Possible aid extension met with skepticism.

Byline: Winston Ross The Register-Guard

COQUILLE - Commissioners from counties across Oregon that are dependent on federal timber payments reacted warily to the news that they might get a year's extension of the payments.

In Coos County, which has released about 70 jail inmates and laid off dozens of employees in different departments, Commissioner Nikki Whitty was skeptical Friday that there would be any reason to restore the county cuts.

"It's a big if," Whitty said of the bill that passed a U.S. House committee on Thursday. The bill would continue the timber payments, which make up $7 million of Coos County's $13 million general fund. "We'd like to have the check in hand."

Coos was one of the first counties in the state to react to Congress' failure to reauthorize the county payments act in September. The Coos County cuts drew initial criticism from union members, but commissioners argued that the move would save 35 jobs in the long run.

If Congress restores the money, Coos County's actions may prove premature. But Whitty said she doubted that would happen.

"The president could veto the whole bill," Whitty said. "As far as we're concerned, it's over."

Douglas County officials also were unimpressed with the possibility of a year's extension. Facing the loss of more than $20 million from a $40 million general fund budget, the county has not made cuts yet. But it eventually might have to close libraries, scale back sheriff's patrols and shut down county parks. For now, counties are waiting to see what happens to the federal spending bill, which primarily contains funding for the Iraq war, but also has many financial perks for localities around the country.

The bill "is a great thing," said Jim Dowd, Douglas County's parks director, who faces the loss of about one-third of his budget. "But the difference is in slitting one wrist this year, or two. We're still going to bleed out."

Coastal Curry County could lose $4 million from a $7.6 million budget. But county employees, who haven't yet faced cuts, could only react warily to the possible extension.

Told of the news from Washington, D.C., Curry County Sheriff Mark Metcalf said he wasn't optimistic.

Without the extension, he said, "based on the revenue the county gets now, we wouldn't even be able to satisfy our minimum mandated services.

"I would be able maybe to serve some civil papers, but absent any replacement revenue for (the federal county payments), I won't be able to satisfy the statutory requirements of my office."