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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-10-13 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, OCTOBER 13, 2010 ___________________________ Present were Commissioners Dennis R. Luke, Alan Unger and Tammy Baney. Also present were Dave Kanner, County Administrator; Erik Kropp, Deputy County Administrator; and, for a portion of the meeting, Joe Stutler, County Forester; Laurie Craghead, Steve Griffin and Mark Pilliod, County Counsel; Tom Anderson, Todd Cleveland and Nick Lelack, Community Development; George Ponte of the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife; John Allen of the U.S. Forest Service; and Debbie Norton of the Bureau of Land Management. No representatives of the media were in attendance. Chair Luke opened the meeting at 1:30 p.m. 1. Forester Update. George Ponte explained that over the latest fire season in the region, there were 85 fires, fewer than average. Deschutes County had 29 fires, 64% of average, 21 of which were human caused, mostly due to improper burning of debris. Commissioner Unger asked about the status of the Skyline Forest activities relating to the Rooster Rock fire. Mr. Ponte said the property owners have done some harvesting and have cleaned up the damaged timber, and he feels they are doing a good job of managing the property. Mr. Ponte said they have had some staff reductions and are having to do more with less. The rate for fire reduction services paid by property owners in this area is the highest in the state, and appeals are starting to occur, mostly from ranchers who own timberland and grazing land. With the current economy, these property owners are struggling to pay for fire protection. Efforts are underway to try to find other funding sources that are more stable, but the group analyzing the issue was not able to come to any conclusions or agreement. The State forest program is supposed to be self-sustaining, but because of the forest products industry slowdown, this is not possible. It could take ten years to bring this back up. Minutes of Board of Commissioners’ Work Session Wednesday, October 13, 2010 Page 1 of 4 Pages Minutes of Board of Commissioners’ Work Session Wednesday, October 13, 2010 Page 2 of 4 Pages John Allen stated that due to some bond and stimulus fund money, they were able to put in a new Sisters office and one in John Day. In regard to slash burning and smoke intrusion, they did field some complaints. Joe Stutler said that a lot of discussion is occurring regarding forest land classifications. Mr. Ponte stated that the Classification Committee is doing this work, which is a county effort guided by the Department of Forestry, and is charged with examining which lands meet the definition of forest lands, what kind of forest lands exist, and then determining the fire protection rates paid by the property owners. Classification is independent of zoning; property just has to meet the definition of forest land. There has not been a forest lands classification done in Deschutes County for probably thirty years. Some people pay for structural fire protection (their rural fire protection district) and also wildfire protection. Debbie Norton stated they are continuing the education programs. Also, some BLM properties are on the market, but no bids came in on some of them. The bid amount is to be at least the appraised amount. The BLM still owes the State about 1,600 acres, which they want mostly from Deschutes County. Regarding Cline Buttes, a decision was signed for right of way access for seven landowners needing access, plus another for fuel breaks. Funding for the Eagle Crest program is on the top of the program, about $20,000. Not all lots are lots of record, so the efforts to dispose and acquire properties is very confusing, There are several other properties involved. Discussion occurred regarding solutions to the lot of record issue, with clarification added by Laurie Craghead. She said that the West Butte project, which is located partly on Crook and Deschutes counties, involves wind energy, but there are issues relating to endangered species such as eagles. There is a wind energy summit scheduled for Bend in November, sponsored by Governor’s Office. There will be limited access. Mr. Allen said his agency is moving forward on trying to get grants. He thanked Commissioner Unger for his efforts in traveling to Washington D.C. to talk with federal agency staff about the situation here, to try to get funding. He feels this was successful. Minutes of Board of Commissioners’ Work Session Wednesday, October 13, 2010 Page 3 of 4 Pages 2. Continuation of Discussion of Implementation of Senate Bill 360 – Defensible Space. Joe Stutler provided an updated memo (a copy of which is attached for reference). He said that since the last time, some grant efforts have been delayed. An administrative process seems to be preferable over a legal process. The problem is fires occurring in unprotected areas will not be quickly handled, if at all. If the fire spreads onto another owners’ land, there is liability for the cost incurred to handle the fire. Dave Kanner noted that there is no mechanism in place to prosecute. Commissioner Unger stated that they need to move forward with the process and adjust it as needed. Mr. Stutler will work with Legal Counsel to develop the Ordinance for implementation. Steve Griffin observed that there are models available in other areas, with possibly Washington County’s being the best example. 3. Update of Commissioners’ Meetings and Schedules. The Board discussed the Thousand Days Roadmap for economic development and a request for funding. Commissioner Baney stated that she would meet with them soon and find out more. October 25 work session, tour of Poe Sholes facility. Meetings still on the calendar for November 22, including a BOCC/department directors' luncheon. 4. Other Items. Executive Session, under ORS 192.660(2)(h), pending or threatened litigation. The Board went into Executive Session at 3:10 p.m. Being no further items discussed, the meeting adjourned at 4:15 p.m.