Governor Kitzhaber’s task force on solving O&C lands problem gets lost in the woods – look for another federal bail out request for O&C counties

Gov. Kitzhaber’s O&C Committee stalls in the woods
Can’t agree on how to move forward
The Oregonian photo
It’s the same ole story; some want to cut a lot of timber to create jobs, others want to cut as little as possible to protect the forest environment. The result, Governor Kitzhaber’s O&C Timberlands Task Force ground to a halt and stayed there long enough for Kitzhaber to declare it a draw and to announce, in effect, it’s now up to Washington DC. We tried.
In the meantime, the festering problem of collapsing county governments in O&C counties continues with some predicting another request for another federal government bail-out despite the fact that O&C county property tax rates are far below the state average – having had the luxury of now-gone federal payments on cut O&C trees. The details are in this story from the Oregonian. Click here.