Aug 23, 2024 | AOC News
The Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) has hired Miles Palacios as a legislative affairs manager, covering issues related to governance, revenue, and economic development.
Palacios comes to AOC with an impressive array of experience and a deep commitment to making a positive impact through strategic policy and community engagement. Prior to AOC, Palacios led the Oregon Association of Student Councils (OASC), a nonprofit focused on the equitable development of Oregon youth leaders.
“We are excited to have Miles join our legislative affairs team to effectively elevate the county voice with our partner agencies and organizations. His leadership in a membership association, coupled with his work in policy and program development for legislators and the governor’s office, makes him an excellent addition to AOC,” said Gina Nikkel, AOC executive director.
Palacios’ first day was Aug. 1.
Contributed by: Erin Good | Communications Coordinator
Jul 29, 2024 | AOC News, Transportation
County commissioners capitalized on opportunities to engage with the Oregon Legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation (JCT) at the committee’s Transportation Safety and Sustainability Outreach Tour stops in Albany and Eugene in July.
Listening tour host counties Linn and Lane worked closely with the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) to plan a local facility site tour to demonstrate cross-jurisdictional partnership and the essential nature of the shared county/state/city road system in supporting public services, jobs, and the economy of our state.
Following the site tours, county commissioners from the Albany and Eugene regions were invited to attend an intimate roundtable conversation with JCT members, local legislators, Oregon Transportation Commission members, governor’s office staff, ODOT leadership, and other community transportation leaders.
County commissioners discussed the impact of inflation, dwindling federal support, and limited local revenue bases on county road department budgets and stressed that counties put their 30% of the State Highway Fund to good use.
“The vast majority of Lane County’s road infrastructure was built over 100 years ago and, with escalating costs, we are falling further behind in our maintenance and preservation backlog,” said Lane County Chair Laurie Trieger. “Beyond the preservation needs of our existing century-old infrastructure,” she said, “we are also focused on key system pillars to carry us into the next century of service: safety, resilience, equity, and access.”
One of the Association of Oregon Counties’ (AOC) top legislative priorities for the 2025 session is to ensure a comprehensive transportation funding package prioritizes investments in operations, maintenance, and safety; incorporates diverse and modern funding mechanisms to ensure the growth and stabilization of the State Highway Fund; maintains the 30% county share of State Highway Fund revenues; and reduces barriers to local revenue sources.
The JCT listening tour continues throughout the summer, stopping next in Coos Bay on Aug. 7. Find the complete tour schedule and resources on the AOC website. AOC and the County Road Program are offering support via talking points, template testimony, and one-pagers to our member counties.
The AOC County Road Program conducted a statewide survey this spring and will present a comprehensive County Road Needs Study to the legislature during September Legislative Days in Salem.
Submitted by: Mallorie Roberts | Legislative Affairs Director
Jul 29, 2024 | AOC News, NACo
AOC members from eleven counties attended the National Association of Counties (NACo) Annual Conference and Exposition in Hillsborough County, Fla. in July. The nation’s largest meeting of county leaders drew nearly 3,000 attendees to discuss a wide range of policy issues, exchange best practices, and connect with national leaders.
“It was a great experience,” said AOC President Danielle Bethell. “The opportunity to work alongside my fellow Oregon commissioners on policy topics important to us was invigorating. The energy we have as a team, speaking to our uniqueness as individual counties and as a state resonated with our peers in other states.”
Apart from attending NACo steering committees and breakout sessions, personal connections were strengthened through shared lunches and walks down Ybor Avenue (the 7th most popular street in the U.S.). Bethell encourages members to attend future conferences to help achieve better outcomes for Oregon counties. “This was my first year in attendance and I left knowing I’ll continue to attend.”
The conference provided attendees with resources to help address key issues, including mental health, housing affordability, infrastructure, artificial intelligence, disaster preparedness, effective governance and operations, federal public lands management, workforce and economic development, and civic engagement.
Clackamas County was recognized during the conference with a NACo Achievement Award for its innovative housing program. The Clackamas County Coordinated Housing Access Improvement Program (CHA) provides a single door that assesses and refers people in need to all of the county’s housing resources. People in a housing crisis connect with a trained, compassionate CHA assessor who listens intently to their story, pinpointing immediate needs while drawing upon local resources to find the right program fit. People are also guided to problem solve, and may receive other social services referrals including to physical and mental health programs. As part of Clackamas County’s housing services programs, CHA has contributed to a 65% decrease in homelessness from 2019 to 2023, during a period when homelessness increased nationally. View all the award recipients on the NACo website.
The NACo Commission on Mental Health and Wellbeing unveiled its policy priorities to improve mental health in its final report on Saturday, July 13, at the annual conference. Members of the commission, including AOC Executive Director Gina Nikkel, who had been meeting and examining the issue over the past 18 months, discussed the report during the opening general session. The commission’s policy priorities include amending exclusionary policies under Medicaid, enhancing local crisis response systems, strengthening the mental health workforce, and enforcing mental health parity. “Counties play an integral part in addressing our nation’s mental health and wellbeing crisis,” said Nikkel. “I’m excited about having enough dollars and support across the federal, state, and local governments to build the full continuum of care so people have access to it.”
James Gore, NACo’s new president, announced presidential appointments during the conference. Several Oregon leaders were among those appointed to key roles in national policy making. Their involvement ensures that the unique perspectives and needs of Oregon counties are represented in solving problems that impact communities across the nation.
The following members were appointed to leadership positions in NACo committees for the 2024-2025 presidential year:
Clackamas County Commissioner Paul Savas
- Transportation Steering Committee
Clackamas County Commissioner Martha Schrader
- Community, Economic and Workforce Development Steering Committee
- International Economic Development Task Force
- Membership Standing Committee
Crook County Commissioner Susan Hermreck
- Public Lands Steering Committee, Land Management Subcommittee
Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Chang
- Public Lands Steering Committee, Payments Subcommittee
Multnomah County Commissioner Lori Stegmann
- Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee
Umatilla County Commissioner John Shafer
- Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee, Law Enforcement Subcommittee
Union County Commissioner Paul Anderes
- Public Lands Steering Committee, Land Management Subcommittee
Washington County Commissioner Nafisa Fai
- Transportation Steering Committee
Contributed by: Erin Good | Communications Coordinator
Jul 24, 2024 | AOC News
The Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) has hired Brandy Bradshaw as the Office Administrator.
Bradshaw joins AOC with a background in office management, including customer service, accounting, and project coordination. Previously, she managed all aspects of office operations for a local concrete company. “Brandy will be a wonderful addition to the AOC team and we are thrilled to have her on board to provide administrative support for the organization,” said AOC Executive Director Gina Nikkel.
Bradshaw’s first day was July 24.
Contributed by: Erin Good | Communications Coordinator
Jun 27, 2024 | AOC Advocacy, AOC News, Legislative Committee
The Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) policy steering committees met June 17-18, to deliberate and make recommendations to the AOC Legislative Committee for the short list of top-priority policy objectives for the 2025 Oregon State Legislative session. The AOC Legislative Committee ultimately adopted five priorities, which make up the 2025 AOC Policy Priority Platform (View PDF). The following priorities all speak to AOC’s overarching state-county partnership goal – counties provide essential public services to all Oregonians and must be supported by adequate resources and appropriate authority.
Governance and Revenue
- Sustain and protect the property tax asset to the benefit of all property owners and taxing districts through adequate, equitable, and stable funding for county assessment and taxation programs.
Health and Human Services
- Provide counties with the resources to address Oregon’s addiction and homelessness crises by removing administrative burdens and funding county public health and behavioral health services, deflection programs, and local homelessness response coordination for youth and adults.
Natural Resources
- Protect and strengthen county authority, funding, and flexibility in managing local natural resource policies.
Public Safety
- Fully fund a revised community corrections formula that accurately reflects the costs incurred by counties.
Transportation
- Ensure a comprehensive transportation funding package prioritizes investments in operations, maintenance, and safety; incorporates diverse and modern funding mechanisms to ensure the growth and stabilization of the State Highway Fund (SHF); maintains the 30% county share of SHF revenues; and reduces barriers to local revenue sources.
Over 30 hours of steering committee meetings, held between April and June, informed these priorities. State agency directors, Governor Kotek’s policy staff, state agency commission chairs, and stakeholder partners joined our members for deep dives into the issues facing Oregon’s 36 counties. Throughout these meetings, AOC steering committees identified the most pressing items with a direct impact on county governance, budgets, and services. The AOC Legislative Affairs Department will engage on hundreds of bills with potential impacts to counties during the 2025 session and will continue to bring issues forward to our membership through the AOC policy process. The next AOC day will be Monday, Sept. 9, with steering committees also meeting on Friday, Sept. 6. Stay updated on all AOC meetings and events with the calendar on AOC’s website.
Contributed by: Mallorie Roberts | Legislative Affairs Director
May 28, 2024 | AOC Advocacy, AOC News
The Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) policy steering committees and the Legislative Committee will meet June 17-18, in Salem, to consider and adopt the policy priority platform for Oregon’s 2025 legislative session. AOC’s priority policy items represent pressing issues with a strong nexus to county budgets, services, and functions that unite all Oregon counties.
Since the legislature adjourned sine die in March, AOC steering committees have met for nearly 40 hours of collective deep-dive information gathering and dialogue in preparation for the priority setting meetings. AOC steering committee co-chairs invited stakeholders, AOC affiliate and associate organizations, governor’s office representatives, and state agency directors and staff for presentations and in-depth Q&A sessions.
The AOC Legislative Committee adopts official positions on policy proposals, principles, and biennial priorities as recommended by AOC steering committees and thereby directs the legislative activities of the executive director and AOC legislative affairs team. Membership of the AOC Legislative Committee includes the AOC Board of Directors, one additional member from each of the eight AOC districts, the chair and vice chair of each AOC steering committee, one district attorney designated by the Oregon District Attorneys Association, and any additional members that the board of directors choose to appoint, such as a county not otherwise represented. Action is taken with 67% approval of voters present.
AOC steering committees analyze policy proposals, formulate policy solutions, discuss best practices, and advise the AOC legislative committee on policy positions, policy principles, and biennial priorities. Steering committees are co-chaired by county commissioners appointed every year by the AOC President and meetings are open to all AOC members. Every AOC member present at an AOC steering committee meeting can vote on action items and help shape AOC’s policy platform.
AOC steering committee recordings, agendas, and supplemental materials can be found on the AOC website within each policy portfolio:
Contributed by: Mallorie Roberts | Legislative Affairs Director
