Loading...
2008-837-Minutes for Meeting August 27,2008 Recorded 9/11/2008COUNTY NANCYUBLANKENSHIP,F000NTY CLERKDS Q 2008'837 COMMISSIONERS' JOURNAL 09/11/2008 09;45;44 AM IIIIIII III IIIIIIIIIIIIII II III 2008-83 Do not remove this page from original document. Deschutes County Clerk Certificate Page If this instrument is being re-recorded, please complete the following statement, in accordance with ORS 205.244: Re-recorded to correct [give reason] previously recorded in Book or as Fee Number and Page Deschutes County Board of Commissioners 1300 NW Wall St., Suite 200, Bend, OR 97701-1960 (541) 388-6570 - Fax (541) 385-3202 - www.deschutes.org MINUTES OF WORK SESSION DESCHUTES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2008 Present were Commissioners Dennis R. Luke, Michael M. Daly and Tammy Melton. Also present were Dave Kanner, County Administrator; Erik Kropp, Deputy County Administrator; Judith Ure, Administration; Tom Anderson, Community Development; a reporter from KOHD TV, and eight other citizens. Chair Luke opened the meeting at 1: 30 p.m. 1. Presentation by Oregon Snowmobile Association. Ken Roadman gave an overview of the planned parking lot expansion, eight miles of new trails, and the new shelter. The shelter is under construction now, using local beetle-killed trees. The work is mostly done through grants and in- kind donations. As an aside, he noted that the beetle infestation of trees is becoming very severe and needs to be addressed. Much of it is in the watershed area, and the potential for wildfire is great. Peggy Spieger asked for the County's support for improvements in the facilities, especially the parking areas, which are used for snowshoers, dog skiers and others. Traffic and use is greatly increasing. They are not asking for funding at this time; just signatures on their position paper. The Forest Service is causing some concerns regarding potential environmental impacts, and this issue needs to be clarified as soon as possible. The Board indicated a letter of support would be sent as soon as possible. 2. Update from Sunriver Sewer Utility regarding Feasibility Study. Dick Nichols, Katie Turner, Steve Runner, Tom Keith, and Terry Penhollow of Sunriver Utility District, came before the Board. Minutes of Administrative Work Session Wednesday, August 27, 2008 Page 1 of 5 Pages Dick Nichols said this involves a competitive grant, which is required to be at the Department of Water Resources by September 2. They require a 50% match, which can be in kind or in cash. They asked the County to contribute funding for part of this. They put together a cost estimate for a feasibility study. Sunriver can contribute $60,000 and are asking the County for $62,500. The analysis will allow homeowners to compare what it would cost to put in a septic system against what it would cost to connect to a sewer. At a Deschutes River Recreation Homesites residents meeting, it was clear that property owners feel this is a permanent solution. These individuals voiced concern about potential future requirements of septic systems having to be upgraded or changed. Hooking into a sewer system may also free up some red lots. The County would benefit by good will and good water, and will keep nitrogen out of the ground. Sewage would be treated and the nitrogen will be turned into biomass and used on the golf courses. It is an efficient way to eliminate contamination, especially from drinking water sources, and reuses the effluent. Commissioner Luke asked when a decision on the processing plant needs to be made. Tom Keith said the plant will stay where it is unless DRRH is included. He referred to an oversized map showing the areas that would be affected. Mr. Nichols then discussed how the revenue bond process would work in this regard. He also said that the application emphasizes water savings and reuse. Commissioner Daly voiced concern about people not wanting to participate since they have a long time before they have to do anything. Mr. Kanner said that a sewer district can be formed without a vote of the people, although they would have to support the funding part. A sanitary authority could be formed and could force people to hook up. It could be referred to the voters, however. It will still have to go through the Goal I 1 exception process. Commissioner Luke stated that this is the easiest area to serve. If it appears the cost is excessive, it will show people that other areas will cost a lot more to serve. Mr. Kanner indicated that the tax credit might be used for this. Tom Anderson said that the Financial Advisory Committee recommended that the County spend money on this as it helps to investigate the options. There is about $480,000 in financial assistance funding now. Most is restricted, but some could be used for this purpose. The consensus of the Commissioners was to commit funding and go forward with this study. Minutes of Administrative Work Session Wednesday, August 27, 2008 Page 2 of 5 Pages 3. Special Transportation Fund Advisory Board Recommendations. Judith Ure gave a brief overview of the recommendations of the Advisory Board regarding funding various providers. This involves formula money that has to be used to provide services to the elderly and handicapped, and can be used in part for operations. She recommended that Central Cascade Lines not receive funding at this time until it can be shown they are in compliance. The State requires that all recipients be in compliance before benefiting from these funds. Many of the required documents are not complete or have not yet been submitted. If ODOT does not find Central Cascades Lines in compliance after a review this week, the funding in the amount of $36,000 could be distributed to other groups. At this point it is important to make sure the other recipients receive their funding as soon as possible. Commissioner Daly said that this needs to be handled delicately so that people don't think the County is trying to force them out of business. Ms. Ure stated that the best option is to hold the funding back until the State says they can receive it. MELTON: Move approval of staff's recommendation. DALY: Second. VOTE: MELTON: Yes. DALY: LUKE: 4. Other Items. Yes. Chair votes yes. Mr. Kanner stated that there are applications from several Planning Commission candidates for the South County position. He asked if the Board wants to interview them all. Commissioners Luke and Daly agreed. It will likely be set up at the Sunriver Police/Fire station. In regard to vested rights applications, Tom Anderson stated that they typically fall into the 3-4 month time frame. This is basically new ground and takes time to work through. The refund process is the same for everyone and no one's money is held up. Minutes of Administrative Work Session Wednesday, August 27, 2008 Page 3 of 5 Pages The Board then reviewed an award letter from the State regarding a grant for the mental health housing program. MELTON: Move approval, subject to legal review. DALY: Second. VOTE: MELTON: Yes. DALY: Yes. LUKE: Chair votes yes. Mr. Kanner asked if the Board would like to have a City Club of Central Oregon membership. This is a forum for public issues and debate. The membership would cover five people with voting privileges and they would pay half price for the lunches. The cost of membership is $850 per year, and they meet on the third Thursday plus occasional special meetings. Commissioner Luke said traditionally the Board has only been members of the Chambers, and asked about the benefit. Commissioner Melton said she sees it as an educational opportunity; and that it is different from Rotary or the Chambers. Mr. Kanner will talk with a representative about possible options. Commissioner Melton said she was accepted into a program through the Luke Foundation, handled out of the University of Oregon; she has asked for a full scholarship. She will be gone October 4 through I I to participate in a leadership training program. It costs $3,300 if there is no scholarship. She will pay for half of it and is asking for Deschutes County to pay for the rest. Being no further discussion, the meeting adjourned at 3:50 p.m. Minutes of Administrative Work Session Wednesday, August 27, 2008 Page 4 of 5 Pages DATED this 27th Day of August 2008 for the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners. Dennis R. Luke, Chair Tammy aney) elton, Vice Chair ATTEST: Mic el . Daly, C missioner Recording Secretary Minutes of Administrative Work Session Wednesday, August 27, 2008 Page 5 of 5 Pages Deschutes County Board of Commissioners 1300 NW Wall St., Suite 200, Bend, OR 97701-1960 (541) 388-6570 - Fax (541) 385-3202 - www.deschutes.org WORK SESSION AGENDA - REVISED DESCHUTES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 1:30 P.M., WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2008 I . Presentation by Oregon Snowmobile Association - Peggy Spieger 2. Update from Sunriver Sewer Utility regarding Feasibility Study 3. Special Transportation Fund Advisory Board Recommendations - Judith Ure 4. Other Items PLEASE NOTE: At any time during this meeting, an executive session could be called to address issues relating to ORS 192.660(2) (e), real property negotiations; ORS 192.660(2) (h), pending or threatened litigation; or ORS 192.660(2) (b), personnel issues Meeting dates, times and discussion items are subject to change. All meetings are conducted in the Board of Commissioners' meeting rooms at 1300 NW Wall St., Bend, unless otherwise indicated. If you have questions regarding a meeting, please call 388-6572. Deschutes County meeting locations are wheelchair accessible. Deschutes County provides reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities. For deaf, hearing impaired or speech disabled, dial 7-1-1 to access the state transfer relay service for TTY. Please call (541) 388-6571 regarding alternative formats or for further information. 5 V 1 3 V V v J V, " x a.. N ~/1 N Y CIA o $ S V t~ k L Q) C: O JV) , rv ) a r N ~ Lr- V N v L l L H f0 ,C r 7 Z v - Q) ~ Q) a Position Paper of: Oregon State Snowmobile Association Moon Country Snowmobile Club Tumalo Langlauf Club CENTURY DRIVE WINTER RECREATION May 22, 2008 PURPOSE AND REQUEST Oregon State Snowmobile Association, Moon Country Snowmobile Club, and Tumalo Langlauf (XC Ski) Club have come together in order to identify shared issues and to meet jointly developed goals in regards to recreation and forest use in the Deschutes National Forest, specifically in the Century Drive corridor. As a first step, our organizations have produced a position paper to request the active support of Central Oregon communities, local governments, and organizations for our shared goals and values for the Century Drive recreation corridor. Since your organization's interests dovetail with our goals, we would like to request your support by having you sign our position paper. Overview We represent nearly thousands of individuals who snowmobile, cross country ski, snowshoe, and backcountry ski from parking areas and sno-parks along Century Drive. We agree that the following principles should govern the management of the Century Drive corridor: • Accessibility: the Century Drive corridor offers diverse recreation experiences. • Low Cost: Recreation opportunities should be available at low or no cost to residents and visitors alike. • Provide sufficient parking and facilities for winter recreation experience: Sufficient parking and associated improvements allow outdoor recreation close to town. • Risk of catastrophic fire: The golden goose we have along Century Drive and at Mt. Bachelor is one unlucky, dry year away from a catastrophic forest fire that could dramatically change the character of that area. The community has much at stake, and much to lose, if action is not taken. Agenda of the snowmobile community: 1. Provide the originally envisioned improvements at Kapka Butte Snow Park, within the original time frame. 2. Provide 388 miles of trail grooming for all winter recreation users on a volunteer basis. Agenda of the cross country ski community: 1. Provide 25 kilometers of XC ski grooming on a volunteer basis at Virginia Meissner Snow Park. 2. Raise community awareness of Tumalo Langlauf Club and the groomed act ski trails at Virginia Meissner Sno-Park, along with the fact that we rely on donation and grants to perform grooming. Shared Agendas of the snowmobile and the cross country ski community: 1. Support the development of Kapka Butte and Virginia Meissner Snow Parks, most importantly providing the originally proposed number of 70 parking spaces. 2. Develop a shared grooming hotline providing grooming reports and trail conditions on all winter recreation routes. We support this joint effort. Oregon State Snowmobile Association Moon Country Sno-mobilers Tumalo Lanlauf Club PO Box 435 PO Box 7156 2322 NW Marken St La Pine, Oregon 97739 Bend, Oregon 97708 Bend, Oregon 97701 May 31, 2008 Deschutes County Board of Commissioners 1300 NW Wall Street Bend, Oregon 97701 Re: Support for Meissner and Kapka Sno-parks Attached is a position paper jointly written by Oregon State Snowmobile Association., Moon Country Sno-mobilers, and Tumalo Langlauf XC Ski Club. Our organizations have come together to work on shared issues and goals, and as you can see from the attached, there are many issues critical to the forest and recreation in Central Oregon which will benefit from our shared interests and concerns. As a stakeholder in Central Oregon recreation and forest use issues, we are asking for your assistance in publicizing and working on these issues. You can help us by signing the attached position paper and returning it to our organization. With your support/signature, you'll join with many other public and private entities who want to assist us in providing recreation and forest health not only for the present, but for many generations to come. We will be presenting the signed position papers to our Oregon Congressional delegation: Representative Peter DeFazio, Representative Darlene Hooley, Representative Earl Blumenauer, Representative David Wu, Representative Greg Walden, Senator Ron Wyden and Senator Gordon Smith. Please return one signed original to Peggy Spieger, Oregon State Snowmobile Association, PO Box 435, La Pine, Oregon 97739. Fax 541-536-4099, email a ieger@orecionsnow..ora. We thank you in advance for your consideration, interest and support. i 7 Si egg tg/Z, Exe ud tiv irector Oregon State Snowmobile Association Lar y iser, President C Moon Country Sno-mobilers Ken Roadman, Board Member Tumalo Langlauf Club Date: August 21, 2008 To: Deschutes County Board of Commissioners From: Judith Ure, Management Analyst Subject: Special Transportation Fund Advisory Committee Recommendations Special Transportation Fund Formula Grant Process Each year, Deschutes County receives an allocation from the Oregon Department of Transportation's (ODOT) Special Transportation Fund (STF) Formula Grant Program for the purpose of supporting transportation services for the elderly and people with disabilities. These funds are then distributed by the County to local service providers through a competitive grant process. Applications are reviewed by the County's STF Advisory Committee which then formulates a recommendation for consideration by the Board of County Commissioners. Upon Board approval, staff prepares an application to ODOT as required to receive the funds and begins the process of preparing individual contracts with recipient agencies under the direction of the County Administrator as the delegated legal signatory for STF activities. STF formula grant funds are made available on a fiscal year basis that begins on July 1. Approved recipients of grant funds are reimbursed quarterly after submitting status reports that detail revenue and expenses, trips provided, hours and miles driven, equipment operated, and accident history for the period. In previous years, STF formula grants were awarded before July, providing recipients with advance assurance that costs related to applicable services would be reimbursed. A process currently underway to assess the eligibility of one of the applicant agencies interrupted this year's STF formula grant award decisions. That process is not yet complete however, and with the end of the first quarter approaching, the County must now proceed without further delay. Special Transportation Fund Advisory Committee Recommendations Deschutes County's fiscal year 2008-09 STF formula allocation from ODOT totals $268,927. An additional $35,248 is available as carryover from 2007-08 in the County's STF program fund from interest earnings and previous unclaimed grant awards, bringing the total to $304,175. Of this, $2,000 will be retained by the County to offset administrative expenses related to the program and $27,175 will be reserved for contingency purposes. As a result, the amount available for STF formula grants in 2008-09 is approximately $275,000. Deschutes County received six applications for fiscal year 2008-09 STF formula grant funds which totaled $325,002. All of this year's applicant agencies have been awarded STF formula grants by Deschutes County in the past, with the exception of the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council (COIC), which recently assumed responsibility for transportation services previously provided by the Central Oregon Council on Aging (COCOA), a prior recipient of STF formula grant funding for many years. The Deschutes County STF Advisory Committee met twice in June to review applications for funding and to develop a recommendation for STF distribution. At one of the meetings, applicant agencies were given an opportunity to further describe their services and requests for funding. The Committee's recommendation, which appears below, along with a history of past awards, is based on the amount available for distribution, information provided by the applicants, and priorities identified in the Deschutes County Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan. Agency 2003-04 Award 2004-05 Award 2005-06 Award 2006-07 Award 2007-08 Award 2008-09 Recommendation Bend Dial-A-Ride* 129,500 135,975 140,950 140,950 142,280 138,795 Central Oregon Council on Aging 44,050 46,253 47,555 47,555 49,113 0 Central Oregon Resources for Independent Living 9,400 9,870 10,163 10,163 10,764 11,374 Opportunity Foundation 18,900 19,845 20,583 20,583 22,384 22,499 Residential Assistance Program 6,150 6,458 6,573 6,573 0 0 Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers 12,150 12,758 11,025 11,025 0 0 DHS Volunteer Services 10,500 11,025 12,758 12,758 13,482 13,384 Central Cascade Lines 0 0 0 0 41,409 36,345 Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council 0 0 0 0 0 52,604 Total 230,650 242,184 249,607 249,607 279,432 275,001 *During the fiscal year 2007-08 process, an additional $5,250 per year for a two-year period was awarded to Bend Dial-a-Ride for services to specific individuals living outside the current service boundaries. Although that allocation will appear on the County's application to ODOT, it represents a prior commitment and did not factor into this year's award process. Amendment to Recommendation As previously noted, this year's STF formula grant award process was delayed to accommodate a review of one of the applicant agencies to determine its eligibility to receive certain public funds. Central Cascade Lines, Inc. (CCL), the subject of that review, submitted an application for fiscal year 2008-09 STF formula grant funds and was recommended for funding by the STF Advisory Committee. CCL subsequently suspended its services, calling into question the validity of its application. Based on the suspension of services, Deschutes County Legal Counsel and the County Administrator advised reopening the STF formula grant process. Since that time, CCL has resumed its services eliminating the need to take such action. However, the question of CCL's eligibility to receive public funding, including STF formula grants, has not yet been resolved. As noted in section 732-005-0076 of the State Management Plan for Public Transportation Programs, eligible recipients of STF funds must meet the following qualifications, among others: • Have the legal, managerial, and operational capacity to perform the project. • Maintain compliance with federal, state, and local laws and regulations including, and not limited to, those pertaining to passenger transportation, civil rights, labor, insurance, safety and health. The State Management Plan further note that if a recipient is identified as ineligible to receive other funds offered by the state or federal government resulting from a failure to meet the specified criteria, the recipient may be ineligible to receive STF funds. If a recipient is found to be ineligible after receiving STF program funds, it may be required to repay the amount received during the period of ineligibility. While the process to determine CCL's eligibility as described above is currently underway, it will not be completed until sometime in September at the earliest, and may well extend beyond that time. A further delay in awarding STF formula grant funds until that process is completed would unnecessarily and unfairly create uncertainty for the other recommended STF formula grant recipients. As a result, staff proposes that all of the STF Advisory Committee's recommendations be approved at this time with the exception of CCL. The proposed CCL allocation can be held in reserve until the eligibility issues are resolved. If CCL is found to be eligible, the County's application to ODOT can be amended to reflect an award. If not, the County can make a decision regarding the disposition of the reserved funds. Options could include carrying over the funds to the next grant cycle, soliciting new applications for the reserved funds only, or allocating the funds directly to an alternative provider to perform the same or similar services. Recommended Action Staff recommends that the Board of Commissioners approve the recommendations of the STF Advisory Committee as amended by staff and to authorize the Board Chair to sign the County's Special Transportation Fund Formula Program application to ODOT when available.