Sep 2, 2026 | AOC Business Partner
Sponsored content contributed by AOC Business Partner: Regence BlueCross BlueShield
Wildfires are becoming more frequent and severe in many parts of the country, especially in the summer. When these fires burn, they release harmful particles and pollutants into the air, contributing to poor air quality. Wildfire smoke can be harmful, and certain groups are more vulnerable to its effects, including people with respiratory conditions, children, older adults, and those who are pregnant. By taking simple steps, you can minimize your exposure to wildfire smoke and stay healthy.
Stay informed
The best way to know if the air quality is safe is to check the Air Quality Index (AQI) using AirNow.gov. The AQI translates real time air quality data into numbers and colors to help you make informed decisions about your outdoor activities. You can enter your zip code or city name to see the AQI for your location. Many smartphone weather apps also share AQI data.
Reduce exposure
When air quality is poor, follow these tips to reduce your exposure to wildfire smoke:
- Stay indoors with windows and doors closed.
- Reduce intense outdoor physical activity.
- To reduce indoor air pollution, refrain from smoking indoors, vacuuming, using wood stoves or fireplaces and frying food.
- Use central air conditioners or heaters to filter the air. A home’s heater or air conditioner set to the fan mode may be able to filter out some particles by re-circulating the indoor air through the filter.
- Use air purifiers with HEPA (PM2.5) filters to remove fine particles from the air.
- When driving, keep windows closed, run the air conditioner, and set the air to recirculate to reduce smoke.
- If you need to go outside, wear a disposable respirator mask rated N95 or higher to inhale less pollution.
Manage respiratory conditions
If you have a respiratory condition like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), take extra precautions:
We’re here to help
If you’re a Regence BlueCross BlueShield member and you need help finding a provider, we’re here to support you. Use our provider search to find a provider in your network. Check out our virtual health choices if you prefer telehealth. If you are insured in other ways and have questions about your health plan or need help using your benefits, please contact the customer service at your health plan.
Sep 2, 2026 | AOC Business Partner
Sponsored content contributed by AOC Business Partner: Grant Pilot
In county courthouses across Oregon, you’ll hear a version of the same story. The person managing the county’s finances is also the one tracking down matching funds for the road project. The person coordinating emergency response is also the one who used to have time to chase outside grant dollars, until that work slid to the bottom of an ever-growing pile. AOC hears this often enough that it has a name: the STP problem, short for “Same Two People.” The same two people writing the grant, tracking the deadline, filing the report, usually on top of the rest of their actual job description.
It isn’t a gap that’s closing on its own. At least 21 of Oregon’s 36 counties, roughly 58%, entered the FY 2025–26 budget cycle facing general fund deficits or anticipated cuts to core services. Property tax revenue, which grows slowly under Oregon’s constitutional limits, hasn’t kept pace with rising costs, and the one-time federal relief funding that had propped up many county budgets has run dry. Few counties employ a dedicated grant writer. Instead, department heads absorb grant-seeking on top of everything else they’re already doing, and real money that could be coming into the county goes unpursued because no one has the hours to go find it.
Grant Pilot was built for exactly this moment. The platform comes from Rural Prosperity Partners, a team that has spent nearly seven years working alongside rural Oregon communities and helped raise nearly $100 million in funding, the majority of it right here in Oregon. That track record is built into the platform itself: it isn’t a search tool bolted onto an AI. It’s a full grant lifecycle solution, built on a proven workflow: find the right opportunities, help draft competitive applications, and track reporting and compliance once the grant is awarded. Grant Pilot is offered at a fraction of the cost of the national platforms many counties have already been pitched.
Cody Lathrop, Wallowa County Commissioner put it simply: “This is a really exciting opportunity. It could help counties streamline their grant process, expand what they’re able to do, and save money in the process.”
Proven results for organizations like yours
Built by experienced grant professionals for organizations with limited capacity, Grant Pilot covers the full grant lifecycle in one platform, starting at $69/month, a fraction of the cost of Instrumentl and with more functionality than Candid.
- Smart discovery: Daily ranked searches across federal, state, local, and private funders, matched to your mission and capacity. Includes 30,000+ open, vetted grant opportunities and 124,000+ active funders.
- Project tracking: One shared workspace for the grant process, so institutional knowledge survives staff turnover.
- Grant writing assistant: Drafts applications question by question, checks consistency, verifies citations, and scores against a rubric. It’s built on an AI trained on millions of dollars in successful grant applications.
- Award management: Deliverables, deadlines, reporting, and budget in one place from discovery through closeout. No separate spreadsheets to maintain, and planned integrations with administrative software.
Maybe your county has a grants function stretched too thin. Maybe department heads are squeezing grant-seeking in between everything else. Either way, Grant Pilot gives your people their time back and brings more dollars in the door in the process. As fall funding cycles open up, make sure the same two people aren’t carrying this alone.
Try Grant Pilot at 50% off for two months. It’s an exclusive offer for AOC members. Learn more at www.grantpilot.org
Jul 27, 2026 | AOC Business Partner
Sponsored content contributed by AOC Business Partner: Tyler Technologies
Property tax administration plays a critical role in funding essential county services. It’s also one of the most direct interactions residents have with local government. When processes are clear and consistent, they build trust. When they’re not, they create frustration for taxpayers and staff alike.
Across counties, assessment and taxation offices manage high volumes of work under fixed timelines. During peak periods, manual, paper-based workflows often require multiple departments to handle mail, complete data entry, review documentation, and respond to taxpayer inquiries. These handoffs increase workload and make it harder to see where a filing or payment stands at any given moment.
Why simplification matters
Simplifying property tax processes isn’t about changing policy or reducing oversight. It’s about making routine work more manageable and information easier to access.
For county staff, streamlined workflows can help:
- Reduce manual data entry and paper handling
- Improve coordination across departments
- Provide better visibility into workload and filing status
For taxpayers, simplification shows up as transparency:
- Clear access to property and tax information
- Fewer steps to submit required forms or payments
- Greater confidence that submissions were received and processed
Transparency builds trust
Taxpayers may not expect property taxes to be simple, but they do expect them to be understandable. Clear access to information, consistent communication, and reliable status tracking all help reinforce confidence in county processes.
Modern tax billing and collections practices increasingly focus on centralizing information, improving reporting, and reducing unnecessary manual steps, supporting both operational efficiency and public accountability.
Supporting staff through technology
As counties seek additional ways to improve efficiency and service delivery, artificial intelligence is beginning to show promise as a practical tool within assessment and taxation offices. While AI is not a replacement for professional judgment or staff expertise, it can help automate many of the repetitive and time-consuming tasks that consume valuable resources.
Staffing challenges: This opportunity comes at a particularly important time for local governments. Many assessment and taxation offices are experiencing the effects of what workforce experts often refer to as the “Silver Tsunami”—the retirement of long-serving public sector employees who possess decades of institutional knowledge and technical expertise. As experienced appraisers, assessment staff, and tax administration professionals leave the workforce, counties face the dual challenge of replacing personnel while also preserving critical knowledge that has often been developed over many years of service.
Standardizing workflows: Technology can play an important role in helping agencies address this transition. Modern systems can help standardize workflows, improve documentation, centralize data, and make information more accessible to newer employees. AI may further assist by helping staff locate information more quickly, summarize complex documentation, identify potential data inconsistencies, and respond to routine inquiries. These capabilities can help reduce administrative burdens and shorten learning curves for newer team members while allowing experienced staff to focus on higher-value activities before retirement and during knowledge transfer efforts.
Constituent service: Potential applications include assisting taxpayers with routine questions through 24/7 self-service tools, improving access to information across multiple systems, summarizing large volumes of property-related documentation, identifying inconsistencies in data, and helping staff locate relevant records more quickly. AI may also help reduce administrative burdens related to processing and evaluating information, allowing employees to focus more time on complex analysis, valuation activities, exception handling, and direct constituent engagement.
As local governments continue to face increasing workloads, rising service expectations, and ongoing staffing challenges, carefully implemented AI solutions have the potential to enhance efficiency, improve customer service, and support more responsive government operations while maintaining transparency and accountability.
Moving Forward, Practically
Many counties start by focusing on the most paper-heavy or time-sensitive parts of the tax lifecycle. Small, targeted improvements can reduce staff strain, improve service and make the system easier to navigate without sacrificing accuracy or control.
Property tax administration will always be complex. But thoughtful simplification can make it clearer, more transparent, and more manageable for everyone involved.
By Bob Tenace, Account Executive, Tyler Technologies
Jul 27, 2026 | AOC Business Partner
Sponsored content contributed by AOC Business Partner: Covenant Technology Solutions
Most counties are not under-secured because they do not care. They are under-resourced. IT teams are often lean, budgets are tight, and the list of security expectations keeps growing.
That is why the goal should not be “do everything.” The goal should be to do the right things consistently.
A practical Minimum Viable Security program gives counties a simple operating rhythm:
Weekly: Review critical alerts, suspicious sign-ins, and backup completion.
Monthly: Review admin access, patch the highest-risk systems first, and confirm email protections are working as expected.
Quarterly: Run a tabletop exercise, validate one restore, and review vendor access.
The quick win: choose one day each month for a “security tune-up hour.” Use that time to check access, backups, patching, and anything that has changed since the last review.
Consistency beats intensity. Counties do not need a perfect cybersecurity program overnight. They need a realistic cadence that reduces risk, supports essential services, and gives leadership confidence that the most important items are being reviewed.
For counties that want a structured way to measure progress, Covenant’s Technology Assessments and Microsoft 365 Secure Score Assessment can help identify practical next steps.
Read the full article.
Jun 25, 2026 | AOC Business Partner
(Photo: Adam Capage and Diane Brandt from Renewable NW, at the AOC Annual Conference in 2025)
Sponsored content contributed by AOC Business Partner: Renewable Northwest
Renewable Northwest (RNW) is a nonprofit organization that advocates for the development of clean, renewable resources in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana. As a partner of the Association of Oregon Counties, our paths frequently cross in advocacy, utility policy, and infrastructure development across the Pacific Northwest. A key component of our advocacy work at the county-level is to promote streamlined and predictable siting and permitting processes for renewable energy generation and energy storage.
In early 2024, RNW launched the “County Advisory Group” with the goal of engaging with county governments and learning firsthand what issues are regularly faced as renewable energy and storage projects are considered. The group is exclusive to County Commissioners and County Planners — some with experience drafting local ordinances, and others who seek to learn from the experiences of peers. Over the past two years, the group has grown to twenty-five participants from Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.
We’ve met over a dozen times with varying agendas — several meetings have been self-led by internal group participants describing experiences in their own counties and then fielding questions from peers. Other meetings have included external guest speakers on topics ranging from best practices for setting decommissioning requirements, to a briefing on battery storage (BESS), which was our most recent meeting. There have also been beginner-level learning sessions about broader energy topics like the transmission system, the utility regulatory process, and the Community Renewable Energy Association (CREA). Meetings are usually one hour, always held virtually, and are scheduled roughly every 6 weeks.
Going forward, the goals for this group remain modest; we seek to continue listening, learning, and building local connections across Washington, Oregon and Idaho. RNW has gained valuable perspectives from hearing best practices about developing renewable energy ordinances, and we now bring this perspective to counties who are new to considering their own ordinances. We have heard from group members that they appreciate learning about the broader energy system and sharing with peers.
“I’ve participated in this group from the beginning and I’m glad, because it helps me in Sherman to hear what other counties are doing.” – Judge Joe Dabulskis, Sherman County
If you would like to learn more about the County Advisory Group reach out to Adam Capage at RNW: adam@renewablenw.org. Participation is limited to Commissioners and County Planners, and we’re always looking for more participants who want to discuss how the siting process can be improved for local governments and citizens. If you’d like to learn more about RNW’s work, visit our website: renewablenw.org.
Jun 25, 2026 | AOC Business Partner
Sponsored content contributed by AOC Business Partner: Pinnacle Architecture, Inc.
Oregon counties are facing unprecedented behavioral health challenges. Demand for crisis response services continues to grow, while emergency departments, law enforcement agencies, and behavioral health providers are asked to do more with limited resources. As counties invest in crisis stabilization infrastructure, the focus is no longer simply on creating additional capacity, it is about creating environments that improve outcomes for individuals, staff, and the broader community.
Crisis Stabilization Centers represent one of the most important opportunities to strengthen the behavioral health continuum of care. These facilities provide immediate intervention for individuals experiencing a mental health crisis, helping divert people from jails and emergency rooms while connecting them to appropriate services. When thoughtfully designed, they become a critical community asset that supports recovery, improves operational efficiency, and maximizes public investment.
Deschutes County Stabilization Center
We have seen firsthand how design can support these goals. The Deschutes County Stabilization Center, Central Oregon’s first mental health stabilization center, was developed to provide an alternative response for those experiencing behavioral health crises. The project reflects an emerging statewide priority: creating facilities specifically designed for stabilization rather than relying on systems that were never intended to address behavioral health needs.
Successful stabilization centers begin with the patient experience. Individuals often arrive in distress, making the physical environment a powerful tool in de-escalation and recovery. Access to natural light, intuitive wayfinding, calming materials, and comfortable gathering spaces help create a setting that feels welcoming rather than institutional. Research and experience consistently show that environment matters in behavioral healthcare
The recently completed Klamath Basin Behavioral Health Campus exemplifies how counties can leverage thoughtful design to expand access to care while improving community outcomes. Working alongside Klamath Basin Behavioral Health, Pinnacle helped create a walkable behavioral health campus that includes a new residential treatment center and the region’s first Crisis Stabilization Center. The project will double the number of residential treatment beds available in Klamath County while providing a local resource for individuals in crisis, helping reduce the burden on hospitals and jails.
Just as importantly, the design demonstrates how the built environment can support healing. Walking paths, outdoor gathering areas, a community garden, abundant natural daylight, and acoustical treatments create spaces that promote comfort, recovery, and resilience. Warm materials, clear wayfinding, and connections to nature help foster a sense of dignity and safety for both patients and staff.
For counties, operational effectiveness is equally important. Facilities must support clinical workflows, staff visibility, and future flexibility while meeting strict budget requirements. The Klamath Basin campus was planned with future growth in mind, allowing the organization to expand services as community needs evolve. Thoughtful planning today can help counties avoid costly renovations tomorrow while ensuring facilities remain adaptable to changing service models, funding opportunities, and regulatory requirements.
As Oregon continues to invest in behavioral health infrastructure, the most successful projects will be those that view design as a strategic tool rather than a construction requirement. Stabilization and crisis centers are an opportunity to reduce pressure on emergency systems, support behavioral health providers, and create dignified pathways to recovery for some of the community’s most vulnerable residents.
When counties invest in facilities designed around safety, healing, and operational excellence, they are doing more than constructing buildings, they are building the foundation for stronger, healthier communities.
About the Author
Briana Manfrass is President of Pinnacle Architecture and specializes in healthcare, housing, and civic facility planning and design. An Evidence-Based Design (EBD) Certified professional, she brings more than 20 years of experience helping public agencies translate community needs into thoughtful, practical, and sustainable solutions. Briana is passionate about working alongside local leaders to solve complex challenges, build consensus, and create facilities that serve communities for generations.
To discuss facility planning or a future crisis center contact Briana at Briana@parch.biz or 541.388.9897 ext. 22.
