long bulleted list of con- cepts signals a new way of doing business at the Leg- islature, House Speaker Tina Kotek said. Lawmakers worked to get all the ideas out on the table — and now the dis- cussion can begin, she said. Lawmakers offered no information about how much any of the ideas would save. Those figures will come later, they said. The list is conceptual, Sen. Betsy Johnson, D- Scappoose, emphasized. “At this point, no deci- Much Continued from Page 1A gula -- along with some over-wintered and stor- age crops, such as leeks, onions, beets, garlic – maybe even some pota- toes. “We’ll have local beef, lamb, pork, and chicken, as well as eggs, and a va- riety of fresh baked goods, including the fam- ous Silver Falls Bread Company artisan sour- dough bread,” Burgé said. “As the season pro- gresses, the variety of produce will expand hugely. By August, our produce stands are brim- ming with a selection of over 60 fruits and vegeta- bles.” Open-market wares weave well with the right ambiance, and Silverton’s organizers are on top of that. “Our market has live music every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., and we have a full calen- dar this year with sets from the Silver Creek String Brand, Al Stark and the Other Guys, Tra- cey Reynolds, and many others,” Burgé said. “We have a seating area avail- sion have been made,” she said. But the union that rep- resents many state em- ployees, SEIU-503, ob- jected to how many of the concepts involved clamp- ing down on state work- ers, their jobs and their benefits. “It’s outrageous that our legislature would is- sue a cost containment proposal in which 13 out of 18 proposals are directed at public employees who earn less than the market value of their work,” union President Steve De- marest said in a written statement. “This is an ef- fort to scapegoat people who have dedicated their lives to public service when we should be doing something about our out- of-whack, lowest-in-the- nation corporate taxes.” Here is the list of cost containment concepts: Temporary, immedi- ate actions to address the 2017-2019 biennium: » Freeze hiring of non- essential positions. » Do not automatically grant standard inflation- ary increases for services and supplies costs. Permanent, ongoing actions to curb long- term growth: » Limit state govern- ment full-time equivalent positions to 1 percent of the population instead of the current limit of 1.5% of the population. » Ensure periodic re- view of position vacancies for savings and position elimination. » Require legislative review of state agency debt collection perfor- mance and approval of agency proposals to write-off debt. » Review Lottery Com- mission administrative costs and the transfer rate to determine if more funds could be trans- ferred for public purpos- es. » Manage bonding costs (including paying for small projects with cash rather than increas- ing the overall cost of the project by using long- term debt). » Additional rigor in vendor contracting proc- ess. Take steps to reduce PERS costs. » Increase current and future employees’ share in retirement costs for all public employees who are members of PERS. » Require all PERS employers to set aside ex- cess operating funds for the prepayment of future employer costs. » Determine whether the amortization period is set for the appropriate length of time » Ensure the PERS ad- ministrative reserves are at an appropriate level and use any excess admin- istrative reserves to re- duce the unfunded liabil- ity. Continue to improve management of and con- tain health care costs for public employees. » Combine the Public Employee Benefit Board (PEBB) and the Oregon Educators Benefit Board (PEBB) and the Oregon Educators Benefit Board (OEBB). » Require PEBB and OEBB to stay within a 3.4 percent annual growth rate. » Tie PEBB and OEBB non-primary care rates to a percentage of Medicare rates. Ensure compensation increases are within budget for the biennium in which they are grant- ed and do not exceed normal growth rates for future biennia. » Manage timing of cost of living increases to restrain future roll up costs. » Any cost of living in- creases for employees of organizations reliant on state General Fund follow the same rules as in- creases for state employ- ees. » Limit collective bar- gaining agreements to two years for economic is- sues. » Change the collec- tive bargaining process to even numbered years so the Governor’s budget proposal includes the full cost of increases for the upcoming biennium. Require legislative ap- proval for the following before they may be imple- mented: 1 Reclassifications of positions 2 Addition of new steps to salary ranges for state positions Cost-Containment Budget Principles: » Do not create pro- grams and start them at the end of the biennium. » Do not create new programs or funds that have no money to support them. » Use one-time funds for one-time investments or save them for an emer- gency. » Do not automatically replace lost federal or other funding. » Require analysis of ongoing costs rather than initial costs for all new programs. » Review performance and need for current pro- grams and services to de- termine whether new pro- posals are a higher priori- ty than current programs and services. able for people to enjoy lunch at market, and hope that people will find a good selection of hot, ready-to-eat food this year to have while listen- ing to music and visiting with each other.” She added that one weekly market feature, Power of Produce or POP Kids’ Club, allows kids ages 5 to 12 years to col- lect $2 worth of tokens to spend on any fruits, vege- tables, or edible plants at the market. “The club is complete- ly free for kids to sign up and is sponsored entirely by community donations and grants,” Burgé noted. The market also offers a free “first-time market goer” token for the first 100 customers who are new visitors to Silverton Farmers Market. The market will also accept EBT cards as well. “This is the first year we are doing this, and hope people will take us up on it,” Burgé said. If you want to learn more, contact Burgé or Stacy Higby at Silverton Market@gmail.com or visit www.silverton far- mersmarket.org. Also on Silverton’s horizon » Silverton Together hosts “Celebration of Cul- tures,” 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, May 5 downtown. That an- nual, festive event coin- cides with Silverton Chamber’s First Friday, so Silverton looks like the place to be this coming Cinco de Mayo. » The next day an op- portunity to sample the wines of the Cascade foot- hills is provided in Mt. An- gel at Taste. Learn. Cele- brate., held 12 to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 6, at the Festhalle, 500 Wilco Road, NE. Billed as a kickoff to Oregon Wine Month, the event takes place before a backdrop of live music and provides information about wine making, in- cluding nuances of the great grapes grown in our region. Cost is $15. » Silverton Health Run takes place Saturday, May 13, beginning at 8:30 a.m. with a 1-mile course for the youngest runners in the mix, continuing with a subsequent 5k outing. All geared for fun and health, the courses begin at the Family Birth Center, 342 Fairview St. “This family-fun event attracts runners, walkers, and community members to cheer on participants,” said Kay Seiler, volunteer services manager for Legacy Health (formerly Silverton Health), “Our goal is to have a fun af- fordable event for all ages.” Seiler said the event was started by local phy- sician Michael Grady, and drew 40 participants its first year. “We have been blessed to grow into a community favorite event and host around 500 participants each year,” Seiler said. “We have been able to keep registration costs low through support from our sponsors: Ulven Com- panies, Fancy Stithces, Our Town, Willamette Valley Bank, Mt Angel Chiropractic, Silver Falls Coffee Co, PT Northwest, Portraitmaster Studios and Silverton Fitness. “We also have great support from our commu- nity members and sup- port from Silverton High School Health Occ stu- dents, Silverton High Drum Line, Marion Coun- ty Cadets, Silverton Run- ners Club, the City of Sil- verton,” among others, she added. Also look for some homemade baked goods and desserts available. Learn more at silverton health.org/funrun. » Mother’s Day events in the area abound on the weekend of May 13-14, in- cluding the 39th Annual Birding and Wildflower Festival 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Silver Falls State Park. Other events for mom in- clude a tea and fashion show and a firefighters breakfast. Visit Silverton Cham- ber’s event listings -- www.silvertonchamber. org – for more ideas on how to treat mom. » Another can’t-miss day in town is Saturday, May 20, which unfolds with Kiwanis Club of Sil- verton’s popular annual Silverton Pet Parade, the 3rd Annual Bike Fair, a continued Teen Show at Silverton Art Association’s Borland Gallery, and Farm Fresh Dinner offered at GeerCrest in the evening. Next chat What: Creekside Chat Where: Silver Creek Coffee House, 111 Water St., Silverton When: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 3 (First and third Wednesdays) Questions and information: Contact Justin Much, jmuch@Statesman Journal.com; cell 503-508-8157; or follow at twitter.com/justinmuch EXPRESS YOURSELF WITH CHERRIOTS REGIONAL BETTER CONNECTIONS CARA PALLONE / APPEAL TRIBUNE The Silver Creek String Band performs in downtown Silverton during the annual Celebration of Cultures event in 2012. 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