XPost: alt.government.employees, alt.society.labor-unions, or.politics   
   XPost: sac.politics   
   From: antifa@lol.com   
      
   Balancing the Oregon Department of Transportation's budget could mean   
   significant staffing cuts, reallocating funds from planned projects and   
   making other swaps within the agency's budget, ODOT told lawmakers Feb.   
   10.   
      
   After a referendum effort put a pause on new transportation revenue, the   
   department now says it needs to fill a budget gap of $288 million. That   
   total has increased from $242 million to include the beginning of the 2027   
   to 2029 budget cycle in addition to the current budget period and   
   decreased from $297 million due to an additional $9 million in vacancy   
   savings.   
      
   The Joint Subcommittee on Transportation and Economic Development heard   
   about potential fixes and their impacts at an informational meeting.   
      
   RELATED: Thousands testify against bill shifting Oregon transportation tax   
   referendum to May   
      
   A different committee of lawmakers was set to hold a second public hearing   
   Feb. 11 before voting on advancing a bill to move the referendum vote from   
   the November ballot to May.   
      
   ODOT proposes cutting 22% of workforce amid budget challenges   
      
   ODOT proposed the following three tiers of personnel changes that could   
   save funds:   
      
   Tier one would hold 138 positions vacant and save $70 million.   
   Tier two would include the first tier and cut an additional 350 positions,   
   71 of which would be layoffs, for $140 million in savings.   
   Tier three would include tiers one and two, eliminate an additional 151   
   vacancies and lay off 400 workers.   
   Tier three would result in the loss of 1,039 positions, or 22% of the   
   agency's total workforce. Of those, 471 would be layoffs, for total   
   savings of $242 million.   
      
   ODOT workers spoke of the challenges they have faced due to previous cuts   
   and their fears of how future layoffs could impact them.   
      
   "Everybody's carrying the workload of two or three people because they   
   don't want to disappoint the agency, they don't want to disappoint you,   
   they don't want to disappoint the public," said Lisa Sumption, ODOT's   
   interim director, who has been in the position for about a month.   
      
   Mike Atwood, an ODOT maintenance worker in Clatsop County, is part of an   
   eight-person crew responsible for maintaining 304 shoulder miles that has   
   undergone several cuts.   
      
   "What's it gonna look like if we lose more people?" Atwood questioned. He   
   spoke of difficulties coordinating and getting jobs done with the limited   
   crew.   
      
   Tier three could mean closures of eight or more DMV offices which would   
   likely be "unmanageable," Michelle Godin, who works for the DMV field   
   office in Coos Bay, said.   
      
   "You're gonna have to drive farther, wait longer and possibly get sent   
   away, because we won't have the overtime to be able to support and serve   
   all of the Oregonians that need us to help them with their stuff," Godin   
   said in an SEIU 503 press conference ahead of the meeting.   
      
   Redirecting unobligated funds from projects, grant programs could patch   
   Oregon Department of Transportation budget hole   
      
   ODOT could balance its budget without layoffs by redirecting existing   
   funds in the agency's budget elsewhere.   
      
   That would require legislative action.   
      
   Legislators placed legal limitations on where much of ODOT's funding from   
   the last major transportation package in 2017 could be directed.   
      
   A total of $343.8 million could be reallocated from several programs.   
      
   That total is the combination of current unobligated funding and expected   
   unobligated revenue for the rest of the current budget cycle that ends   
   June 30, 2027.   
      
   Switching out state funding for federal funds on several projects from   
   House Bill 2017 would be the largest source of savings. That shift would   
   not stop or delay the Center Street Bridge project, which is set to start   
   this summer, ODOT spokesperson Katherine Benenati said.   
      
   Close behind would be cuts to ODOT's bridge, seismic, preservation and   
   safety funding from the 2017 transportation package.   
      
   That would mean pushing back or canceling projects focused on safety and   
   preservation, Benenati said.   
      
   Which funding sources and how much of them lawmakers might use to fill   
   ODOT's budget remains to be seen.   
      
   These are the funds that the legislature could reallocate within ODOT's   
   budget:   
      
   $85 million from swapping state for federal funds on a set of House Bill   
   2017 projects.   
   $84 million from the HB 2017 bridge/seismic/preservation/safety fund.   
   $67 million from Connect Oregon, a program that gives infrastructure   
   grants to rail, marine and aviation projects and is funded by a tax on the   
   sale of new vehicles.   
   $27 million from HB 2017's funds for Safe Routes to School, which goes to   
   safety projects near schools.   
   $20 million from the Transportation Operating, or "lawnmower" fund, which   
   is funded by non-road gas tax funds.   
   $18 million from public transportation grant programs funded by the   
   payroll transit tax.   
   $9 million from a fund meant to go toward the Rose Quarter, Abernethy   
   Bridge and Boone Bridge projects.   
   $8 million from the Community Paths program that goes to bike and   
   pedestrian projects, funded by a tax on the sale of new vehicles.   
   $6 million from canceling a project that was unable to obtain necessary   
   environmental permits.   
   $5 million from winter recreation parking permit funding that goes toward   
   clearing snow from parking lots.   
   $5 million from driver's education that is funded by a piece of driver's   
   license fees.   
   $3.9 million from the bicycle excise tax that goes to bike and pedestrian   
   infrastructure projects.   
   $3 million from a fund that assists small businesses with getting   
   contracts.   
   $1 million from snowmobile fees that go toward facilities and trails.   
   $1 million from an account that goes toward safety at railroad crossings.   
   $.9 million from a fund that goes toward safety at railroad crossings.   
   Anastasia Mason covers state government for the Statesman Journal. Reach   
   her at acmason@statesmanjournal.com or 971-208-5615.   
      
   This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Layoffs,   
   funding reallocations could be used to balance ODOT budget   
      
   https://www.centraloregondaily.com/news/regional/odot-288-million-budget-   
   gap-workforce-cuts/article_c608631e-cffe-4617-bd71-1aad756e1cb5.html   
      
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