Jun 26, 2023 | AOC Advocacy, AOC News
The 82nd Legislative Assembly adjourned sine die on June 25, 2023 after a whirlwind of productivity during the initial four months followed by an historic six week stalemate. Under leadership from AOC policy steering committees and AOC Legislative Committee, members and staff spent the last six months advocating for AOC’s 2023 legislative priorities, negotiating away threats to county budgets and services, and securing significant policy wins and funding for counties.
This year saw a newly elected governor and administration, new leadership in both the House and Senate, and a large majority of freshmen legislators. Recognizing this as both an opportunity and a challenge, AOC prioritized meaningful relationship development this session. AOC President Derrick DeGroot and AOC Executive Director Gina Nikkel spent time over the last six months with Governor Kotek and staff, House Speaker, House and Senate Majority and Minority Leader offices, and key committee leadership.
“Politics is a person-to-person business,” said President DeGroot. For AOC and counties to achieve more influence and impact in Salem, we have to spend time developing long-term relationships and implementing thoughtful, productive strategy.”
Notable AOC wins this session include:
- HB 2101A – Surface Transportation Block Grant Fund Exchange Program stability
- HB 3201 – Critical updates to broadband statutes to secure nearly $900M in federal funding
- SB 80A – Improved Dept of Forestry/county engagement process on wildfire hazard map
- HB 2010A – Place based water planning and drought resources
- Interim work group on aid and assist liability mitigation and a risk fund
- SB 344A – Reauthorization of the Justice Reinvestment Initiative
The AOC legislative affairs team lobbied for/against over 180 bills this session, analyzed and submitted fiscal impact statements on over 500 bills, and secured interim legislative workgroup commitments for priorities that did not pass this session.
Details on every bill on which the AOC Legislative Committee took a position will be included in the AOC Legislative Session Report, published in the coming weeks. Please join the upcoming virtual meetings of the AOC Steering Committees for a deeper dive into policy and budget outcomes.
Contributed by: Mallorie Roberts, AOC legislative affairs director
Jun 26, 2023 | AOC Advocacy, AOC News, Governance, Revenue, & Economic Development
House Bill 2009 became the vehicle for negotiations that began early in session about several economic development and tax incentive programs long supported and utilized by counties. Negotiations centered on policy differences about the importance of these locally-driven tools to attract businesses to areas that need development and the alternative viewpoint that the subsidies in these programs needlessly reduce local revenues that could be used for other services, in particular schools.
AOC supported the efforts to keep these incentives as strong as possible and worked with other stakeholders, including the Oregon Economic Development Association and League of Oregon Cities to keep the programs intact.
After weeks of negotiation, public hearing testimony and advocacy from AOC members, and multiple rounds of amendments, a -15 amendment to HB 2009 was finally adopted and now goes to the governor for signature.
The compromise legislation does the following:
- Reinstates the research and development tax credit, which was discontinued by the legislature in past years
- Tax credit is in effect for 5 years, the percentage is 15 percent of the investment, and the maximum credit per taxpayer is $4 million
- Extends the Enterprise Zone and Long-term Rural Enterprise Zone programs through 2032
- “Fulfillment centers” are no longer eligible
- Increases the eligibility threshold for projects in the strategic investment program and indexes the eligibility threshold and the taxation threshold
- Adds a new “school impact fee” to the Enterprise Zone program
- Extends the Gain Share program through 2030
- Adds transparency and notice requirements
The most concerning part of HB 2009 for AOC was the addition of the new school impact fee. Fortunately, the initial proposal was negotiated down to be imposed only in years four and five for regular Enterprise Zones and year six for Long-term Rural Enterprise Zones. The fee will be negotiated between the school district and the zone sponsor and be between 15 percent and 30 percent of the property taxes that would otherwise be paid. Each fee negotiated would apply to all subsequent agreements.
Contributed by: Anna Braun, AOC contract lobbyist
Jun 26, 2023 | AOC News
Hood River County Chair Jennifer Euwer and Grant County Commissioner Jim Hamsher are among new members appointed to the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) Local Officials Advisory Committee (LOAC) last month. The LOAC was created by statute (ORS 197.165) with a mandate to promote mutual understanding and cooperation between local governments and the Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) in implementing state land use law, including Oregon’s statewide land use planning goals, and ORS chapters 195, 196, and 197. Staff transitions and the pandemic led to a several-year hiatus, but the committee was reconstituted in 2022 after a joint effort by AOC, League of Cities, and DLCD.
The DLCD provides staffing support to LOAC. Per the committee’s bylaws, the membership must be made up of city or county elected officials, who are appointed by LCDC and serve four-year terms. Other county officials serving on the LOAC include Marion County Commissioner Colm Willis and Benton County Commissioner Nancy Wyse, who serves as the committee chair after being elected by the committee’s membership last year.
LOCA Chair Commissioner Wyse hopes the LOAC can promote increased collaboration. “Counties play an important role in determining how state land use law should apply to the unique circumstances in their communities, so it’s critical that counties have opportunities to weigh in as LCDC and DLCD deliberate about policy. I’m grateful for the renewed commitment to collaborating with local governments through LOAC. Our focus will be on working together to ensure development rules work well in practice and to promote the kind of development Oregon communities want and need, said Wyse.”
In welcoming the new members, DLCD Director, Dr. Brenda Ortigoza Bateman personally congratulated them and expressed her appreciation for their service. “This is a tremendous group of people. We now have elected officials serving on LOAC from every region of the state. LOAC Members review our policy agenda and provide implementation advice; they play a critical role in our ongoing relationship and partnership with local governments, said Ortigoza.”
The next LOAC meeting is scheduled for September 11, 2023; the meeting agenda and supplemental materials will be made available on the committee’s website as the meeting approaches.
Contributed by: Michael Burdick, AOC legislative affairs manager
Jun 26, 2023 | AOC Advocacy, AOC News, Health & Human Services
Amidst the hustle and bustle of this year’s long legislative session and ongoing leadership transitions in the Oregon Health Authority, the state-county partnership on our shared health and human services has continued to grow. The directors of the Oregon Health Authority, Department of Human Services, Oregon Housing & Community Services and the Office of Emergency of Management are at the table with county commissioners and other local government leaders for monthly Local Government Advisory Committee (LGAC) meetings chaired by Lane County Commissioner Pat Farr. They have been focusing on the statewide emergency homelessness response, preparations for the upcoming wildfire season, and the development of the new state-county contract for community behavioral health services.
In the coming months, the LGAC will also dig into closer partnership on court-mandated services provided by the Oregon State Hospital and counties’ Community Mental Health Programs, as well as the implementation of several new Medicaid 1115 waiver benefits and the coordination of public health modernization efforts.
An outgrowth of that relationship-building work is a state-county-city collaboration with the Oregon Housing & Community Services department begun this spring to maximize the impact of $26 million homelessness emergency response funding. The funding was earmarked in HB 5019 this session for communities within the Balance of State Continuum of Care which includes 26 of Oregon’s 36 counties. The collaboration has yielded a two-pronged approach for disbursing the funds which is built on a shared commitment to geographic equity; a portion of the $26M will be targeted to meeting the bill requirements to create 100 new shelter beds and rehouse 450 people, with the remainder dedicated to building the capacity of every interested county to respond to its homelessness and housing needs and to draw down available state funding in coming biennia that most rural and frontier counties have not historically had the capacity to do.
The Local Government Advisory Committee for Health & Health Human Services meets monthly on the fourth Friday at 10:00 a.m. in the Human Services Building, Room 160, 500 Summer Street NE in Salem.
Contributed by: Jessica Pratt, AOC legislative affairs manager
Jun 23, 2023 | AOC News
The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is seeking a permanent director. They would like your input to inform the search. Motus Executive Search will host listening sessions to gather the perspectives of community partners to identify the key attributes and skills you would like to see in the next OHA director.
The Motus team will facilitate a 60-minute listening session, guided by five structured questions. Motus is dedicated to fostering productive collaboration and meaningful communication throughout this listening session. They encourage you to share any additional input and insight from your perspective. After each question is asked, the Motus facilitator will pause to listen to feedback and responses from the group.
The questions will focus on the health challenges and opportunities facing Oregon communities in coming years, the type of leadership style you would like to see in OHA’s next leader and the experience and track record of engagement they should have in diversity, equity and inclusion.
All listening sessions will be conducted and recorded virtually via Zoom. The listening sessions will be held:
- July 10th from 12pm to 1 pm
- July 12th from 6 pm to 7 pm
- July 14th from 1 pm to 2 pm
The Zoom link for each session is:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7669630318?pwd=U2VMZlRXWlRxNnQ5MWZIeDRvNi8wdz09
To attend via phone, the toll-free number to call is 888-788-0099 and you will be prompted to enter the meeting ID and passcode.
Meeting ID: 766963 0318
Passcode: 987654
The Oregon Health Authority’s mission is to ensure that all people and communities in Oregon can achieve optimum physical, mental, and social well-being through partnerships, prevention, and access to quality, affordable health care.
For more information, you can review the OHA director recruitment job posting.
Jun 16, 2023 | AOC News
On June 16, the Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) celebrated the graduation of twenty-four students from diverse backgrounds including County commissioners, judges, staff, and OSU Extension staff.
The County College program, sponsored by CIS and Oregon State University (OSU) Extension, began in 2006 in partnership with the OSU Extension Service, and for four years, ran every year. Since the 2009 class, it has run every other year in odd years. Designed primarily for new commissioners, judges, chairs, and high-level staff, the program offers a comprehensive overview of the responsibilities and authorities of a county, and a county commissioner, judge, or chair, including legal, government ethics, public meetings and records, parliamentary procedure, and much more.
Over six months, County College participants engaged in over 80 hours of educational programming from over 75 content experts and thought leaders. In addition, they gained hands-on experience with tours at the OSU, Oregon Forest Science Complex, the Oregon State Hospital Museum, the Marion Resource Recovery Facility, and the Marion County Public Works Facility.
In November, the 2023 County College class will come together again for a formal graduation ceremony as part of the 2023 AOC Annual Conference Opening General Session at the Graduate Eugene.
Congratulations to the Graduates of the 2023 County College Program:
- Chair Shane Alderson, Baker County
- Commissioner Christina Witham, Baker County
- Commissioner Kellie Jo Smith, Columbia County
- Commissioner Rod Taylor, Coos County
- Nikkol Taylor, Coos County
- Commissioner Brad Alcorn, Curry County
- Commissioner Jonathan Trost, Curry County
- Assistant to the County Commissioners/ Employee Resources Officer Miranda Rees, Gilliam County
- Commissioner Leah Watkins, Gilliam County
- Executive Assistant to the County Judge Delaney Watkins, Gilliam County
- Judge William Hart, Harney County
- Commissioner Mark Wunsch, Jefferson County
- Legal Secretary Kassie Austin, Josephine County
- Commissioner David Loveall, Lane County
- Commissioner David Sykes, Morrow County
- Commissioner Jeff Wenholz, Morrow County
- Commissioner Roy Drago, Morrow County
- Regional Director Nicole Strong, OSU Extension / AOC Districts 2 and 3
- Local Liaison Laura Corder, OSU Extension / Douglas County
- Service District Administrator Tammi Gaskey, Sherman County
- Commissioner Cindy Timmons, Umatilla County
- Commissioner Phil Brady, Wasco County
- Administrative Services Director Ali Postlewait, Wasco County
- Commissioner Kit Johnston, Yamhill County
View the entire 2023 county college program curriculum and agendas here.
Contributed by Kristen Paul, AOC public affairs associate
