They Got It Right

Two - count 'em - two local stories on the front page this morning where public bodies did the right thing fiscally! It's not enough to criticize, so here goes with some props:

The Silverton School District not only came in under budget on its new high school, but is refunding the unspent surplus from the bond issue to taxpayers. A spokesperson for the district said they wanted to keep faith with the voters. How refreshing!
www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20120112/NEWS/201120336/Tax-payers-get-800-000-refund-from-Silverton-High-expansion?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Home

The Oregon Department of Revenue decided not to spend $13M to fund a new computer system because of the crisis in state finances. Good choosing! At some point a new system will be necessary, but thanks for applying some discretion.

An interesting side note to this story is that this decision was made in conjunction with the state's new Chief Operating Officer (COO). All big private corporations have a COO and there are many corporations with more employees than the State of Oregon. In years past, there was no one person in overall charge of reviewing and planning operational decisions from a fiscal perspective. Having a COO could be a very good addition for the state and the taxpayers.
www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20120112/NEWS/201120328/Revenue-dept-postpones-92-million-computer-overhaul?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Home