Special Edition: ODOT Layoffs, Local Impacts and A Question for You

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To contact me, please click here: Rep.MarkOwens@oregonlegislature.gov

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

ODOT is moving forward with layoffs starting July 31, and that includes the closure of the Silver Lake Maintenance Station right here in House District 60.

These are real jobs, held by real Oregonians, and I want to extend my support to every family impacted. If you're in the district and need help navigating unemployment or other state services, please reach out. My office is here to help.

I talked more about this on Harney County Live this morning, and I encourage you to take a few minutes to listen in.

🎙 Harney County Live Interview – July 14, 2025

🚧 What’s Happening at ODOT?

ODOT is facing a $354 million shortfall in its operations and maintenance budget for 2025–27. That’s led to 483 employees being laid off, another 449 vacant positions cut, and 12 maintenance stations closed, including Silver Lake. In House District 60 alone, dozens are losing their jobs.

With fewer crews to cover more ground, winter response times will be slower, potholes will take longer to fill, and fire prevention work like brush clearing will be reduced.

While I didn’t support the final version of HB 2025 because I believed it went too far, I’ve also said all along that we couldn’t walk away from this session without a sustainable solution and even questioned during the Ways and Means Committee why we were passing the unfunded budget in committee. Unfortunately, the failure to pass any package means communities like ours are now seeing the consequences first.

This is about more than plows and pavement, this is about safety, jobs, and what kind of state we want to live in.

📉 ODOT Layoffs by County in HD60

Read ODOT's FAQ Here.

❄️ What It Means for Rural Oregon

• Slower and less frequent snow and ice removal

• Delays in pothole repair and roadside maintenance

• Fewer striping and signage replacements

• Longer road closures after storms or accidents

• Longer response times during storms and emergencies

• Less vegetation clearing and brush control

Many of these cuts will hit hardest in rural and high-elevation areas,the places that already operate with fewer resources and longer response times.

🗳 I Want to Hear From You

One idea that’s been floated is a 6-cent gas tax, with half—3 cents—going directly to rehiring ODOT crews and reopening closed maintenance stations.

Would you support that?

Please email me your answer, and let me know what city you’re from. I’d like to hear from Oregonians across the state, but I’m especially keeping track of feedback from folks in House District 60.

📻 Listen to the Full Interview

In my conversation with Mindy on Harney County Live, I laid out what’s happening, what ODOT can and can’t do, and why this issue has reached a tipping point. You can listen here:

🎧 Harney County Live – July 14, 2025

If you have questions or want to share how this is affecting you or your family, please email or contact my office anytime. These decisions should be made with our communities, not around them.

We can’t keep kicking this can down the road, not when roads are getting worse, not when families are losing work. I’ll keep pushing for realistic, rural-centered solutions that protect both our infrastructure and the people who maintain it.

Thank you for staying engaged and involved.

Stay safe,