About the Committee
During the 2023 legislative session, the Oregon Legislature passed
House Bill 2793, which established a Jurisdictional Transfer Advisory Committee. The purpose of the committee is to make recommendations to the Oregon State Legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation. The committee was appointed by the Governor and is staffed by the Oregon Department of Transportation.
The Committee is tasked with developing a list of three jurisdictional transfer candidates per biennium interested in receiving funding to support transferring portions of state highways from ODOT to a city or county. These recommendations will be made in consultation with the Oregon Transportation Commission.
No later than Sept. 15, of each even-numbered year, the committee will submit a report to the Joint Committee on Transportation, as described in ORS 192.245, that includes the list of jurisdictional transfers recommended for funding. The committee is advisory; they do not have a budget and do not distribute funds.
Jurisdictional Transfers
The first step in a jurisdictional transfer is for a city or county to engage in conversation with their local ODOT district and region. A city or county may wish to transfer ownership of a highway from ODOT to themselves for a variety of reasons. Frequently it is because the highway segment no longer fills a statewide need and instead supports local access to jobs, shopping and housing. While the uses of the highway have shifted, the design has remained constant.
Reconstructing the roadway to support local users can be costly, as such these transfers require new funding to complete. Cities and counties may apply, with the support and assistance of ODOT staff, to the Jurisdictional Transfer Advisory Committee to be considered for recommendation to the legislature for financial support of the transfer.
Meetings