Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski says he plans to lead a broad discussion later this year about overhauling how government operates. But the governor says he intends to wait until after the middle of the year, and the legislature has passed a budget.

Kulongoski plans to hear from three different work groups - on education, on corrections, and on human services - to re-evaluate what the division of responsibility should be among the state and local governments, and taxpayers.

Ted Kulongoski:  “This economic situation we’re in is so serious, and the time it’s going to take to restructure our financial markets in this country - we could be in this for three to five to eight years. And the questions about what the correct responsibility is should be revisited again.”

Kulongoski says voters may have to re-consider four ballot measures approved over the last two decades.

On the revenue side, Kulongoski is eyeing the property tax limits created by Measures 5, in 1990, and Measure 50, in 1997. But Kulongoski says voters should also examine where a lot of state spending is going: to pay for prison sentences mandated by Measure 11 in 1994, and Measure 57, last year.