Oakridge’s budget, which Mayor Bryan Cutchen says is already in deficit, took a new blow last week when city council members voted to discontinue the city’s public safety fee totaling $213,000 in annual revenue.
Proposed cuts will be made predominantly in fire and EMS services, though Cutchen says he is dedicated to keeping an ambulance service running locally.
“If we had to wait on an ambulance to come from Eugene or wherever it was coming from, that’d be an hour for the ambulance to get here and another hour to get back to the trauma center,” said Cutchen. ”That’s well beyond the golden hour.”
The city’s police department is also set to face substantial downsizing. The current proposal would demote the Police Sergeant to a part-time position without any medical benefits.
Extensive deliberations and staffing issues within the city’s finance department have kept the budget in limbo as council members push to get the plan approved before the fiscal year deadline of June 30.
Typically developed over the course of seven budget committee meetings, this year’s plan was drafted in only two meetings due to a lack of personnel.
Although Cutchen said most years have seen lengthy debate during budget planning, he believes this year was “an unusual year in particular, just because of the time squeeze.”
Still, Cutchen said he believes the budget will pass before the looming deadline.
The Oakridge City Council will meet June 24 to continue deliberations. If a spending plan is not approved before the end of the month, the city may be forced to shut down non-essential government services.
