Jun 27, 2024 | Member Services, News
Wasco County recently welcomed commissioners from Clatsop and Deschutes counties, as part of the Association of Oregon Counties (AOC)’s Membership Exchange Program. The program provides commissioners, judges, and chairs the opportunity to connect with their peers and learn best practices and innovative solutions from counties throughout the state. Since the program’s creation in 2021, over 25 members representing 20 counties have participated in this program.
Clatsop County Commissioner Lianne Thompson and Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Chang joined Wasco County Commissioners Phil Brady and Scott Hege for a tour of local businesses and sites, including the grand opening of the Mid-Columbia Community Action Council (MCCAC) Gloria Center, a multi-agency service and resource center serving Hood River, Sherman, and Wasco counties. The center is a one-stop resource hub providing an array of services including housing assistance, homelessness prevention, case management, employment resources, veterans’ services, behavioral health, and other essential services.
Commissioners Brady, Thompson, and Chang visit the Bakeoven Solar Project.
Renewable energy and energy sources were also a major focus for commissioners, making stops at The Dalles Dam and the Bakeoven Solar Project.
The Dalles Lock and Dam is one of the ten largest hydropower dams in the United States. Since its construction in 1957, the dam has generated more than 9.2 billion kilowatt hours of electricity and passed up to 10 million tons of river cargo annually.
The Bakeoven Solar Project, located near Maupin, is a solar photovoltaic energy generation facility. Paired with the Daybreak Solar Project, an adjacent solar installation, the project will generate 200 megawatts. The two projects also include a 100-megawatt battery storage system, collector substation, operations and maintenance building, and an approximately 11 mile, 230-kilovolt transmission line.
Commissioners also visited Polehn Farms, a 450-acre cherry orchard that provides free housing to seasonal farmworkers. The Columbia Gorge region is home to two-thirds of Oregon’s registered labor housing.
“Overall, it was a fantastic opportunity to share information and hear their perspectives on how we’re doing things here,” said Brady. “Commissioner Hege and I are looking forward to visiting Clatsop and Deschutes counties later this fall.”
Wasco County tour sites:
- The Mid-Columbia Community Action Council (MCCAC) Gloria Center
- Wasco County Fairgrounds
- W.E. Hunt Park
- The Dalles Lock and Dam
- Bakeoven Solar Project
- The Columbia Gorge Regional Airport
- Polehn Farms
- 159-acre land recently purchased for development of a RV park and sports facilities
Learn more about the program timeline on the AOC Membership Exchange Program webpage. The application portal closes on Friday, July 12, at 12 a.m. (midnight) PDT.
Contributed by: Erin Good | Communications Coordinator
Jun 27, 2024 | News
The effort to understand government and service provider needs to support recycling system expansion is well underway. The timeline for responding to the survey has been extended to July 26, and consultations will be extended through Sept. 10.
Counties should be able to enter the online survey tool using the email invitation they received from Resource Recycling Systems (RRS), or a printable reference of the survey can be downloaded here.
Based on the inquiries received to date, RRS has created an FAQ that will likely answer many of the questions a local government and/or their service providers might have about the survey. RRS and the Circular Action Alliance (CAA) would like to highlight the following FAQ for local governments:
Q: For areas that are within the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB), but outside of the city limits, which entity should respond to anticipate the future needs of these areas? Should cities forecast these needs or counties?
A: Counties and cities across Oregon have taken a different approach to addressing these areas. The project team believes a case-by-case approach to capturing the needs of the unincorporated areas of the UGB can continue to be taken. However, there must be close communication between cities and counties to determine which jurisdiction will be reporting for these areas, as well as Special Designated Areas. It is important that duplication and/or total omission of these areas be avoided.
General Oregon Recycling System Optimization Plan (ORSOP) resources can be found here. Those jurisdictions or service providers with questions or needing help responding to the survey can reach out to RRS at 734-274-9408 or via email at orsop.help@recycle.com.
Jun 3, 2024 | News
The Oregon State Legislature met May 29-31, in Salem, for interim Legislative Days committee hearings. Below are links and highlights from the hearings with particular relevance to county governance, services, and budgets. As always, your AOC Legislative Affairs department actively participated in and monitored hearings, and used the opportunity to connect with legislators while they were in Salem.
The legislature will convene for two additional sets of Legislative Days before the 2025 regular session — Sept. 23-25, and Dec.10-12. View the 2024 Legislative Assembly Interim Calendar here.
Senate Interim Committee On Energy and Environment
Senate Interim Committee On Finance and Revenue and House Interim Revenue Committee
Senate Interim Committee On Health Care
Senate Interim Committee On Human Services
Senate Interim Committee On Natural Resources and Wildfire
Senate Interim Committee on Veterans, Emergency Management, Federal and World Affairs
House Interim Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water
House Interim Committee On Behavioral Health and Health Care
House Interim Committee On Climate, Energy, and Environment
House Interim Committee On Emergency Management, General Government, and Veterans
House Interim Committee On Housing and Homelessness (Meeting materials)
- Governor Kotek Policy Updates: Homelessness Response and Housing Production Frameworks
- Housing Production: Modular Housing, Rural Housing Production
- Housing Stabilization: Climate and Health Resilience in Housing, Manufactured Housing
Joint Interim Committee On Addiction and Community Safety Response
Joint Committee On Information Management and Technology
Joint Committee On Transportation
Contributed by: Mallorie Roberts | Legislative Affairs Director
Jun 3, 2024 | AOC Advocacy, News
Recent state policy shifts intended to serve more Oregonians in the community instead of at the Oregon State Hospital have exposed county governments and their contracted providers to new third-party liability when individuals court-ordered to aid and assist community restoration commit additional crimes.
A new report highlights how this third-party liability has rendered Oregon’s local behavioral health safety net uninsurable and vulnerable to bankruptcy.
The report, funded by SB 5506 in the 2023 legislative session, was presented to the House Behavioral Health and Health Care Committee at its Thursday meeting during May legislative days (minute 2:21:32).
Staff from the Department of Administrative Services and select members of the study’s work group, City/County Insurance Services General Counsel Kirk Mylander, Lane County Assistant County Counsel Marcus Vejar, Association of Oregon Community Mental Health Programs Executive Director Cherryl Ramirez, and Options for Southern Oregon Executive Director Karla McCafferty, presented the report findings and recommendations.
Assistant County Counsel Marcus Vejar, testifying on behalf of the Association of Oregon Counties (AOC), recommended that public and nonprofit entities providing aid and assist community restoration services be included in liability protections equivalent to those for other court-ordered community-based services to individuals experiencing behavioral health challenges and that the $2.9 million reserve fund created by SB 5506 to cover defense costs of any future civil suits be carried over to next biennium until those liability protections are in place.
Contributed by: Jessica Pratt | Legislative Affairs Manager
