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Managers ready to make cuts By Jonel Aleccia The chopping block is back as managers of Southern Oregon social service agencies contemplate possible effects of proposed spending limit and tax-cut initiatives on the Nov. 7 ballot. Staffing levels, client services and entire programs are being quietly considered for deep cuts that would almost certainly follow passage of Measures 8 and 91, said Rex Miller, Jackson County service integration manager for the state Department of Human Services. "We are very worried," Miller said Wednesday. "The department is absolutely making plans for strategies," he said Next to education, Human Services represents the biggest portion of state spending, accounting for about a quarter of the $30 billion biennial budget. If passage of Measures 8 and 91 forces lawmakers to squeeze billions from the state budget, those programs are likely targets, Miller said. "If these measures pass, it�s going to be very hurtful to a lot of people that use these programs to get by," he said. Supporters of the measures contend that cuts could be made in administration, for instance, without sacrificing services to vulnerable people. Among programs targeted for complete cuts are those that provide emergency assistance and day care subsidies to welfare clients, Miller said. In Jackson County, about 80 families receive emergency assistance each month, amounting to about $29,000 a year, according to figures from the state Adult and Family Services department. Some 800 county families � about 17,000 children � receive day care subsidies totaling about $200,000 a year. Throughout Southern Oregon, managers of agencies that provide services to abused children, the mentally ill and the elderly have been contemplating contingency plans. Measure 8 would limit most state spending to 15 percent of personal income. If it were in place next year, the state estimates it would be forced to return $5 billion in collected revenues. Measure 91 would allow Oregonians to fully deduct federal income taxes on their state forms, reducing state revenue by about $1 billion a year. The combined loss of $7 billion would be added to an estimated state budget shortfall of at least $700 million next year. "If they do pass, we�ll have a hell of a time," said Hank Collins, director of Jackson County Health and Human Services. Oregon Project Independence, which helps frail elderly residents remain in their homes, is also slated to be cut, said Don Bruland, executive director of the Rogue Valley Council of Governments, which runs the program. The program is paid for entirely through state funds, which makes it especially vulnerable, he said. "The biggest issue for the state is can we cut places where if they do not have that support, they�ll return even in the same biennium to require a higher level of support?" Bruland said. Seniors who cannot remain at home will require costly nursing home care, he said. "Is that cost effective?" he added. Budget cutbacks are not new to agencies that have weathered tax limits and shortfalls for more than a decade. Susan Kaough, manager of the local branch of state Services to Children and Families, said staff members there are stoic. "I think people are very concerned," she said. "But I think the mood is pretty normal. People are managing to do their everyday work. There�s not too much doom and gloom going on. We�re waiting to see what comes of the election." Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.