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ENLARGE
Susan Morgan
Douglas County Commissioner Susan Morgan didn't mince any words Wednesday when taking a look back at the year that just ended.
“This was a brutal year for the citizens of Douglas County,” Morgan said during the annual State of the County address.
Thirteen years of stock market growth were wiped out between May 2008 and March 2009. She described the drop as “fast and furious” and one that brought numerous problems during the past year.
“All of us have seen the values of our houses decrease. Credit has been difficult to obtain, which has had particularly bad impacts on small businesses in the county,” Morgan said during the Board of Commissioners' weekly meeting. “The forest products industry has had a very tough year and that has been evidenced by the decreases in property values for the mills and the refunds the county has given to the forest products industries in the county.”
The county imposed another 10 percent reduction in general fund spending, following an equal cut in federal timber safety net funding, she said.
In addition, the number of building permits issued by the county plunged, softening demand for wood products and cutting the number of local jobs in the construction industry.
At the same time, Morgan talked optimistically about several areas.
The county's Mental Health Division completed its migration of services from Jefferson Behavioral Health to Greater Oregon Behavioral Health. That has brought a wide range of new services and increased collaboration with the public safety sector with physical health and drug and alcohol counseling.
“The idea between all of this is to try to make the delivery of services more effective and more efficient so that we can continue to provide services that are needed in those areas,” Morgan said.
The county also established a partnership with the Douglas County Individual Practice Association and Mercy Medical Center to continue a prenatal program for expectant mothers without health insurance. It allowed those services to continue while cutting the county's financial contribution.
The county also organized a discussion group with Mercy, the DCIPA physicians group, ADAPT, Umpqua Community Health Clinic and the county Health Department and has talked about other ways to work together.
She also praised the county Land Department and the Information Technology Department on working together to place photos and descriptions of foreclosed properties that are in county ownership on the county's Web site. The departments conducted an auction to get those properties into private ownership and back on the tax rolls, she said.
The Board of Commissioners worked with the county Planning Department, Public Works and other private and public entities to forge an agreement to bring Costco to north Roseburg. Those efforts also led to an agreement on a redesign of the Winchester freeway interchange that will benefit the Costco project and could help spur business growth along Del Rio Road.
The county also assisted the city of Glendale in removing a burned-out building on Main Street that was a safety concern and an eyesore. The city didn't have the resources to deal with the situation on its own.
It also helped with completion of a new sewage treatment plant in Winchester Bay, ending a building moratorium imposed several years ago. A pedestrian bridge at Winchester Bay was also completed.
In 2010, a further 10 percent reduction in safety net funding will force the county, once again, to cut its budget.
“We will continue to aggressively look for efficiencies and to prioritize services,” Morgan said.
With continued high employment, Douglas County will look for ways to attack that front, she said.
“Jobs creation is going to be the No. 1 challenge that the county has in the upcoming year,” she said.
The county has talked about creating an initiative to identify and connect with businesses looking to expand, she said.
During 2010, the first of a series of electricity-generating buoys is set to be placed in the Pacific Ocean off Reedsport. Nine additional buoys are to be installed the following year.
The county is working to identify services that will be needed for that project, including ongoing maintenance, that could be developed in the Reedsport area.
There are signs the recession that has gripped the county and the nation the past couple of years is lessening, she said.
“We're beginning to some upticks in the economy. We're beginning to see a lessening in the job loss rates. We're beginning some increases in log prices and dimension prices in the housing market. All of the information that we're getting is that this is probably going to be a slow recovery and that we may be kind of bumping along here for some time and see the economy gradually improve,” Morgan said.
Morgan will repeat her address Monday during a noon luncheon at the Douglas County Fairgrounds sponsored by the Roseburg Area Chamber of Commerce.
• You can reach reporter John Sowell at 957-4209 or by e-mail at jsowell@nrtoday.com.
“This was a brutal year for the citizens of Douglas County,” Morgan said during the annual State of the County address.
Thirteen years of stock market growth were wiped out between May 2008 and March 2009. She described the drop as “fast and furious” and one that brought numerous problems during the past year.
“All of us have seen the values of our houses decrease. Credit has been difficult to obtain, which has had particularly bad impacts on small businesses in the county,” Morgan said during the Board of Commissioners' weekly meeting. “The forest products industry has had a very tough year and that has been evidenced by the decreases in property values for the mills and the refunds the county has given to the forest products industries in the county.”
The county imposed another 10 percent reduction in general fund spending, following an equal cut in federal timber safety net funding, she said.
In addition, the number of building permits issued by the county plunged, softening demand for wood products and cutting the number of local jobs in the construction industry.
At the same time, Morgan talked optimistically about several areas.
The county's Mental Health Division completed its migration of services from Jefferson Behavioral Health to Greater Oregon Behavioral Health. That has brought a wide range of new services and increased collaboration with the public safety sector with physical health and drug and alcohol counseling.
“The idea between all of this is to try to make the delivery of services more effective and more efficient so that we can continue to provide services that are needed in those areas,” Morgan said.
The county also established a partnership with the Douglas County Individual Practice Association and Mercy Medical Center to continue a prenatal program for expectant mothers without health insurance. It allowed those services to continue while cutting the county's financial contribution.
The county also organized a discussion group with Mercy, the DCIPA physicians group, ADAPT, Umpqua Community Health Clinic and the county Health Department and has talked about other ways to work together.
She also praised the county Land Department and the Information Technology Department on working together to place photos and descriptions of foreclosed properties that are in county ownership on the county's Web site. The departments conducted an auction to get those properties into private ownership and back on the tax rolls, she said.
The Board of Commissioners worked with the county Planning Department, Public Works and other private and public entities to forge an agreement to bring Costco to north Roseburg. Those efforts also led to an agreement on a redesign of the Winchester freeway interchange that will benefit the Costco project and could help spur business growth along Del Rio Road.
The county also assisted the city of Glendale in removing a burned-out building on Main Street that was a safety concern and an eyesore. The city didn't have the resources to deal with the situation on its own.
It also helped with completion of a new sewage treatment plant in Winchester Bay, ending a building moratorium imposed several years ago. A pedestrian bridge at Winchester Bay was also completed.
In 2010, a further 10 percent reduction in safety net funding will force the county, once again, to cut its budget.
“We will continue to aggressively look for efficiencies and to prioritize services,” Morgan said.
With continued high employment, Douglas County will look for ways to attack that front, she said.
“Jobs creation is going to be the No. 1 challenge that the county has in the upcoming year,” she said.
The county has talked about creating an initiative to identify and connect with businesses looking to expand, she said.
During 2010, the first of a series of electricity-generating buoys is set to be placed in the Pacific Ocean off Reedsport. Nine additional buoys are to be installed the following year.
The county is working to identify services that will be needed for that project, including ongoing maintenance, that could be developed in the Reedsport area.
There are signs the recession that has gripped the county and the nation the past couple of years is lessening, she said.
“We're beginning to some upticks in the economy. We're beginning to see a lessening in the job loss rates. We're beginning some increases in log prices and dimension prices in the housing market. All of the information that we're getting is that this is probably going to be a slow recovery and that we may be kind of bumping along here for some time and see the economy gradually improve,” Morgan said.
Morgan will repeat her address Monday during a noon luncheon at the Douglas County Fairgrounds sponsored by the Roseburg Area Chamber of Commerce.
• You can reach reporter John Sowell at 957-4209 or by e-mail at jsowell@nrtoday.com.
