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2005-173-Minutes for Meeting February 22,2005 Recorded 3/16/2005COUNTY OFFICIAL TES NANCYUBLANKENSHIP, COUNTY CLERKDS U COMMISSIONERS' JOURNAL 03/16/2005 10;33;44 AM IIIIIII III IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII III 2005-i 3 DESCHUTES COUNTY CLERK CERTIFICATE PAGE - r - This page must be included if document is re-recorded. Do Not remove from original document. Deschutes County Board of Commissioners 1300 NW Wall St., Bend, OR 97701-1960 (541) 388-6570 - Fax (541) 385-3202 - www.deschutes.orc MINUTES OF ADMINISTRATIVE LIAISON DESCHUTES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2005 Commissioners' Conference Room - Administration Building - 1300 NW Wall St.., Bend Present were Commissioners Michael M. Daly, Tom De Wolf and Dennis R. Luke. Also present were, for a portion of the meeting, Joe Studer and Anna Johnson, Commissioners' Office; Mark Pilliod and Laurie Craghead, Legal Counsel; Tom Blust and George Kolb, Road Department; Tom Anderson, Community Development Department; Jim Ross and Sue Brewster, Sherifirs Office; Bob Young of the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, and citizen Larry Wogman. No representatives of the media were present. The meeting began at 1: 30 p. m. 1. Discussion of Millican Road Fencing. Commissioner Daly stated that the Millican Road fencing issue had been discussed in the past, but he wasn't sure of the current status. He introduced Larry Wogman, a rancher who utilizes most of the land adjacent to the improved Millican Road for grazing his livestock. Mr. Wogman presented a letter signed by the families of LNK Ranches, detailing their concerns about the lack of fencing along the portion of the road located in Deschutes County. (A copy of the letter is attached as Exhibit A.) He said that the Bureau of Land Management does not recommend cattle guards be installed on this road, but will require them if the roadway is not fenced. He would like to see the cattle guard funds used instead for fencing, although the amount won't totally cover the cost of the fencing. Minutes of Administrative Liaison Tuesday, February 22, 2005 Page 1 of 5 Pages Commissioner Daly said that Taylor Grazing funds are also available for this kind of thing; Mike Maier added that those particular funds are usually used to reimburse ranchers for the cost of materials only. He suggested that any federal grant funds that are obtained in the future for road improvements in this area can also be used to pay for the remaining costs of installing fencing. Commissioner DeWolf expressed concern that the road benefits Deschutes County very little; most of the benefit is for Crook County. The road was improved for regional partnership reasons. There are other roads in Deschutes County where the funding could be better utilized, and many areas in the County that are posted as "open range". It is uncertain whether federal transportation dollars, if obtained, could be used for this purpose. He pointed out if the County uses the cattle guard and Taylor Grazing funds for fencing, there won't be enough money to complete the project; if the transportation dollars don't come in, then the County will still be forced to install cattle guards. Mr. Wogman stated that he would not pasture animals in the area that would not be fenced the first year. Commissioner Luke said he supports using the $20,000 cattle guard funds and the Taylor Grazing funds of about $18,000 towards fencing, but was concerned about the balance left unfenced if the federal dollars aren't awarded. Mike Maier is to find out about the availability and amount of Taylor Grazing funds; Commissioner Luke asked Tom Blust to provide him with some hard costs regarding fencing vs. cattle guards. 2. Communications Update. Anna Johnson said she has followed up with the Sunday Dinner project for feeding the homeless at the Bend Community Center, and at this time April 10 and 24 are available for the County to provide the meal, including labor, for that day. The Commissioners indicated either day would work for them. Ms. Johnson stated that media training was given last week, and other training sessions are scheduled for April and in the fall. Minutes of Administrative Liaison Tuesday, February 22, 2005 Page 2 of 5 Pages Ms. Johnson has also been selected to attend a four-day training conference in Maryland in mid-September, sponsored and paid for by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency). 3. Discussion regarding Public Contracting Code Changes. Mark Pilliod explained that the Sheriff and Risk Management have reviewed the document and are satisfied it is appropriate for their departments. The new Code will make the State Model Rules easier to use. The Commissioners had questions about how service districts would fit into the process. Mr. Pilliod stated that provisions of the Code would be referenced in any operating agreements. Since this ordinance needs to be adopted by the County prior to March 1, it will be on the Monday, February 28 Board agenda, for the Commissioners to conduct first and second readings and to adopt by emergency. 4. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Update of National Fire Plan. Bob Young gave a brief overview of the status of the National Fire Plan and how it relates to Deschutes County. (He provided a handout, a copy of which is attached as Exhibit B) The Commissioners, Mr. Young and Joe Studer then discussed the details of the Plan and how funding is being utilized, as well as how the ODF&W sets priorities and the criteria for community fire plans. The Commissioners instructed Joe Studer to draft a letter for the Board's signature in response to a letter received from Jim King, who has been involved in the project and is critical of how the project is being handled and funds distributed. Minutes of Administrative Liaison Tuesday, February 22, 2005 Page 3 of 5 Pages 5. Other Items. Commissioner Luke advised the other Commissioners that the Oregon Division of State Lands may want the County to participate in master planning a large area off 27th Street at Stevens Road. The County owns 160 acres located north of the landfill adjacent to the State-owned land. For the County to participate in this master planning effort, some County funds will need to be contributed; he suggested Solid Waste funds be used. Also, several County employees should be involved in the process; he suggested that perhaps Timm Schimke, Steve Jorgenson and Catherine Morrow might be good candidates for this project. He will keep the Commissioners informed as the discussion progresses. A request for lottery grant funds came in from David Marlow for a chipper/grinder and trailer to utilize for removing fire hazard wood waste from his property. Since Mr. Marlow is not part of a non-profit agency, the Commissioners felt it would be inappropriate to allocate grant funds in this manner. Commissioner DeWolf said he would respond to the request. Laurie Craghead and Tom Anderson advised the Board that a complaint was lodged against citizen James Wright regarding an excess of items on his property. With the help of COCAAN (Central Oregon Community Action Agency Network), Mr. Wright is in the process of removing the items; however, a fee waiver for the repair of his septic system has been requested. LUKE: Move approval of the waiver. DALY: Second. VOTE: LUKE: Yes. DALY: Yes. DEWOLF: Chair votes yes. Being no further items addressed, the meeting adjourned at 3:20 p.m. Minutes of Administrative Liaison Tuesday, February 22, 2005 Page 4 of 5 Pages DATED this 22"d Day of February 2005 for the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners. ATTEST: Recording Secretary Tom DeWolf, Chair issioner is R. Luke; Commissioner Attachments Exhibit A: A letter from the owners of LNK Ranches regarding the fencing of Millican Road (1 page) Exhibit B: Document provided by Bob Young of the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (2 pages) Minutes of Administrative Liaison Tuesday, February 22, 2005 Page 5 of 5 Pages untitled LNK Ranches 64120 Johnson Ranch Rd. Bend Oregon 97701 Deschutes County Commissioners Mr. Tom Blust and All other Concerned: This letter is from LNK Ranches (Larry and Kathy wogman, Nicki and Jeff McKay) to ask Deschutes County to return the two BLM pastures permitted to LNK Ranches along Millican Road to useful grazin . These two pastures involving approximately 12,000 acres are vital to the life and stability of LNK Ranches. These pastures are normally used between April 1st and October 1st, although they have been used as late as January 30th. LNK Ranches currently supports three families and realies on BLM pasture for grazing up to 500 pairs in this area every spring through Fall. There appears to be two solutions to returning the grazing to these two pastures. One would be to fence the remaining three quarters of Millican Rd. not fenced in Deschutes county, where there is no current fence. solution two would be to place three cattle guards across the new Millican Rd. to allow controlled use of these major pastures. The fencing solution would require the placement of approximatley eleven miles of fence. This solution would be the most desirable as far as public safety and animal safety. The location and straight design of the highway lends this road to relatively high speed travel. The number of cattle, time of year for use and location of water tanks all create a high possiblity of a vehicle/cattle collision if fencing is not used. The cattle guard solution would allow use and initially be less expensive, but would always require additional maintenance by the county. Fencing, on the other hand, would always be maintained by the BLM permittee. we would ask that you keep public safety well in mind in your decision making, but most of all, please solve the problem by April 1, 2005. we thank you in advance for your assistance. sincerely, The Families of LNK Ranches Page 1 Exhibit 14 Page _ / of / Draft: County Commissioner Talking Points. The National Fire Plan was designed to address the growing problem of severe wildland fires and their impacts on communities. A 10 -year comprehensive strategy was developed. The primary goals of this strategy are to: ■ Improve fire prevention and suppression ■ Reduce hazardous fuels ■ Restore fire -adapted ecosystems ■ Promote community assistance The three main sources of funding are: • Western States • Community assistance Grants • VFA/RFA ODF strategy with grant funding is to target public awareness in high risk area's and promote collaboration, cooperation, and education with the citizens of Oregon. This approach aligns well with one of ODF's core mission's to provide Oregonians social, economical, and environmental benefits and values. The first three years of grants ODF concentrated it efforts in building this collaboration, cooperation and education, by using grant dollars to accomplish work within subdivisions, develop demonstration site (and public awareness), provide technical assistance, mechanical equipment, and implement SB 360 and prevention themes. Examples of Work and progress in Deschutes Co. C o G r4-1 t 1,x iF-'c,,' • Deschutes_Cou is an excellent example0ver 60% of the high risk area's lots have received through cooperation with ODF and thousands of volunteer hours, fuels treatments deeming them "fire resistant lots" making Deschutes County a model and one of the leaders in the State. • In 2002, the department -funded fuel treatment work for 974 homeowners in the county, which accounted for 75 percent of the work accomplished in Oregon. • Since 2001, 23 percent of the Western States Fire Managers grants to Oregon have gone to Deschutes County, amounting to more than $1 million. • First Community to have a CWPP (ODF is currently trying to work with the group that develop the plan to strengthen the prioritize) Exhibit 16 Page of Z In 2005 ODF proposed to concentrate funding to other high risk area's where the outreach, education, and community involvement had not occurred yet. ODF centered on three main target issues. ■ Expand fire protection to currently unprotected lands primarily in eastern Oregon ■ Spread the successful implementation of Oregon's Forestland -Urban Interface Fire Protection Act (Senate Bill 360) beyond Deschutes and Jackson counties ■ Assist localities to develop community wildfire protection plans The rationale and prioritize for the 2005 grant round stemmed around these issues and the impacts they have had to all Oregonian's. Such as: Unprotected lands: During the past decade, wildfires in the Wheeler Point area of Wheeler County and the Three Rivers area of Jefferson County highlight this concern: Together they destroyed approximately 36 structures, burned hundreds of thousands of acres, and the cost of fire suppression ran into millions of dollars. SB360: Implementing SB 360 in other parts of the State, which have high fire risks in the Urban Interface setting. (Same process as used in Deschutes and Jackson Co.) Hopefully, the same successes!!! CWPP: Help other counties and communities State wide to develop CWPP'S. (Same as the process in Deschutes Co.) CWPP'S help allow adjacent federal lands to be treated more aggressively. We feel as an Agency and District that we are well aligned with NFP standards and also our own. We feel that trying to provide services to all of Oregon especially in high risk area's is of the up -most importance to our success in wildfire suppression, but also all the citizens of Oregon. We have planned to continued work in Deschutes Co. and have greatly appreciated the support and efforts of the Citizens of Deschutes county. Deschutes Co. is on the fore -front of hazard mitigation in the Wildland Urban Interface setting, and should be extremely proud and commended for the work accomplished to date and into the future. Exhibit /3 Page _-2, of _�� 1.-30-1:45 Deschutes County Board of Commissioners 1300 NW Wall St., Suite 200, OR 97701-1960 (541) 388-6570 - Fax (541) 385-3202 - www.deschutes.org ADMINISTRATIVE LIAISON AGENDA DESCHUTES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 1:30 P.M., TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2005 1. Discussion with Larry Wogman (LNK Ranches) regarding Millican Road Fencing — Mike Daly, Tom Blust L-45-2:00 2. Communications Update — Anna Johnson • Bend Community Center Event • Training Update 2:00 — 2:30 3. Discussion regarding Public Contracting Code Changes — Mark Pilliod 2:30— 3:00 4. Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife Update - Robert Young, District Forester; Joe Stutler, County Forester 3:00 — 3:30 5. Other Items