In recent years, rural counties have had a difficult time meeting budget requirements for adequate county services because of overreliance on timber revenues and related subsidies, which have been declining to nonexistent. In response, many rural counties have sought to diversify their economies and take more control of their land use destinies, but have had little success because of a state land use system that takes a largely one-size-fits-all approach. Many of these rural counties have long argued for a more regional approach to land use that takes into account differences between, for example, the “wet counties,” e.g., Lane, Marion, and Multnomah, and the “dry counties,” e.g., Umatilla and Malheur. This regional approach has been opposed by many supporters of the existing land use system in Oregon who worry that counties that are given more local control may end up promoting sprawl and squandering natural resources through development. The opponents have thus far prevailed, but that may be changing. On May 10, 2012, Governor Kitzhaber signed an executive order directing the state to work with Josephine, Jackson, and Douglas Counties to develop new criteria that may ultimately allow regional differences to dictate a different application of the land use laws.
