CURRY COUNTY

An article in the Sunday Zero, An Oregon county could vanish along with timber payments, asks us, “Is it possible that one of Oregon’s 36 counties could disappear?”

Answering themselves, they state, “Yes, and soon. At least two Oregon counties, Curry and Josephine, warn they may stop providing state-mandated programs as soon as a year from now.”

It appears the trouble is that both counties are heavily forested with Federal Forests. The Feds don’t pay property taxes but in the past shared timber receipts with local governments.

As Oregonians and other tree huggers know, logging has drastically dropped for some years now. County’s received funds through the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act, but that has expired.

If the trouble is simply lack of funds, I fail to see the problem. With a Democrat governor and legislature, won’t a simple tax increase provide the needed funding?

Maybe Mayor Elect Sam Adams can show his big bleeding heart and double taxes to help less advantaged counties to the south?

How about it, Oregon, how many will step up and volunteer to pay more taxes to help disadvantaged counties and to save those trees from the axe?