Oregon may drop fee hike to hunt, fish

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) — State fish and wildlife officials are considering dropping a fee increase for Oregon fishing and hunting licenses that takes effect in 2021.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife also may roll back some fees next year after revenues exceeded expectations, the Mail Tribune reported Thursday.

The department is drafting its next two-year budget, which includes options to cut the fees or enact the increases as planned and direct that revenue toward enhancing current programs.

Other possibilities for the budget include cutting some 2019 costs for licenses, which were increased under a three-step fee hike enacted by the state Legislature in 2015.

“We’ve said if we ever have an opportunity to roll back our fee increases, we’d do it,” said Michael Finley, chair of the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission. “Right now there’s good intent to do that, but it’s really preliminary.”

About $6 million would be added to agency’s budget if it seeks to keep the fee increases intact, said Roger Fuhrman, administrator of the department’s Information and Education Division.

The agency is also considering requesting general-fund money from the Legislature to expand certain projects. Under this option, the agency’s current budget of about $375 million would increase to about $420 million, Fuhrman said.