October 23, 2024 3:30 a.m.

Last week, Douglas County Commissioners issued a resolution asking to surrender 84 miles of the county’s 1,144 miles of roads back to the State of Oregon.

A county release said the 84 miles contain portions of the state highway system that the state turned over to the county to manage several decades ago.

In the resolution, commissioners cited several factors leading to the request to surrender the 84 miles:

*Substantial decrease in timber receipts from federal lands in the last 30 years.

*Limited local tax base. Federal lands account for more than 50 percent of the county’s land base. These lands are not taxable.

*State and federal partners have significantly reduced funding and minimized direct access to road infrastructure grants for rural counties.

*Inflation and shrinking fuel consumption in Oregon has resulted in reduced gas tax revenues.

*Forecasted statewide annual revenue shortfall of 59 percent over the next five years for county road maintenance.

*Proposed legislative changes to the long-standing 50-30-20 State Highway Fund Distribution Formula.

*Increased burden of regulatory costs associated with the growing number of state and federal agencies that regulate the maintenance, rebuilding and construction of roads and bridges.

For more information, go to: https://www.douglascountyor.gov/623/Press-Room.

You can also listen to last Wednesday’s Inside Douglas County with Commissioner Tom Kress to hear more about the issue. That interview is a KQEN Podcast at www.541radio.com