Brown Says Proposed Budget Would Benefit Rural Oregon

The budget proposed by Governor Kate Brown calls for more than $247 million for rural infrastructure projects in Oregon.  Brown’s budget allots $16 million to replace the Wallowa Dam, which is more than a century old and whose operators keep less water than it was built to hold to avoid a failure.  The Governor’s wish list includes an agricultural workforce center at Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton and an industrial trades center at Klamath County Community College in Klamath Falls.  Oregon’s 17 community colleges had about 280,000 students in the 2016-17 school year, serving primarily rural areas.

But unless the Legislature raises nearly $2 billion in new taxes for her major education revival plan, Brown’s budget would reduce money that community colleges say they need to continue current operations for the next two years.

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