[ODF_Private_Forests] Update on Hiring and Spending Freeze at ODF

[WEEKS Kevin]

From: DECKER Doug S
Subject: Update on Hiring and Spending Freeze at ODF

Hello –

I’m writing to share some important news as state agencies continue to implement a hiring freeze and strict spending restrictions, all in response to state government’s very tight budget situation.

As you may recall, the Governor, in consultation with legislative budget leaders, announced a freeze last month on filling vacancies, with an exception process to allow critical actions to go forward. On Wednesday, we learned from the Department of Administrative Services that the committee reviewing agencies’ exception requests has approved a set of recruitments that are essential to our core mission.

In particular, we have approval to proceed with recruitment of our force of seasonal firefighters, forest officers, dispatchers and lookouts. We will begin these recruitments next week, and will be on schedule to have these employees in place for the start of fire season.

The committee also approved requests for several other critical recruitments, including the District Forester positions in the Forest Grove and South Cascade districts. These positions became vacant following the promotions of Andy White to Northwest Oregon Area Director and Lena Tucker to Deputy Chief of the Private Forests Division.

A strategic and judicious approach to seeking exceptions to the hiring freeze. The news we received yesterday reflects a recognition of the immediate and vital nature of recruitments related to our fire protection mission. The bar is very high. Exceptions are intended only for a limited number of positions statewide that meet specific criteria. Our Executive Team will continue to evaluate vacancies, staffing needs, and priorities across the agency before determining how to proceed with the exception process.

Continued review of expenditures in every area. As I mentioned in my last message, the Governor also announced a set of spending restrictions last month. These align with internal restrictions that we have had in place for some time, as we seek every opportunity to achieve savings without compromising safety or our core mission. The Executive Team recently revised our spending restrictions. Watch for a link to the updated document later today on the ODFnet home page.

We have asked managers to analyze spending in every area, including equipment purchases, contracting, travel and more. We are developing some creative solutions as we seek new ways to accomplish our work. For instance, we will save more than $11,000 by forgoing participation in an interagency fire prevention conference at the coast in February, but are considering a smaller workshop on this important topic here in Salem.

A closing note. The savings from the hiring freeze and spending restrictions are intended to provide the Governor and the legislature with the greatest possible flexibility in balancing the budget in the current biennium, during which revenue has fallen short of projections. This is a vital task, and the budget will be the central topic during the February legislative session.

Even in these challenging times, I continue to hear positive feedback from legislators, stakeholders and others about the value that your work provides. As I’ve noted before, our reputation and credibility are valuable assets. We protect and enhance them by setting priorities wisely, and by making the most of the resources available to us.

We don’t know at this stage whether the current statewide hiring and spending measures will remain in place beyond the February session. In any case, our continued attention to cost-savings is essential. I much appreciate your focus on our mission during these uncertain times, and know that many others do, as well.

I’ll continue to update you as we move ahead.

Best,

Doug

____________________________________________
Doug Decker, Oregon State Forester

Director, Oregon Department of Forestry
Office: 503-945-7211
Oregon Department of Forestry
2600 State Street, Salem OR 97301
http://egov.oregon.gov/ODF/

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