The legislative committee devising a transportation package for Oregon wants accountability measures that would track project spending and demonstrate to the public that bids are being awarded to Oregon businesses.

Sub-groups of the Joint Committee on Transportation Preservation and Modernization have been presenting their recommendations for the state’s first road and bridge package since 2009, and how to pay for it.

Committee members said that with public support critical, it’s likely that accountability will factor heavily into their final proposal. Efforts could include making the appointment of ODOT‘s director the responsibility of the Oregon Transportation Commission, rather than the governor, and creating a website to track large projects funded by the package. It would contain up-to-date project information, such as cost, budget and schedule.

Rep. Andy Olson, R-Albany, would like the final proposal to do away with most . KPMs are a budget assessment tool that critics say adds an unnecessary layer of complexity to government.

“I’ve never been a real fan of them,” Olson said. “We’d like to see a reduction in them to the point where the only KPMs are meaningful and tied to outcome measurements.”

The Oregon Legislative Counsel is expected to generate a draft proposal by early May. That outline could head to the House of Representatives by early June.

Co-chairman Sen. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario, called the committee’s work to date “extraordinarily productive.” Lawmakers last summer held forums around the state to gauge infrastructure needs and hear from the public.

“The subcommittees have done a great job, but now the process of putting together and seeing who’s supportive and who isn’t begins,” he said. “We have a number of significant issues, so it’s no slam dunk by any stretch.”

The package will likely be funded by a combination of sources, and each source is opposed by different interests. Raising revenue in Oregon requires a two-thirds vote in each house, meaning passage will require support of some Republicans.

ODOT is generally not allowed to discriminate by awarding contracts based on state of origin, assistant director Travis Brouwer said.

“However, we work with Oregon’s construction industry to shape the bidding process to ensure that they can compete,” he said.

For the $1.3 billion Oregon Transportation Investment Act III of 2003, the most recent package, the agency awarded 86 percent of contract dollars to Oregon firms.

ODOT managed this, Brouwer said, by bundling some projects, and taking care not to price the bundles so high that Oregon firms couldn’t compete.

Those out-of-state firms that do win ODOT projects are often based in Southern Washington and Eastern Oregon. One out-of-state business that performs a lot of ODOT work is Boise-based contractor and aggregate supplier Knife River Materials, which has several offices in Oregon, including a regional headquarters in Portland.

Knife River is the contractor for phase II of the $120 million Oregon 62 Expressway project in Medford.

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