SALEM — At the start of the legislative session, Gov. John Kitzhaber proposed a lofty goal: find a way to stop the state’s prison population from growing for the next decade.

Now, with only a month before the legislative session is set to adjourn, lawmakers said they are closer to striking a deal proponents believe could slow the growth of Oregon’s inmate population and save the state $600 million.

“I feel like it’s a historic time to save the Oregon taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars and make our communities safer,” said Colette Peters, director of the Oregon Department of Corrections.

The most divisive piece of the original package being discussed, changes to Measure 11, a mandatory-minimum sentencing structure, were taken off the table this week. The original proposal would have reduced sentences for certain crimes of robbery and sexual abuse. It would have required a two-thirds vote to pass.

What remains is still contentious, but Democrats would not need Republican buy-in. The Public Safety Committee was slated to take up the bill today, but rescheduled as negotiations continue behind closed doors. Lawmakers said they are still hoping the Sheriff’s Association, which opposes the legislation, and district attorneys around the state will sign on.

Clackamas County District Attorney John Foote said the legislation “shortens sentences by letting people out of the back door a lot earlier than they should.”

Some of the key components of the bill include giving judges flexibility when it comes to sentencing certain offenders under Measure 57, a mandatory-minimum measure for repeat property and drug offenses.

The bill, as crafted now, increases earned time for inmates and makes some drug-related and driving-while-suspended charges eligible for probation, rather than prison time.

None of the changes would affect inmates already in the system. Without legislation, the inmate population is expected to grow by 2,300 inmates in the next 10 years.

Craig Prins, the executive director of the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission, said one key change is a financial incentive to counties if they can reduce the number of people they are sending to state’s prisons.

“The decisions made locally is what drives the prison population,” Prins said.

Rep. Andy Olson, R-Albany, a key figure in the debate and a former Oregon State Police officer, said the idea is to funnel more money into community corrections and let the locals tackle reducing recidivism.

Deschutes County Commissioner Alan Unger, who worked for the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Department years ago, said it’s a great idea theoretically to allow for more local control. He’s concerned, however, that in future legislative sessions the funding could be diminished.

“I hope they follow through with the funding, because that’s what we need to expand local services,” Unger said.

Tim Raphael, the governor’s spokesman, said Kitzhaber is not tied to a particular solution, but rather to ensuring the state’s inmate population doesn’t continue to grow.

“For the governor, this has never been a debate about ballot measures or a single approach,” Raphael said in a statement. “The Legislature is working its way toward a solution that bends down the cost curve on corrections, keeps the public safe and reinvests in community corrections programs that will help avoid the need to build expensive, new state prisons.”