FEDERAL SPENDING BILL PROVIDES $3.1 MILLION TO LANE COUNTY FOR CRITICAL PUBLIC SAFETY PROJECTS

Today, President Biden signed the 2023 federal “omnibus appropriations” bill, which includes funding for three critical public safety projects in Lane County.

• $176,000 to the Lane County Sheriff’s Office to replace its Dispatch Center consoles. The Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center is an all-day, every-day operation that provides critical emergency communications services to deputies across Lane County. While the facility is technologically current, the personnel workstations are functionally obsolete. These funds will provide for the first upgrade of the workstations in more than 15 years.
• $1.5 million for equipment and facilities related to the County’s work to develop a behavioral health crisis stabilization center. This funding will be combined with an additional $7 million that the Board of County Commissioners has dedicated to this important project. It will provide a much-needed option for first responders, police agencies, and others when they encounter someone experiencing a behavioral health crisis.
• $1.5 million to help ensure the multi-use facility being considered for the Lane Events Center can be built to “immediate occupancy standard” – meaning the structure would withstand and be immediately occupiable after a Cascadia seismic event. Although Lane County is one of the most populated counties in Oregon, there are few facilities here that can operate as a safe evacuation site for the public after a significant seismic event. This investment would be combined with $7.5 million previously appropriated by the Oregon Legislature for this project. If commissioners do not decide to move ahead with the facility the funding will be returned.

“This funding will help us make progress on an array of significant projects in Lane County,” said Board of County Commissioners Chair Pat Farr. “We owe our lasting thanks to Senator Jeff Merkley, Senator Ron Wyden, and Congressman Peter DeFazio, as well as their staffs, for working to ensure these projects were included.”

Lane County Government is a partner in the United Front, a regional collaboration among public agencies to advocate for federal investment in our community. The projects supported by this funding are the most recent example of the benefits of United Front’s advocacy. Other United Front partners include the cities of Eugene and Springfield, Lane Transit District, Springfield Public Schools, and Willamalane Park and Recreation District.