Tim's Transportation Position

• Better utilization of current funding.  Oregon presently is one of the most heavily taxed states in the union.  Some people would have you believe that the solution to every problem is to throw more money at it…taxpayer money.  In reality, the problem is not a lack of money, but how the money and resources we currently have are spent.  No family or business can ever make enough money if they do not control their spending.  Setting priorities and spending within those limits is the solution.  When I go to Salem one of my tasks will be to see that many of the wasteful practices currently employed are eliminated and that new priorities for spending tax dollars are established.  
• More equitable distribution of road funds.  There is almost a monopoly of funds being allocated to the northwest area of Oregon.  I am determined to see that southern Oregon receives its fair share of the funds.
• No diversion of gasoline tax receipts for non-road projects or programs.  How many times do we see a special funding mechanism established only to watch it be constantly tapped by other “good cause” programs? Using the gas tax for light rail is a mistake.
• Liberal policies regarding employee drug usage, minimum wage, family leave, worker’s compensation, unemployment benefits, and prevailing wage harm both large and small employers.  As a business owner you pay and pay again for social programs that you have no control over.  Think about the last time you tried to fire a poorly performing employee or someone you knew was using drugs or pilfering supplies.  By the time the state was done, you were probably lucky you had a job or even your company.  These ultra-liberal policies serve as a hidden tax on hard working business owners who have a difficult enough time as it is trying to make ends meet
• I support finding new, fair, and diverse ways to fund maintenance for our road system. It’s not wise to rely on one source so heavily. Fees rather than taxes are more appropriate and fair since they target users and not create a blanket charge on everyone. If someone were to come to you and suggest that in order to keep the admission prices for movie theaters low, everyone should be taxed; you would probably laugh and say that if someone wants to enjoy a movie, then they should pay for it and not take money from everyone else.  That is the same situation with many of the areas of government we already deal with.  Why not raise revenues for specific projects by assessing fees and have the people who use and benefit from the entity or service pay the costs associated with it (e.g. toll booths for Portland bridge projects).
• More accountability in the way the money is spent. At all levels there are ways to be more efficient with the dollars we have. Some are small easy things like requiring agencies that use state tax dollars to seek bids at the time of year that bids would be most competitive. A big waste of money is not having projects planned correctly or not having the correct engineering work done, then having to submit expensive change orders later that drive up the cost of projects. An other way to extend pavement life is to require coordination of street paving with local utilities so that any new utility lines or repair work is done before (not after) the new pavement is laid. Be sure cities, counties and the state are working together to set priorities and are saving money by pooling equipment, planning and purchasing resources. Require agencies look to the private sector for cost savings. Most services are performed by the private sector better and for less money than the government can do them. Things like the city of Roseburg having their own striping equipment or road grader are unnecessary and tie up valuable resources.   
• I am one of the few elected officials to take the time to attend the ODOT transportation education classes. This two-day training program gave me great insight to the need of maintaining our very extensive and expensive road system.  I don’t feel elected officials should make important decisions without first taking the time to learn as much as they can about the issues.
• There is a direct connection between transportation infrastructure and economic development.  I currently sit on ODOT”S highway 138 corridor study steering committee. I have learned the absolute need for transportation to encourage development. As we move forward with diversifying the state’s economy, there is a need to provide a high quality transportation system that private industry can be confident will always be there for them. It is a very important part of a big package to entice industry to come to Oregon and to stay in Oregon.
• For many years most counties in Oregon used timber receipts as revenue for building and maintaining roads.  With the dramatic reduction in timber harvests, and the loss of the “safety net”, those funds have virtually disappeared.  It is vital for our economy and especially for highway and road construction, for us to return to the forests. I support a “sustainable timber harvest” policy and will work with local, state and federal officials to revitalize this industry.