Inside Salem

By Paul Evans, For The West Side Newspaper

Fall is nearly upon us. Our public schools are busy again, the days are noticeably shorter, and the weather seems a little harder to predict.

We are entering my favorite time of year. Soon the smell of fireplaces will return. Friday nights will become electric with high school football, and families and friends will begin gathering inside again. Fall in the Willamette Valley has always felt like a season of both reflection and renewal.

This past week, the Oregon Legislature completed our quarterly Legislative Days — committee meetings, agency updates, policy discussions, and Emergency Board decisions. It was a busy few days. We are managing the costs of a difficult wildfire season, responding to changes coming from the federal government, confronting serious issues within some state programs, and beginning the difficult work of preparing Oregon’s next budget.

That last challenge deserves some candor.

Oregon must balance its budget. We cannot simply spend money we do not have. As we prepare for the 2027 Legislative Session, the cost of providing many public services is increasing faster than the resources available to pay for them.

That means choices are coming.

The good news is that Oregon’s economy continues to demonstrate resilience. But “steady” does not mean easy. Families continue to feel the increasing costs of food, energy, housing, healthcare, and other necessities. State and local governments are experiencing many of those same pressures.

We are holding our own — but holding our own is not the same thing as having money to spare.

As Co-Chair of the Public Safety Subcommittee of the Joint Committee on Ways & Means, I have a particular responsibility for helping determine how we fund the systems that keep our communities safe. The coming session will require discipline.

We need to look carefully at everything: what is working, what is not, what must be protected, what can be done differently, and where scarce dollars will make the greatest difference.

That conversation should not belong only to people working in the Capitol.

I want to hear from you. What should Oregon be doing more of? What should we be doing less of? What services are essential to your family and neighborhood? Where do you see waste or duplication? And where might reducing services actually create greater costs down the road?

Those are not partisan questions. They are questions of stewardship.

We will not agree on every answer — nor should we. Good government requires us to listen, debate honestly, make difficult choices, and remain accountable for the results.

There are challenges ahead. But Oregon has navigated difficult seasons before. If we remain engaged, practical, and willing to work together, I believe we can make responsible choices that protect the people and places we call home.

Please enjoy these final days of summer — and the beginning of another beautiful Oregon fall.

Respectfully,

Rep. Paul L. Evans