April 7, 2021 3:30 a.m.

Douglas County Commissioner Tim Freeman responded to the Secure Rural Schools funding announcement.

Freeman said “We do appreciate the work of Oregon’s Congressional Delegation. Their continued work on SRS, short term and long term is very important”. Freeman said Oregon receives the largest share of funding from the program with Douglas County being the number one SRS receiving county in the nation.

Freeman said the payments allow residents to continue to receive vital County services like sheriff’s patrols, juvenile services, senior services, veteran services and “…maybe more important than ever, Public Health Services”.

Freeman added, “We are looking forward to the day when we get back to responsible forest management, back to the shared timber receipt program, and this program is no longer needed”.

Freeman said the commissioners will wait until the County actually gets the funds, before announcing the amounts.