2009-104-Minutes for Meeting February 26,2009 Recorded 3/11/2009'NANCYUBLANKENSHIP,COUNTY CLERKS Q 2009.104
COMMISSIONERS' JOURNAL 03/11/2009 08;10;08 AM
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2008-104
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Tri-County Commissioners Meeting
Deschutes County and Expo Center Office
3800 SW Airport Way, Redmond, OR 97756
February 26, 2009
9:00 -11:00 a.m.
BE IT REMEMBERED THAT a meeting of the Tri-County Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson
County Commissioners was held on February 26, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. in the Deschutes County
Fairgrounds office located at 3800 SW Airport Way, Redmond, Oregon.
In attendance were: Deschutes County Administrator Dave Kanner; Deschutes County
Commissioners Dennis Luke, Tammy Baney and Alan Unger; Crook County Court members,
judge Mike McCabe and Commissioners Lynn Lundquist and Ken Fahlgren; Jefferson County
Commissioners John Hatfield, Mike Ahern and Wayne Fording; Jefferson County Administrator
Jeff Rasmusson; Jefferson County Board of Commissioners Administrative Assistant Donna
Jansen; Crook County Sheriff Rodd Clark; Jefferson County Sheriff Jack Jones; Deschutes
County Sheriff Larry Blanton; Jim Gordon, Crook County; Jim Crocker, Crook County; Claude
Rickman, Crook County; Jim Bryant,. ODOT; Tobie Reynolds, Prineville 911; Gary Eder, Po Box
72 Powell Butte; and County Court Secretary Colleen Ferguson.
Crook County Judge Mike McCabe opened the meeting and introductions were made.
Discussion Items
Alternative Energy
Jim Gordon and Jim Crocker on behalf of the Central Oregon Renewable Energy Partnership
Group presented information regarding alternative energy projects in the Tri-County area as well
as in Harney County. Letters of support to the Governor, Senators and Representative were
provided to the Commissioners with the request for their signatures if they so wished. The
challenges facing the alternative energy group were discussed. Fuel sources are a major problem.
Judge McCabe provided information regarding an application for a wind power project that has an
application before the Crook County Planning Commission at this time. He said the challenges
for this project are the sage grouse in the area and the rules and regulations governing the building
of the wind project based upon and around the location of sage grouse lecs.
Transportation
Commissioner Baney opened the discussion on the transportation rule that will be before the
State legislature soon. Discussion was held on road improvement projects and alternative
funding methods for the projects. Commissioner Lundquist discussed the issue of the need for
Tri-County Commissioners Meeting
February 26, 2009
balance between jobs and congestion. Commissioner Baney discussed ODOT, the TPR, and the
holding up of sales of land and creation of jobs. Judge McCabe spoke about ODOT helping
Crook County by providing trigger points for transportation improvements during development
phases. Commissioner Baney agreed that she has found ODOT to be a great partner.
Commissioner Luke suggested discussing the COIC Cascades East Transportation system.
Judge McCabe said the system has been very successful and has proven to be very positive in
Crook County. Jefferson County officials agreed that the systern is working well in Jefferson
County and that COIC is continually working toward better scheduling. The Commissioners
discussed the proposed purchase of the Hawthorn Station in Bend to serve as the Central Oregon
drop off point for the transit system.
Stimulus package proposed projects were discussed. Commissioner Fording suggested an
opportunity for Crook and Jefferson County to team up on the use of consultants for projects on
the Lone Pine Highway. Truck companies using the highways will also be contributing towards
the maintenance of those highways. Judge McCabe and Commissioner Fording will contact the
County Roadmasters in their respective counties regarding the possibility of coordinating use of
consultants on the Lone Pine Highway projects.
Commissioner Baney and Commissioner Luke discussed moving the traffic out of the center of
Terrebonne and down to 19th street.
Big Look / HB 2227/Metolius Basin Area
Commissioner Luke and Commissioner Lundquist discussed the Big Look program and said they
believed it had been on the right track with the desire for more local control. Commissioner
Hatfield and Commissioner Ahern discussed the problems experienced in Jefferson County with
Metolius Basin Area, Destination Resort development battles and mapping issues. Sheriff Jones
discussed the destination sites and recreating areas in Jefferson County which all require safety
and evaluation.
Discussion was held regarding HB 2227. There is a hearing scheduled for HB 2227 on
February 28, 2009 at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds. There will be a hearing scheduled for
March 11, 2009 on the Metolius Basin Area. The Commissioners believe it should be held in
Jefferson County since it has to do with Jefferson County, but at this time the plan is to hold the
hearing in Deschutes County.
Discussion was held regarding the proposals of developers for rnore compact resorts with no golf
courses, no houses and the preference for overnight accommodations only.
Commissioner Unger discussed HB 2227, and the reviewing of Destination Resort law put into
effect 30 years ago. He said the law has challenges because of Destination Resorts impacts on
other communities and their transportation infrastructure. This is a good time to review but not a
good time to gut the whole thing.
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February 26, 2009
The Commissioners discussed the importance of local control. :Economic development,
sustainable communities, quality of life and transportation challenges are best dealt with at the
local level.
Economic Concerns
Judge McCabe reported on unemployment figures in Crook County that are moving toward 20
percent with more layoffs and salary cuts anticipated. Jefferson County Commissioners
discussed that Jefferson County workers are a transient population that is moving from the
County resulting in a population loss number and a lower unemployment number. Discussion
was held regarding foreclosures, and bankruptcies and their impact on comparable sales figures
that are going to be used by the assessors. Commissioner Lundquist talked about the reduced
market values and the assessed and real market values coming closer together.
911 and SB 1145 Correction budget cuts
Deschutes County Sheriff Larry Blanton presented budget figures received yesterday on
SB 1145 reductions. The cuts affect safety, jail population supervision and supervision of parole
and probation clients. Crook County Sheriff discussed SB 1145 which put the supervision of
correction into local control. Jefferson County Sheriff Jack Jones spoke on the State not having
the right to access 911 money and holding the State accountable if they tried to raid the 911 fund.
Commissioner Luke explained that the excise tax on phone bills is stipulated for use as 911
funding. The state wants to take the funding and use it for something else. Sheriff Clark stated
that the counties have done a good job with both SB 1145 and 911 funding at the local level.
Discussion was held regarding the possibility of filing suit against the State if the 911 funding is
taken by the State.
Commissioner Lundquist said that if the State were to take the 911 funding, it would be a
violation and necessitate that the counties sue. 911 funds are not part of any State reserve.
Tobie Reynolds, Crook County 911 representative, said the federal funding amounts to 10
millions dollars. Commissioner Baney said she would like the Tri-County Counsels to work
together to strategize and come up with a contingency plan. Sheriff Clark reported that the
Attorney General prepared an opinion on the 911 matter which has been frozen and not released.
APCO had asked for the opinion through Emergency Management.
Insuring of special enforcement teams
Sheriff Clark advised the Commissioners that City County Insurance Services (CCIS) is no
longer interested in insuring the COLES umbrella agency formed by an Intergovernmental
Agreement to perform high risk operations including the CERT, SWAT and CODE Teams. The
need is for a five-million dollar policy. The County Sheriffs discussed this being an across
county-line service. This Tri-County area has a unique situation in that there are no turf wars.
Commissioner Luke discussed spreading the risk around to a number of insurers and a large
reinsurance. Sheriff Blanton explained that a trained SWAT Team is less of a risk than sending
out officers without the training of a SWAT Team. He stressed that the Central Oregon area
cannot lose the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE) narcotics team.
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February 26, 2009
Judge McCabe said his position is to continue to hold Tri-County meetings. He said he is not
looking to the state or the stimulus package to help. There was general agreement to work
together to minimize economic challenges all counties will face.
The final discussion was on the need to develop draft testimony for the HB2227 meeting on
Saturday. Commissioner Unger, Judge McCabe, Commissioner Lundquist and Crook County
Planning Director Bill Zelenka will attend.
The meeting adjourned at 11:00 a.m.
DATED this 26 h Day of February 2009 for the Deschutes County Board of
Commissioners.
Tri-County Commissioners Meeting 4
February 26, 2009
a45241~ ai'tec'L--
Alan Unger, Commissioner