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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-01-05 Work Session Minutes 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, JANUARY 5, 2011 ___________________________ Present were Commissioners Tammy Baney, Alan Unger and Tony DeBone. Also present were Dave Kanner, County Administrator; Erik Kropp, Deputy County Administrator; Tom Anderson, Community Development; Mark Pilliod and Laurie Craghead, County Counsel; Hillary Borrud of The Bulletin and a representative of KTVZ TV; and five other citizens. Chair Baney opened the meeting at 1:30 p.m. 1. Discussion of Proposed Legislation regarding the Establishment of an Unmanned Aerial System Testing Area near Bend. Roger Lee and Collins Hemmingway of EDCO came before the Board and gave a brief overview of the item. (A copy of the backup information is attached for reference.) Mr. Lee stated that meetings have been conducted on this issue for over two years. There are some potentially good industry and economic opportunities for the area. If the Board agrees, a letter of support would be appropriate so that the FAA can be made aware of local backing. Crook County officials have already provided such a letter. Mr. Hemmingway went into detail about the test area, restrictions and other factors that are important considerations. The FAA is concerned in general about flying drones and also what areas might be appropriate for this type of operation. Unmanned vehicles are not just aerial in nature, but are used undersea and on land as well for a variety of situations. Mr. Hemmingway sees this as the future of testing this type of equipment. This area has airspace that is not heavily used and would be appropriate for this type of program. Commissioner Unger said this does not seem to affect the operations of Bend Airport or Redmond Airport. He supports the idea, but wants to know how much local involvement there might be. Mr. Hemmingway said he believes it would be mostly handled by the Air National Guard. Minutes of Board of Commissioners’ Work Session Wednesday, January 5, 2011 Page 1 of 3 Pages Minutes of Board of Commissioners’ Work Session Wednesday, January 5, 2011 Page 2 of 3 Pages It will not be easy to get the FAA to buy off on the program, but the consortium of those who might benefit from it could help, along with legislative support. There could be potential government uses as well. However, it could involve restricting some of the airspace now being used. Commissioner Unger asked about any potential environmental impacts. Mr. Hemmingway replied that the vehicles are smaller and quieter than regular aircraft. In very few cases will a regular landing strip be necessary. The Paisley and Christmas Valley airports are accessible, as are others in the region. Commissioner Unger supports the idea and feels strongly the County should actively pursue this. It would benefit not just Deschutes County but other counties that also could benefit from a positive economic boost. The Board asked that draft language be provided to help develop a letter. 2. Discussion of Senate Bill 915 Implementation (Building Code Violations). Tom Anderson said that SB 915 prohibits the County from going to Circuit Court for violations of building code. He has surveyed other counties, many of which have had this in place for some time. He worked with Legal Counsel to develop an administrative process to handle violations of building code. There are not that many to address, and typically, citations are issued. Code language is being developed. Notice is required, in lieu of a citation, and would be delivered by the Sheriff’s Office. The penalty is a fine of $720. It would provide the property owner the right of appeal, and a Hearings Officer could be used instead of a Judge. The Hearings Officer’s decision can be appealed to Circuit Court, or the Board of Commissioners could hear it instead. The County would have to bear the cost of the Hearings Officer, but some counties have set the fine high enough to cover this expense. If the property owner does not pay the fine or ignores the process, the case could go to Circuit Court and the Judge could issue an order. At that point, daily fines could begin to accrue. If this is also ignored, the Judge could issue a contempt of court order. Mr. Anderson said that this came out of Douglas County, where a situation existed where a decision was made that going directly to Circuit Court is too onerous.