At the end of any Oregon legislative session, we’re likely to see a “Christmas tree” bill come up for a vote. That’s the term used to describe a bill laden with so many “ornaments” that it becomes a Christmas tree, including something for practically every legislator and thus guaranteeing a vote to pass.

In this already fraught session, it’s a 124-page omnibus budget reconciliation bill, which implements the remaining adjustments to state agencies’ legislatively adopted budgets for the 2023 to 2025 biennium, as well as providing many appropriations for favorite local projects around the state.

And onto this tree, Senator David Brock Smith has hung his gift to the proposed but severely cash-strapped Pacific Gales Golf Course of $750,000 for a recycled water pipeline for irrigation. Though we thought that his bill, SB 948, had died in committee, here on the Christmas tree the same appropriation glitters again.

Smith has been crystal clear about what the funds are to be used for. On April 20, 2023, he told the Port Orford City Council, “The City is the recipient of the [$750,000] resources to assist with the construction of the pipeline” to the golf course. He was testifying during the hearing of an appeal of the approval of the fifth extension of conditional use permits for that pipeline project.

“When it comes to this extension and these CUPs,” Smith said, “it’s very simple, colleagues, uh councilors, this will save the citizens of Port Orford millions of dollars, and the reason is that you have a public/private partnership where you have a private entity that is willing to put in a secondary outfall for the citizens of Port Orford.”

But Smith knows very well that this pot of money will not serve Port Orford’s real need – to shore up our failing drinking water infrastructure. The city has a functioning sewer outfall. What we desperately need are fixes for our water impound and the pipes that carry water to every home and business in the city.

What is Smith doing to help? Not much that we can see, though he blusters when you bring it up – as he did publicly on April 20. He insists he’s “having conversations” and “writing letters” and “talking with our federal partners all the time.” Really, Senator? Show us the money.

What’s plain is that he’s up in Salem diligently scrounging funds for Elk River Property Development, a private business, and calling it delivering for the city and citizens. Is it right to use taxpayer money to benefit a private business this way? We’re not going to get a hearing on the merits of this giveaway. It’s just one line on the budget, one shiny object among many on the Christmas tree.