Mar 25, 2025 | OACES, Transportation
The Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) and the Oregon Association of County Engineers and Surveyors (OACES) worked with the Legislature to pass House Bill 2154, making the County Safety Corridor Program permanent.
The top priority of every county road department is ensuring Oregonians can get to where they are going safely on our roads. Rural county roadways face significant safety challenges from limited cell phone reception, longer emergency response times, simpler roadway infrastructure, and risky driver behaviors. County roads suffered 719 fatal and serious injury crashes in 2022. While small-scale crashes are concentrated in urban areas, rural county roads see 74% of county road fatalities, and when vehicle crashes occur there, the risk of fatalities is significantly higher than on urban roadways.
In 2019, House Bill 3213 established the County Safety Corridor Advisory Group and launched the Safety Corridor Pilot Program to design and test safety corridors aimed at improving rural traffic safety. Safety corridors are short stretches of road that pair doubled fines, engineered safety improvements, education and outreach strategies, and increased enforcement on a county road with a history of fatal or serious crashes.
County road officials, county sheriffs, emergency response officials, the Oregon Department of Transportation, and AOC came together to develop the pilot program and recruit counties to put this idea into practice.
Two safety corridors were launched by the pilot program, with Lane County and Marion County taking the lead on this traffic safety intervention. With Marion County’s emphasis on engineering improvements and Lane County’s emphasis on public education campaigns, both models proved to be highly successful.
Fatal and serious injury crashes were severely reduced along both county safety corridors. These successes are all the more impressive when compared to state wide crash data, which showed increases in fatal and serious injury crashes across the transportation system during the same timeframe.
The pilot program demonstrated that doubled traffic fines, in conjunction with road signs, outreach, and enforcement, led to short-term successes on two stretches of county roadway that had a high incidence of fatal and serious injury crashes.
We are excited that this lifesaving and practical tool will now be available to all Oregon counties as a standing fixture in state law.
Contributed by: Jordan Cole | Policy Analyst
Photo credit: New safety corridor in place by ODOT/ CC by 2.0.
Mar 11, 2025 | AOC Advocacy
Since the 2025 Legislature gaveled into session seven weeks ago a record number of bills have been introduced – well over 3,200. The Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) is tracking over 2,200 bills that have a potential impact on county budgets, services, or governance. The AOC Legislative Affairs Department has been in the Capitol every day advocating on behalf of county governments and AOC’s 2025 priorities.
Two of AOC’s top priorities will receive their first public hearings this week:
- House Bill 3518 – Modernizing County Assessment Funding
This bill modernizes the funding mechanisms that support the County Assessment Function Funding Assistance (CAFFA) Program. Introduced as a House Revenue Committee bill, a public hearing will be held on Tuesday, March 11, at 3 p.m. An action alert was sent last week to encourage all counties to submit testimony in support. A one-pager with background and a summary of the concept can be found here.
- House Bill 5004 – Funding Community Corrections
The Department of Corrections (DOC) budget, House Bill 5004 and Policy Option Package (POP) 102 which includes $68 million to fully fund Community Corrections, will be heard in the Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Public Safety on Thursday, March 13, at 8 a.m. AOC is working closely with the DOC and the Oregon Association of Community Corrections Directors to advocate for POP 102 and full funding of the cost study conducted this summer. An action alert will be sent out this week to encourage testimony in support.
Additionally, two bills introduced at AOC’s request advanced out of the House last week and now move on to the Senate for consideration.
- House Bill 3175 allows county governing bodies to increase the document recording fees that fund our County Surveyors Public Land Corner Preservation Programs and passed off of the House Floor 47-9.
- House Bill 2154 makes the County Safety Corridor Pilot Program permanent and passed out of the House last week with only one nay vote.
AOC members are encouraged to stay tuned for action alerts related to priority bills and Legislative Session email updates with details on dozens of bills on which the AOC Legislative Affairs Department has engaged so far this session.
Contributed by: Mallorie Roberts | Legislative Affairs Director
Mar 10, 2025 | AOC News
The Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) strengthened its legislative advocacy with the addition of Joe Casey on Feb. 25, as legislative affairs coordinator.
With a strong background in public policy, regulatory work, and legislative analysis, Joe brings valuable experience as a campaign manager and legislative staffer. His expertise will support advancing AOC’s policy priorities during the 2025 legislative session.
AOC Executive Director Gina Nikkel expressed her enthusiasm, saying, “Joe’s deep understanding of policy and legislative processes make him an invaluable asset to AOC’s advocacy efforts.”
Contributed by: Erin Good | Communications Coordinator
Mar 10, 2025 | AOC News, NACo
The Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) joined nearly 2,000 county leaders from across the country for the National Association of Counties (NACo) Legislative Conference March 1-4. Featured speakers included two cabinet secretaries along with members of Congress from both the U.S. House and Senate, including Oregon Senator Ron Wyden.
Over 30 Oregon county leaders and representatives of AOC participated in the conference, engaging in policy discussions through NACo’s policy steering committee process, as well as breakout and general sessions, hearing from a range of speakers in the federal government. These sessions covered a broad spectrum of critical issues, including tax and budget reconciliation, SALT and tax-exempt municipal bonds, disaster preparedness and management, artificial intelligence (AI), behavioral health and the county implications of policies being implemented during the first 100 days of the new administration.
For newly elected Benton County Commissioner Gabe Shepherd, a first-time attendee, the conference provided invaluable connections. “It was fascinating to hear from commissioners across the country how different our job is in each state,” he noted.
A key focus for the Oregon delegation was advocating for AOC’s federal policy priorities on Capitol Hill. AOC members and staff held meetings with Oregon’s Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, as well as Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Janelle Bynum, Cliff Bentz, Andrea Salinas, Val Hoyle, and the office of Maxine Dexter. These discussions centered on vital issues such as the Secure Rural Schools program, the Federal Consolidated Appropriations Act’s impact on state Medicaid coverage for youth in custody, the Federal Victims of Crime Act, and implementation of the FEMA Biological Opinion.
AOC First Vice President and Tillamook County Commissioner Erin Skaar emphasized the value of these meetings. “Meeting with Oregon’s senators and representatives gave me a new perspective into the workings of the federal government and provided insight into how to be more effective in discussions with federal officials and agencies,” she remarked.
Ultimately, the NACo Legislative Conference provided AOC and its members with crucial opportunities to influence federal policy, enabling them to better serve their communities across Oregon.
For more details about the 2025 NACo Legislative Conference, click here.
Contributed by: Erin Good | Communications Coordinator
Feb 24, 2025 | AOC Business Partner
Sponsored content contributed by AOC Business Partner: Regence
How to recognize the differences between a cold, flu, allergies and COVID-19
Know the symptoms
Sneezing, coughing or feeling feverish? Here are some common symptoms and what to look for.
Colds vs. allergies: Colds typically last three-10 days, while allergy symptoms can stick around for weeks or months. Itchy, watery eyes are rare with a cold but are common with allergies. A dry cough with wheezing is more likely an allergy, while a wet cough with mucus is more likely a cold.
Allergies vs. COVID-19: Allergies are more likely to cause itchy, watery eyes. Allergies don’t tend to cause fever or body aches, and they typically do not cause coughing, except in cases where there is a lot of nasal drainage. If you have allergies, stay on top of your treatment to prevent symptoms from getting worse.
Flu vs. COVID-19: Both can cause fever, cough and fatigue, but the flu is more likely to come with a high fever, severe headaches and body aches. COVID-19 symptoms may appear anywhere from two to 14 days after exposure and may come with a loss of taste and smell. If you’re unsure, take a COVID-19 test—especially if you’re at a higher risk for severe illness.
Manage your symptoms
Consider over-the-counter medications or home remedies: For colds and allergies, try over-the-counter medications and home remedies like rest, hydration and humidifiers to improve symptoms. For flu symptoms, pain relievers like aspirin, acetaminophen or ibuprofen can help reduce fever and relieve body aches.
Call your health care provider: If you have severe symptoms or are unsure about your diagnosis, contact a health care provider for guidance.
Prevent the spread of infection
Get vaccinated: The best prevention from flu and severe COVID-19 symptoms is getting vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends getting a flu vaccine once it’s available, ideally by the end of October.
Take a COVID-19 test: If you’re unsure about your symptoms, take a test to rule out COVID-19.
Know when to return to normal activities: If you have the flu or COVID-19, the CDC advises waiting until your symptoms are improved and you haven’t had a fever (and aren’t taking fever-reducing medication) for at least 24 hours.
More information
Check out this infographic from the CDC for guidance on protecting yourself and others from respiratory viruses like the flu, COVID-19 and RSV.
Take added precautions: For the next five days after returning to normal activities, take extra steps to prevent the spread of infection.
- Improve air quality with ventilation or air purifiers.
- Practice good hygiene, such as frequent handwashing and cleaning surfaces.
- Wear a mask when around others indoors.
If you get sick and need care, call your doctor. Consider virtual care or an urgent care clinic before heading to the hospital emergency department (ED). EDs will cost you more and may be extremely busy so wait times could be long.
