Feb 28, 2024 | OACES
In early February, the Joint Committee on Transportation (JCT) released a 2024-25 Beginning Conversation Draft Action Plan for the development of the expected 2025 State Transportation Funding Package. The document included the following tentative dates* for a statewide listening tour in the 2024 interim. AOC encourages you to save-the-date for your area meeting and be prepared to testify on behalf of your county’s local road, bridge, and transportation needs and priorities.
*Please Note: the schedule is tentative, and the committee has yet to schedule any official listening tour dates.
County road project tour suggestions: If your county has a project or particular facility that would convey county road needs to the legislature, please click here to fill out a short survey and help AOC compile a list of tour options.
As the listening tour dates approach, the AOC County Road Program and Oregon Association of County Engineers and Surveyors (OACES) will be providing additional suggested talking points, statewide county road needs data, and individual county road priorities one-pagers, to help your county share its needs effectively with the legislature.
JCT Listening Tour – Tentative Dates and Locations:
- Wednesday, April 17: Tillamook or Astoria (Tillamook County Fairgrounds)
- Thursday, May 2: Klamath Falls
- Wednesday, May 15: Coos Bay (SW Oregon Community College, Coos Bay City Hall)
- Wednesday, May 29: Woodburn or Albany (Woodburn H.S., Linn Benton C.C.)
- Wednesday, June 12: Burns or Ontario (Malheur County Commission Chambers)
- Thursday, June 13: Baker City or Pendleton (Baker City Armory, Blue Mountain C.C.)
- Friday, June 28: Eugene (University of Oregon)
- Tuesday, July 16: Medford or Grants Pass (Medford City Hall, Medford Public Library)
- Thursday, July 25: Bend or Redmond (Bend Senior Center, OSU Cascades, Fair & Expo Center)
- Thursday, August 15: Beaverton or Hillsboro (Washington County Commission)
- Other possible cities to visit as alternative / additions include: The Dalles / Hood River, Roseburg
County Roads Resources:
Legislative and ODOT Resources:
Jan 25, 2024 | AOC Advocacy, AOC News, Transportation
The Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) and League of Oregon Cities (LOC) continued the Transportation Funding Forum meeting series in January (watch recording), featuring presentations from Governor Kotek’s transportation policy staff and transportation stakeholders in the construction industry, the environmental community, transit, and freight carriers. The discussion explored the range of interests and priorities in the future of Oregon’s shared transportation system.
The forum series will continue through 2024 to further coordination, collaboration, and shared understanding of local government interests in the future of Oregon’s transportation funding system and increase transparent, partnership-oriented communication with state agencies, stakeholders, and the legislature. Upcoming forums will take deep dives into national trends in the future of transportation funding, explore local revenue options, more specific needs related to safety, bridges, and the multimodal system.
The kickoff forum meeting in August (watch recording) provided a detailed overview of federal, state, and local funding mechanisms and how these revenue tools work together to fund the current system. The October meeting (watch recording) featured presentations from city and county road departments to demonstrate the range of local jurisdiction transportation budgets and varied regional project priorities.
Contributed by: Mallorie Roberts | AOC legislative affairs director
Oct 24, 2023 | AOC Advocacy, Transportation
The Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) and League of Oregon Cities (LOC) continued the virtual forum series to coordinate, collaborate, and cultivate a shared understanding of local government interests in Oregon’s transportation funding system.
In August, the first forum meeting provided a detailed overview of federal, state, and local funding mechanisms and how these revenue tools work together to fund the current system. Presentations from the Oregon Department of Transportation, AOC County Road Program, and LOC reviewed the current system, with an emphasis on structural deficits and declining fuel tax revenues. A recording is available here.
The second forum meeting, held on Monday, Oct. 2, featured presentations from two city and two county road departments that demonstrated the range of local jurisdiction transportation budgets and varied regional project priorities. A productive brainstorm and strategy discussion followed the presentations. Slides are available here and a recording of the meeting can be found on the League of Oregon Cities YouTube page.
Forum meetings will continue next year to identify priorities and develop guiding principles to inform AOC and LOC engagement in an expected transportation funding package during the 2025 legislative session. Forum conversations will seek to increase transparent, partnership-oriented communication with state agencies, commissions, and the legislature related to transportation funding policy.
Future forum meetings will feature insight from national experts, and an exploration of mechanisms such as congestion pricing and tolling, road usage or vehicle miles traveled fees, and local options.
Contributed by: Mallorie Roberts | AOC Legislative Affairs Director
Feb 21, 2023 | Transportation
SB 635, a bill that allows counties to recoup costs related to right of way permitting, is one of the Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) and the Oregon Association of County Engineers and Surveyors (OACES) top priorities for the 2023 Legislative Session.
Pre-session filed by Senator Lew Frederick (D-Portland), the bill is a reintroduction of HB 3049 from the 2021 Legislative Session, and a critical resource for counties as they engage in costly permitting processes without the ability to recoup costs. Cities can currently recoup similar costs in statute. The bill is aimed to provide equitable options across jurisdictions and help counties continue to deliver access to services.
AOC staff has worked with stakeholders over the past few years to identify solutions for this funding issue. A workgroup has been formed to allow additional dialogue between utility providers, legislators, and counties before the bill advances.
Contributed by: Megan Chuinard | Public Affairs Associate
