Enjoy today. The pleasure may take different forms,
but if you’re fortunate enough to have New Year’s Day off,
put the focus on family and friends.
Take a look at the year ahead, as well. It’s likely to be eventful and could mean some dramatic changes.
A week ago we cited some issues that were going to require a continuation of Christmas goodwill to deal with.
Here’s more about a couple of them:
Klamath County is going to have to get used to living without $15 million in federal funds because Congress broke its commitment to the counties that are home to much of the federal government’s forests.
Because federal lands don’t produce the property taxes that normally pay for such things as law enforcement, schools and roads, Congress for years had offset that loss by revenue from logging on federal lands.
Seven-year Band-Aid
Environmental concerns eventually shut off most of that logging, however, and timber sales plummeted along with the jobs that went with them. Counties needed help. They got it in the form of seven years of federal payments, which the federal government is now bailing out on in spite of a moral obligation to continue them.
Northwest congressmen continue to fight for the program, as they should, but counties have to decide how to cover the loss. More taxes? Cut services? What?
The answer should come from a widely based effort including a big dose of public input organized by county commissioners to study finances and come up with recommendations. Whatever the answers, they probably won’t be pretty.
Recommendations on the settlement of Klamath River issues are likely to be made public soon.
It’s clear that some stakeholders probably will oppose them. There are disagreements between irrigators and environmentalists, and divisions among some inside the groups. Most if not all of those involved will have to give up something because there isn’t enough water to go around — it’s likely to all boil down to how equitable the losses are.
There’s a lot to be gained if the proposal increases the certainty of water and prevents endless and expensive trips to the courts. Klamath River water issues are enormously complex.
There will be more issues in the year ahead — school boundaries, elections, the home rule charter, economic development and Klamath’s crime and abuse problems.
It’s a long list. Substantial progress on it could make 2008 a good year.
Editorial board
Pat Bushey wrote today’s editorials.
The members of the Herald and News editorial board are Publisher Heidi Wright, Editor Steve Miller, Day Editor Marcia McGonigle, Opinion Editor Pat Bushey.
Take a look at the year ahead, as well. It’s likely to be eventful and could mean some dramatic changes.
A week ago we cited some issues that were going to require a continuation of Christmas goodwill to deal with.
Here’s more about a couple of them:
Klamath County is going to have to get used to living without $15 million in federal funds because Congress broke its commitment to the counties that are home to much of the federal government’s forests.
Because federal lands don’t produce the property taxes that normally pay for such things as law enforcement, schools and roads, Congress for years had offset that loss by revenue from logging on federal lands.
Seven-year Band-Aid
Environmental concerns eventually shut off most of that logging, however, and timber sales plummeted along with the jobs that went with them. Counties needed help. They got it in the form of seven years of federal payments, which the federal government is now bailing out on in spite of a moral obligation to continue them.
Northwest congressmen continue to fight for the program, as they should, but counties have to decide how to cover the loss. More taxes? Cut services? What?
The answer should come from a widely based effort including a big dose of public input organized by county commissioners to study finances and come up with recommendations. Whatever the answers, they probably won’t be pretty.
Recommendations on the settlement of Klamath River issues are likely to be made public soon.
It’s clear that some stakeholders probably will oppose them. There are disagreements between irrigators and environmentalists, and divisions among some inside the groups. Most if not all of those involved will have to give up something because there isn’t enough water to go around — it’s likely to all boil down to how equitable the losses are.
There’s a lot to be gained if the proposal increases the certainty of water and prevents endless and expensive trips to the courts. Klamath River water issues are enormously complex.
There will be more issues in the year ahead — school boundaries, elections, the home rule charter, economic development and Klamath’s crime and abuse problems.
It’s a long list. Substantial progress on it could make 2008 a good year.
Editorial board
Pat Bushey wrote today’s editorials.
The members of the Herald and News editorial board are Publisher Heidi Wright, Editor Steve Miller, Day Editor Marcia McGonigle, Opinion Editor Pat Bushey.