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News
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
State forecast boosts net revenue by $200M
By Claire Withycombe
Capital Bureau
EO Media Group file photo
Currently, schools are
required to submit a
plan for testing, but are
not required by law to
test for lead in water
supplies.
State economists say the
state may have nearly $200
million more than expected in
net available resources, nar-
rowing Oregon’s projected
budget gap to about $1.4 bil-
lion.
The May economic and
revenue forecast provides the
best estimate of how much the
state can expect to realize in
revenue before the Legislature
adjourns in July. Legislators
are busy trying to resolve the
gap between what it expects
to bring in and how much it
would cost to maintain state
services at current levels.
Tuesday’s higher than ex-
pected revenue forecast also
brings Oregon closer to trig-
gering the kicker, although
that’s not a sure bet, said state
economist Mark McMullen.
Overall, Oregon’s rate of
economic growth is slowing,
although “Oregon’s economy
is bigger than ever and getting
bigger every day,” McMullen
said.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown
said in a statement that the
forecast included good news
about revenue growth and the
state’s economy, but cuts to
key services remained possi-
ble.
“... This doesn’t change
the fact that Oregon still has a
structural deficit,” Brown said.
“This means in the long term,
whether the economy is good
or bad, the state will struggle
to pay for education, public
safety, child welfare and health
care.”
The governor said she
was meeting with business
and labor leaders every week
to prevent significant cuts to
such services, which may be
required in order to close the
budget gap without new reve-
nues.
Patrick Criteser, chair of
the Oregon Business Plan and
the CEO of the Tillamook
County Creamery Association,
reiterated the Oregon Business
Plan’s stance in a written state-
ment Tuesday, saying that new
revenues alone “will not fix the
state’s basic budget problems.”
However, Criteser said the
coalition of businesses behind
the Oregon Business Plan
“remained optimistic” and
“encouraged” by engagement
from the legislature and the
governor.
State Sen. Mark Hass,
D-Beaverton, said the revenue
outlook does not change what
he has characterized as the
need for changes to the state’s
tax system, a sentiment echoed
by Senate Majority Leader
Ginny Burdick, D-Portland:
“We can’t dig out of this
hole with cuts alone,” Bur-
dick said in a statement. “We
need to reform and stabilize
our revenue system as well.”
Burdick said legislators were
examining “both sides of the
ledger.”
Meanwhile, Republican
leaders in the legislature said
higher than expected tax reve-
nues were evidence in favor of
spending cuts. House Minority
Leader Mike McLane, R-Pow-
ell Butte, called the forecast
“more evidence that Oregon
needs to tighten its belt and get
serious about the unsustainable
rate of spending in Salem.”
LEAD
Continued from Page A1
and the Oregon Depart-
ment of Education asked
schools last summer to
test for lead in school wa-
ter. Lawmakers approved
about $2 million to pay for
the tests.
The fund set up with
the legislation to pay for
lead testing and carbon
dioxide detection consists
of about $2.5 million. That
amount would not cover
the cost of mitigating tox-
ins found in schools.
The $2.5 million fund
would be siphoned from
an existing $9 million fa-
cility grant fund used to
pay for furniture and other
miscellaneous items when
school districts approve
bond measures. That fund
exists because schools
are prohibited from using
bond money to pay for
furniture under law.
School districts would
be required to submit a
plan for testing for envi-
ronmental hazards by July
1, 2019, to the education
department.
The push to mandate
testing and require school
officials to communi-
cate the results followed
a media coverage of a
scandal in Portland Public
Schools. Officials in that
district were testing for
and found lead in drink-
ing water supplies but did
not share that information
with parents.
“We realized we have a
problem here, not only with
not testing for lead, but with
not communicating in a
transparent way as much as
is needed,” Dembrow said.
State agencies, in-
cluding the education de-
partment and the Oregon
Health Authority, have no
authority to force school
districts to test for lead in
water. The bill could give
the education department
the authority to withhold
funding from a school
district that refuses to con-
duct testing.
Dembrow and Keny-
Guyer, both Democrats
from Portland, spearhead-
ed legislation in 2015 that
required districts to test
for radon. At that time,
they assumed that school
districts already were test-
ing for lead, Keny-Guyer
testified Wednesday, May
10.
The legislation in play
would consolidate all of
the environmental testing
regulations for schools,
making it easier for school
officials to comply, said
Sen. Arnie Roblan, D-Co-
os Bay, a former school
district administrator.
“We were thinking
about addressing just
lead and over the course
of meetings with parents
(and others), they were
pointing to other prob-
lems: asbestos, mold, lead
in paint,” Dembrow said.
“We decided the better
way to approach this was
to do it comprehensively
rather than hazard by haz-
ard and let districts know
we expect them to have a
comprehensive plan.”
New York enacted a
law last year requiring
schools to test for lead,
report results to the pub-
lic and develop a plan for
reducing exposure to the
toxin, according to the
Oregon Legislative Fiscal
Office.
EO Media Group file photo
Flowers wave in the breeze at the fringe of the Painted Hills.
ECONOMY
Continued from Page A1
and are glad to be able to give
back by helping to sustain
local communities.”
The peer-reviewed vis-
itor spending analysis was
conducted by economists
Catherine Cullinane Thom-
as of the U.S. Geological
Survey and Lynne Koontz of
the National Park Service.
The report shows $18.4
billion of direct spending
by 331 million park visi-
tors in communities with-
in 60 miles of a national
park.
This spending support-
ed 318,000 jobs national-
ly; 271,544 of those jobs
are found in these gateway
communities. The cumu-
lative benefit to the U.S.
economy was $34.9 billion.
According to the 2016
report, most park visitor
spending was for lodging
(31.2 percent) followed
by food and beverages
(27.2 percent), gas and
oil (11.7 percent), admis-
sions and fees (10.2 per-
cent), souvenirs and oth-
er expenses (9.7 percent),
local transportation (7.4
percent), and camping fees
(2.5 percent).
For more information,
visit nps.gov/oregon.
EO Media Group file photo
Lindsay Chiono strolls a short boardwalk that is part of the
Painted Cove Trail in the Painted Hills Unit near Mitchell.
BIKEWAY
Bikeways
meetings
schedule
Continued from Page A1
cycling tourism position and
information about free mar-
keting available through the
Scenic Bikeways program.
Waldner said anyone is wel-
come to attend any portion
of either meeting.
At 175 miles, Waldner
said the Old West Scenic
Bikeway, established in
2014 through the efforts of
Mike Cosgrove, is the lon-
gest in the state. There are
14 designated routes now,
and with only 12 in 2014, the
bikeways generated $12.4
million in economic activity,
according to Travel Oregon.
Yet, Waldner said more
could be done to promote
businesses along the route
and to promote the route itself
to bring in even more tourists
and economic benefit. She
said Travel Oregon provides
excellent marketing oppor-
tunities for the program, but
local tourism officials are
expected to provide them in-
formation. Waldner said she
Contributed photo
Cyclists support the Dayville Cafe, which is on the Old West Scenic Bikeway through
Grant County. A state review and further discussion about economic benefits is
scheduled May 24.
has been maintaining a list
of about 50 businesses along
the route that are advertised
by Travel Oregon, but she
can no longer keep up with
calls seeking more informa-
tion herself.
“In order to fully capi-
talize on the opportunity we
have been handed, a paid
cycling tourism position is
needed,” she said. “We’re
missing out on opportunities.
We need a tourism position.”
Discussion about a tourism
May 24, John Day Fire
Hall
11 a.m. to noon: State re-
view
Noon to 1:45 p.m.: Intro-
duction of new businesses,
the Eastern Oregon Trail
Alliance and the Chamber
of Commerce
1:45-2:30 p.m.: Discus-
sion of cycle tourism position
2:30-3:30 p.m.: Listing
businesses, services and at-
tractions in free marketing
materials
May 30, John Day Fire
Hall
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.: De-
veloping and staffing cycle
tourism position
position will take place from
1:45-2:30 p.m. at the May 24
meeting and again in a fol-
low-up meeting from 11:30
a.m. to 1 p.m. May 30, also at
the fire hall.
Dayville students make waves at Coast and Capitol
Blue Mountain Eagle
It was a time of learning mixed with fun for
seven Dayville High School students who traveled
April 24 through 25 to the Oregon Coast and the
State Capitol.
The first stop for the teachers and students was
in Newport at the Oregon Coast Aquarium where
they were educated about local animals, birds
and sea life. Among the highlights there were
staff presentations with sea lions, seals and sea
otters.
The field trippers explored the coast, and watched
science teacher Jim Latshaw make his kite dance
with the wind. After dinner at famous Mo’s restau-
rant, they searched Newport’s boardwalk for trin-
kets, salt-water taffy and souvenirs to remind them
of their adventure.
The group spent the night at Ralph and Toni Good-
Contributed photo
Dayville students visit the Oregon Coast
during a recent field trip.
win’s home in Waldport, enjoying the breath-taking
sunset over the ocean.
They were up early for a trip to Salem where they
observed the Oregon Legislature in action, including
State Sen. Ted Ferrioli introducing a bill for its third
reading. They witnessed the Senate voting, passing
the bill easily. The group then toured the Capitol, led
by one of Ferrioli’s staffers.
In a private meeting at the Senator’s office, stu-
dents and chaperones were given an opportunity to
question Ferrioli about his bill, as well as other is-
sues such as school funding and politics in general.
Dayville alum Renee Inscore gave students a
tour of Corban University, where she is currently
a junior, studying education and competing on the
collegiate track team. The students also visited Wil-
lamette University.
Dayville English, government and health teacher
Margee Powell said the trip was a way to tie in gov-
ernment and science lessons they’ve had at school.
“Since the Legislature is in session we wanted
to let the students watch them in action,” she said.
“We decided to add a science element to the trip ...
as well as college tours, since we were in the valley.
The trip was not only full of learning and laughter,
but students also got a glimpse of what college life
might look like.”