Coos County commissioners closely watched the bailout vote in the U.S. House today. It was a nail-biter.

The legislation includes aid for counties that lost money due to federal logging cutbacks. Members of the Senate added the language to sweeten the deal in hopes of passing the financial bailout. But county commissioners won’t bank on the money until the check is in their hands.

Commissioner John Griffith said he appreciated the Oregon Congressional delegation’s concern for the state’s timber counties, but he feared those add-ons in the legislation might backfire. They didn't.

Since federal timber payments were renewed today, county officials will have some planning to do. The four-year payment renewal would send approximately $7.1 million back to the county in 2009. The Catch-22 is that the county is floating law enforcement and public health tax levies to make up for the loss in timber payments since the funding fizzled.

In the three-year levies, Public Health is asking for about $450,000 per year and law enforcement agencies are asking for $4.35 million per year for more jail space and South Coast Interagency Narcotics Team operations.

If one or both of the levies pass, and since timber payments are restored, the commissioners will need to plan with department heads and decide what to do. Even with the timber aid, the jail, which currently operates out of the general fund, would need county money to fund operations for a portion of the first year.

Commissioner Nikki Whitty said tax levy money won’t come in until November 2009, leaving July through November expenses unfunded by tax receipts. Any renewal payment would help provide for those first months.

“I almost feel we would need to sock it away to pay for jail expenses,” Whitty said.

Whitty said the timber payment renewal money would flow in this fiscal year.

However, because the board didn’t budget for it, it may need to be held over as a beginning balance for next year’s budget planning, Griffith said.

In the following years, county officials will have to decide how much money will need to be levied — if any — to cover services, Whitty said.

Whitty emphasized the importance of the renewal for timber counties, but said the timing is lousy.

“It’s a horrible way to manage,” Whitty said. “I’m glad we didn’t anticipate anything this year.”