Gov. Tina Kotek said Thursday the state must work harder to hold agencies, cities and local health and advocacy organizations accountable for using state dollars effectively.
And she indicated her office will take a lead role in vetting lawmakers’ spending choices and following up to make sure projects deliver on their promises.
“Sometimes we’ve been like, ‘We’ll just send you the money and not say anything,’” Kotek said at a press briefing. “Those days are over. I want to know exactly what you’re doing with the money, and I’ll make sure it’s serving your community.”
Kotek lauded the two signature spending packages of the five-week session: a $376 million housing and homelessness package and $211 million for substance abuse and behavioral health services.
She also applauded a historic campaign finance bill that will set political contribution limits, while noting policymakers will need to carefully monitor its effects. And she sounded a positive note about lawmakers’ $30 million outlay for Oregon summer school programs, even though it’s only 60% as much as she requested. Repairing students’ pandemic inflicted learning losses will continue to be a top priority going into next year’s session, Kotek said.
A substantial portion of the housing and addiction-related spending packages are earmarked directly for specific cities, substance abuse clinics and advocacy organizations to address Oregon’s lack of affordable housing and its high rates of homelessness, mental illness and substance abuse.
Now, Kotek said, her focus is pushing state agencies and local governments to get the money into communities as quickly as possible. Kotek pointed out the $25 million allocation for Multnomah County to establish a sobering center as a prime example. She indicated she will ask hard questions before releasing the funds.
“I want to know how that money is being spent, I want to know when ... I want to know where the location is,” Kotek said. “So we can say with certainty, we know you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing with those dollars and we’re going to see the results.”
The housing package includes roughly $100 million for 48 infrastructure projects such as new sewers. Kotek said her office will closely track each of the projects to ensure they “are actually advancing the housing production that they are intended to do.”
Kotek said she wants to “be very clear with those communities that the expectation is, if you’re getting money for water or sewer, that there are going to be houses down the line, not in 10 years,” but in the next two to five years.
She said her office also expects diligent monitoring to make sure the rollbacks of Oregon’s landmark drug decriminalization bill yield, as promised, widespread options for “deflection” to treatment programs in lieu of criminal convictions or jail time. Though lawmakers did not define what that deflection program will look like, Kotek said she expects the state to take a hands-on approach to ensure counties and medical providers properly provide those services.
“We’re trying to figure out right now how we communicate with all the partners involved at the local level because again, this is all implemented at the local level,” Kotek said. “We want to have consistency across the state.”
Looking into next year’s session, Kotek said the top priority for lawmakers will be to craft and pass a major transportation package. The Legislature traditionally does so every eight years, she said, and the money from 2017′s mammoth package has run out – without all projects in it being completed, most notably on Interstate 5 near the Rose Quarter.
Lawmakers this year approved $20 million from the general fund for the Oregon Department of Transportation to clean up state highways, not gas tax proceeds or similar transportation-specific funding sources. That demonstrated the shortage of transportation funding in the state, she said.
Earlier this week, Kotek announced her intention to prevent any tolling on Portland-area freeways. But in future sessions, tolling will likely become a viable option, she said.
“The Legislature needs to look at the different ways to fund transportation,” Kotek said. “I think you have to talk about all the sources, including tolling, to figure that out.”
— Carlos Fuentes covers state politics and government. Reach him at 503-221-5386 or cfuentes@oregonian.com.
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