A “Reset” For Oregon Government: Overcoming a Decade of Deficits

At City Club’s Friday Forum on June 25, Governor Ted Kulongoski will release recommendations for restructuring state government to overcome a decade of deficits created by the “Great Recession.” The recommendations will come from the Governor’s Reset Cabinet, which identified ways in which the state can continue to meet its responsibilities for education, health and human services and public safety despite reduced revenues, higher costs and increased demands for safety net services.

The Cabinet’s initial findings, released last month, confirm Governor Kulongoski’s concerns that the recession dramatically changed the state’s fiscal future, creating, in his words, “a decade of deficits during which we cannot expect to be bailed out by a rebounding economy or a more generous federal government.” The Reset Cabinet is working now to develop a menu of options for resetting state services, including new ways to organize and deliver priority services and control costs for the long term.

Find the full transcript of Governor Kulongoski's speech here.