Chairwoman of the Oregon Transportation Commission Asks Gov. Kate Brown for Big Changes

Commission wants more oversight of troubled agency at center of Brown's agenda.

Salting the Siskiyous (ODOT)

The chairwoman of one of the state's most important commissions has expressed her displeasure with a key state agency reporting to Gov. Kate Brown.

In a Jan. 10 letter to the governor, Tammy Baney, whose day job is serving on the Deschutes County Commission, implored Brown to give the five-member commission more say in how the Oregon Department of Transportation is managed.

"To carry out the commission's statutory responsibilities and your policy direction, it is imperative that we more closely coordinate our efforts directly with you," Baney wrote. The Portland Tribune first reported on Baney's letter.

ODOT is central to Brown's policy goals. Since entering office Feb. 18, 2015, she has made passing a new transportation funding package a top priority and lists it one of her four agenda items for this year.

"I am confident that before this session adjourns, this Legislature will have passed, and I will have signed into law, a bipartisan transportation bill that will move Oregon forward in the 21st century," Brown said in her Jan. 9 inaugural speech.

But ODOT has been troubled for years. The agency fumbled in its attempt to build the $3.2 billion Columbia River Crossing Project; carries crippling debt from years of over-spending and botched key calculations that led to the failure of a transportation funding package in 2015. After that debacle, lawmakers called for a full-blown audit of the agency but the first auditor hired was found to have financial ties to the agency and an interest in future employment there.

Related: Watch ODOT Director Matthew Garrett Give the Testimony That Tanked the 2015 Transportation Package.

The state then engaged the consulting firm McKinsey & Co. to review the agency.

Baney, who was unavailable for comment, has got some specific ideas about how the commission's role should change right now.

"I respectfully request that you and I meet at least quarterly," Baney wrote. "I also request that the commission play a role in the recruitment and selection of new Transportation Commissioners. Further I request that I be included as an active participant in the performance review of the Department's Director. This is essential to ensure that the director is meeting our expectations as well as yours."

Matt Garrett, who has served as ODOT boss since 2005, came under scrutiny last session after the 2015 transportation package collapsed. GOP leaders called for his resignation but he survived. Now, Baney wants to put a tighter leash on him.

She also wants the commission to dig more deeply into ODOT's operations.

"We intend to increase our oversight of the budget, track the progress of major projects, increase our participation in the selection of projects, and track the flow of funds within the Department and to actively participate in policy development beginning with the planning process," Baney wrote.

All of those requests, whether Brown agrees to them or not, will amp up the stakes for ODOT and this year's transportation debate in Salem.

Brown's response was non-committal.

"OTC members are important leaders on transportation matters effecting Oregonians," Brown's spokesman, Bryan Hockaday says. "Governor Brown values the input of OTC members, and has asked that Chair Baney's letter be considered in the development of recommendations that will be presented following McKinsey's review of ODOT."

Brown also responded to Baney with this letter.

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