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CLOUDY Temp: 61 °F Wind: WNW at 5 mph Monday, September 29, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine Joy Magazine Tempo A & E RogueValleyAutoFinder RogueValleyHomeFinder Real Estate Showcase Wellness Connection Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Employment Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend August 30, 2003 Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Republican Reps. Steve Harper of Klamath Falls, left, and George Gilman of Medford confer just off the House floor. Both say the 2003 Legislature made government more efficient but there�s a lot more to do. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Smoke and mirrors Did Legislators produce a more efficient state, or more headaches By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune At the beginning of this legislative session, lawmakers vowed to make government more efficient by reducing or eliminating unnecessary programs. After eight months in Salem, legislators say the jury’s still out on whether they lived up to this pledge. Republican Sen. Lenn Hannon of Ashland said there was very little effort to make a reduction in government, which will have an impact on future budgets. "We cannot maintain the expenditure level we are currently on," he said. Advertisement On the one hand, the Legislature voted for a tax increase, but "then they turned around and flushed it out the back door," he said. Hannon was referring to both the baseball stadium finance plan and a $100 million tax credit for large corporations such as Intel, Nike and Columbia Sportswear. "This will provide net credits to the Portland urban area," he said. "This will shift the burden to small corporations and small businesses." Democratic Rep. Alan Bates said about $1.5 billion has been cut out of government programs but another $1.5 billion was raised in revenues to achieve the $11.6 billion budget. He said that despite many criticisms, this represents one of the cleanest budgets in recent years. "There is no pork," he said. While the 3.5 percent increase in the state budget over the last biennium seems too large to many conservatives, it represents just a cost of living increase, he said. "Class sizes will still go up," he said. "Some school districts will still cut their school year." Republican Rep. George Gilman of Medford said, "We have moved toward more government efficiency. Is there more to be done? Certainly." He thinks the Legislature has done the best job of trimming government since the 1980s, citing freezing salaries for state workers and cutting back budgeted jobs by 1,000. Still, there are plenty of state programs that should be analyzed to see if they can be reduced or eliminated, said Gilman, citing specifically the motor pool as an example. With the economy expected to remain flat for the next two years, Gilman said legislators will need to continue to trim government. In the next budget cycle, employees will expect cost-of-living pay raises and legislators need to be prepared to handle that, he said. Sen. Steve Harper of Klamath Falls agreed some efficiencies were wrung out of government, but it is difficult for legislators to micromanage the inner workings of various agencies and their budgets. "That’s where the rubber meets the road," he said. "And these agencies haven’t been willing to do this for the past 20 years." Republican Sen. Jason Atkinson of Jacksonville said legislators could have made government more efficient, but they ultimately failed. If the Legislature passed a K-12 budget five months ago of about $5 billion, it would have gone a long way toward setting the stage for achieving efficiency, he said. "The chance of efficiency really went out the door," he said. Republican Rep. Dennis Richardson of Central Point said legislative leaders failed to listen to an analysis by Republican Rep. Susan Morgan of Myrtle Creek that showed schools could maintain quality education at $4.9 billion, rather than the $5.2 billion passed by both houses. "It was all about maintaining current levels any way we have to," he said. Richardson said the Legislature did make progress with the Public Employees Retirement System debt, which peaked at $17.4 billion in March, but was lowered by $9 billion through legislation. Republican Rep. Rob Patridge of Medford said the Legislature did make government more efficient, but conservative factions have refused to get serious about discussing long-range planning. "They don’t want any discussion about tax reform," he said. "They want no discussion about a revenue plan." Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times