Agency Budget and Funding Sources

Agency Budget

Overview

State agency budgets cover one biennium or two fiscal years. A biennium runs from July 1 of an odd-numbered year to June 30 of the next odd-numbered year (e.g, July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2021). The budget development process has three major phases: Agency Request, Governor's, and Legislatively Adopted budgets. The agency operates under the Legislatively Adopted Budget for the biennium.

Agency Request Budget

Agencies start budget development early in even-numbered years to develop their agency request budget. The budget starts with the cost of maintaining existing programs, then adds, removes, or adjusts the budget with what are called packages. The agency request budget lays out finances and policies for consideration by the Governor.

Governor's Budget

The Governor and the Chief Financial Office review the agency budget requests and use the Governor’s priorities, budget policies, and current laws to make budget decisions, considering agency budget requests. The Governor’s Budget gets presented to the Legislature for consideration.

Legislatively Adopted Budget

During legislative sessions in odd-numbered years the Governor’s Budget is presented to the Legislature. Legislative committees review the proposed budget and hold public hearings to hear from the agency and the public. Each agency budget has a budget bill that gets voted on by the legislature. Budget bills that are enacted into law make up the legislatively adopted budget. Agencies carry out, or execute, the budget over the 2-year budget period. The budget can be adjusted during legislative sessions of even-numbered years or by meetings of the legislative emergency board. The Legislatively Adopted Budget along with these changes makes up the Legislatively Approved Budget.

Funding Sources

Oregon Lottery Funds

Since 1999, 7.5% of the State Lottery Funds have been allotted to the Department of Administrative Services to transfer to OWEB’s Restoration and Protection subaccount. These funds are set aside for the public purpose of financing the restoration and protection of native salmonid populations, watersheds, fish and wildlife habitats, and water quality in Oregon and are distributed as follows:

35% to the Watershed Conservation Operating Fund. These funds are allocated by the Legislature to support the efforts of seven state agencies, including OWEB, to conserve and restore watershed health, protect water quality, and involve Oregonians in voluntary actions to protect the ecological health of the state.
65% to Watershed Conservation Grant Fund. These funds are allocated by OWEB through the agency’s grant programs in support of projects that protect or restore watershed functions and native fish and wildlife habitat.

Federal Funds

Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund

The PCSRF was established by Congress in 2000 to address the need to protect, restore, and conserve Pacific salmon and steelhead. Congress provides PCSRF funds to the 6 Pacific states and several Northwest tribal governments that actively assist in the recovery of native salmonids listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. OWEB applies and competes regionally for PCSRF dollars each year. Once received, OWEB is responsible for distributing PCSRF funds to projects in Oregon and is allowed to use 3% of those funds for grant administration. OWEB allocates PCSRF funds to projects that specifically benefit salmon and steelhead species and address the PCSRF Program Priorities. OWEB’s primary source of federal funds is PCSRF.

Other Federal Funds

OWEB competes for grants in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program and receives funding from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, among other federal funding sources that are received.

Other Funds

Consistent with ORS 805.256, half of the salmon plate registration surcharges from the Oregon Department of Transportation are transferred to the Watershed Conservation Grant Fund and used only for funding projects under ORS 541.956 to 1) Protect or restore native salmon habitat or 2) Restore natural watershed or ecosystem functions by removing artificial obstructions to native salmon habitat migration. OWEB also receives funds from the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission for the Upper Middle Fork John Day Intensively Monitored Watershed project. In addition, OWEB's budget funding from the Oregon Department of Forestry for the Forest Health Collaborative grants and support, along with additional other fund sources, depending on the biennium.

Documents

OWEB's Budget