By LAUREN DRAKE/Oregon Public Broadasting
Earlier this month, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said she was considering vetoing seven projects approved by the state Legislature this year. Kotek said she wanted proof that $16 million in projects would eventually result in new housing, before agreeing to allow that portion of the legislation to be enacted.
On Wednesday, the governor announced she would not veto those projects after all.
Included in the projects was $3 million for the city of Siletz to upgrade its wastewater treatment plant to open up more city and tribal land for new housing.
The money for the projects was part of a $376 million housing package approved by lawmakers this session. The housing legislation was a top priority for Kotek.
The governor’s original legislation called for a process where cities could apply to the state to tap money from a specific fund. In an effort to save money, lawmakers slashed through bureaucracy and, instead, gave directly to cities all over the state.
Rep. David Gomberg, D-Otis, who helped spearhead the legislation, said he was pleased to hear those projects wouldn’t be left on the cutting room floor. Gomberg told YachatsNews that Lincoln County commissioners and mayors of seven cities wrote to Kotek about the need for more housing.
“Lincoln County made an all-court press on this one,” he said. “It’s a housing project and housing is really needed in this county.”
“Now that we have funded the first 40 projects that need help, we need to begin the conversation on how we help the next 40 waiting in line,” he told OPB Wednesday.
One of the initial sticking points of the governor’s overall housing package was the exemption to allow some cities a one-time opportunity to sidestep state land-use laws and bring in more than 100 acres into their urban growth boundaries. In a letter to legislative leaders on Wednesday, the governor said she directed the state Department of Land Conservation and Development to provide technical assistance to cities and tribes to help them navigate the UGB expansion tool.
Kotek also wrote that she hopes to see the Housing Accountability and Production Office, a new office also designed to help cities streamline their building efforts, to receive more long-term funding. Lawmakers only approved one-time funding for the office.
“This will create challenges in the recruitment and retention of top talent to establish the office and support local governments and housing developers to successfully implement Oregon’s housing production laws,” the governor wrote.