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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-11-04 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, NOVEMBER 4, 2009 ___________________________ Present were Commissioners Tammy Baney, Dennis R. Luke and Alan Unger. Also present were Dave Kanner, County Administrator; Erik Kropp, Deputy County Administrator; David Givans, Internal Auditor; Tom Anderson, Nick Lelack, Cynthia Smidt, Peter Russell and Kristen Maze, Community Development; Marty Wynne, Finance; Laurie Craghead, Legal Counsel; Chris Brown, Susan Quatre and Richard Klyce, Planning Commission; Hillary Borrud of The Bulletin, and approximately a dozen other citizens. Chair Baney opened the meeting at 1:32 p.m. _____________________________________ 1. Update on Secure Residential Treatment Facility: Next Steps. Scott Johnson distributed a document showing affordable housing and residential services available to citizens, including inventory for 2010. Discussion took place regarding the telecare project. Telecare is considering purchasing or leasing property to fill the demand for housing. Out of ten beds, the County will get six beds in Bend, plus another six apartment units in Redmond. Mr. Johnson gave a PowerPoint presentation on these efforts geared towards health care reform in Central Oregon for people with mental illnesses and addictions. Commissioner Baney asked for clarification of the financial support aspect. Susan Ross stated that any years not honored would be pro-rated at that point. She added that the lease amounts should cover debt service. Dave Kanner said that the building could be used for other purposes if necessary, such as an Alzheimer care facility or a nursing home. Commissioner Luke said that under federal law, the State has to provide these services. It is best to have the services handled at a local level rather than at the State hospital. Minutes of Board of Commissioners’ Work Session Wednesday, November 4, 2009 Page 1 of 8 Pages Minutes of Board of Commissioners’ Work Session Wednesday, November 4, 2009 Page 2 of 8 Pages Mr. Kanner said that as part of the Economic Recovery Act, the bond is tax- exempt. The payment will be made from revenue generated by leasing the property to the State. Marty Wynne said that he has been waiting for the go-ahead on this. He will contact bond counsel to develop the proper documentation. 2. Integration Project – D.C. Demonstration Site. Mr. Scott said that on average, a person with serious medical illness dies 25 years earlier than one without this problem. He also talked about the partner groups in the region. C & D are complimentary when needed. Professionals who do this kind of care are available in the area. Some of these do work for the County on a regular weekly basis. They may even be seeing some of these patients already, Tracking and record keeping is kept simpler this way. Mr. Johnson then went over the concepts. Many of the clients also need other kinds of care. Commissioner Luke asked if physical health care dollars could be used for these clients. Mr. Johnson said that school-based health centers and a few other locations could provide for some of this. There is some interaction, but the services are not integrated. There are a number of health indicators that need to be tracked in conjunction with mental health issues. Mr. Johnson showed a map of the tri-county area and how residents are assisted. The La Pine clinic also helps people living in Klamath County and Lake County. The State wants to implement several demonstration sites, and this has been offered to Deschutes County. They are seeking accountability through one point, financial integration, service integration, and outcome measures. The group discussed funding options at this point. Minutes of Board of Commissioners’ Work Session Wednesday, November 4, 2009 Page 3 of 8 Pages Commissioner Luke asked how this project benefits the community. Mr. Johnson said people with mental illness would have some options. Chair Baney stated that they start with the high highs – the frequent flyers – those with the most severe problems. Instead of sending a person to another place, they can receive care all at once. This keeps them from bouncing around to the emergency room and health providers. Commissioner Luke added that this coordinated effort eliminates multiple visits and expenses. The dollars are still there and will be used for health reasons, but in a more logical fashion. Chair Baney stated that the County needs to be certain that it retains its authority and does not end up with no authority and all the liability. This is in short a Central Oregon Regional Health Authority, through the State’s Oregon Health Authority. Chair Baney feels this is on the right track but there are potential problems, such as declining funds; long-term support by the State; federal reform that may help or hinder; how a new Governor and legislature will look at this; whether other regions will become involved; and if there might be inequity in funding the uninsured as the program grows. Commissioner Unger noted that it appears that Deschutes County is carrying much of the workload on this project. Mr. Johnson said that if the dollars promised come to pass, this funding will help. Chair Baney added that St. Charles Medical Center has offered a staff person to assist. The local Addictions and Mental Health Advisory Board unanimously supports this effort towards service integration and improved health outcomes. Collaboration with local partners would take place. A single point of accountability through a regional health authority could be considered. A letter, white paper and other documents will be presented to the Commissioners for consideration. 3. Follow-up Discussion on Comprehensive Plan Update. Chair Baney said that there seems to be a rumor that the Commissioners plan to scrap the comprehensive plan. This has never been considered, although an update is being worked on at this time. Minutes of Board of Commissioners’ Work Session Wednesday, November 4, 2009 Page 4 of 8 Pages Commissioner Luke stated that the Planning Commission wanted more time to review this work and to get more public input. The Board of Commissioners wants the PC to be comfortable with a potential final product. Commissioner Unger said that citizen involvement is the beginning. Richard Klyce and Christen Brown of the Planning Commissioner asked to comment. Mr. Klyce said he is representing his view, not that of the Planning Commission. Mr. Brown stated that they were instructed not to speak for the others and they have not yet had an opportunity to meet with the Planning Commission as a group to talk about this issue. They do not meet until November 5. Nick Lelack explained that the question about whether the Plan should be scrapped has arisen, and he has been told that five of the seven Planning Commissioners feel that it should be. However, this was voiced by one Planning Commissioner and not the group as a whole. This would mean staff would work with the Planning Commission and start with a blank sheet, instead of staff creating documents for the Planning Commission to review. Commissioner Luke suggested that perhaps individual sections can be analyzed and common ground found first. Then the areas of dispute can be discussed. Mr. Brown said there are a lot of pieces in the draft plan, which is 422 pages, that have merit. Other portions are problematic. Reconsidering the entire Plan might be a better way to look at it. A matrix is being prepared showing the actions, goals and policies in the document, many of which the Planning Commission is going to support. It would be foolish to ignore what is there, as some will be of value. Chair Baney asked if they are talking about content or format. The actions and goals may or may not be included. The information is based on feedback from the community. Commissioner Unger said that he hopes the Planning Commission bases its decisions on a public process. Chair Baney stated that the budget process is an example; recommendations are made as to what to keep and what should be left out. She would like to see what is being requested to be eliminated. The Board has to know what it has to stand on when policy decisions are made. Minutes of Board of Commissioners’ Work Session Wednesday, November 4, 2009 Page 5 of 8 Pages Commissioner Luke feels that this type of discussion is premature, as the Planning Commission is the first step. What staff recommends, the Planning Commission recommends and public input are all considered by the Board. Mr. Lelack said that the other issue is public outreach, which is part of the process and has been ongoing. Chair Baney would like to see all of this included. Commissioner Luke would like to see the process continued for as long as necessary, since the final result will affect the area for many years. It was noted that this would cost additional general funds, but that should not be a barrier to getting to the right document. Chris stated that the continued public comment is a concern of his. The Planning Commission is considering deleting or changing a great deal, and will have to go back to the public then with a draft plan that might then contain a lot of changes. This could cause confusion. Chair Baney would like to see public input on the entire document, not just what the Planning Commission wants to include. Mr. Brown said that the document is already out, and the public is aware and will have things they want to bring to the table. Chair Baney indicated that a consensus of the Planning Commission is needed to change gears like this. Commissioner Unger noted that he prefers not to change gears so radically; they should let the public provide input and make adjustments based on that. Mr. Lelack said what needs to be considered is the Plan and the process. He asked if the public process should be suspended to allow time for editing, or continued into January, at which time a rewrite could happen and the public process begun again. He added that it does not seem fair to have a moving target. Chair Baney said she does not want to confuse the public. Ms. Maze noted that staff and the Planning Commission might have differing opinions. She will see if they can reconcile this before the formal process. Commissioner Luke stated that an e-mail quoted a statewide group comment, with personal attacks on Planning Commission members. It is legitimate to make opinions known, but this is hard work and personal attacks are neither appropriate nor helpful. Minutes of Board of Commissioners’ Work Session Wednesday, November 4, 2009 Page 6 of 8 Pages Chair Baney said she appreciates all the public outreach thus far. Not everyone will be happy when the process is over, but at least they would have been heard. 4. Other Items. Chair Baney said that she attended a luncheon hosted by Cornell University, where they discussed a certificate program the hospitality field and Oregon State University – Bend. The meeting was well attended. There is no program like this in the northwest. With the passage of the COCC bond, it is promising. _____________________________________ In regard to card locks for fuel purchases, Commissioner Luke asked if there are issues with the current system. Mr. Kanner said that the State and others are getting a much more favorable rate than the County. This service has not been bid out for a long time. There could be more than one provider, or the County could tie into the State’s contract, which would cost about $5,000 a year. A lot of money could be saved by bidding it out. The current agreement is not limited to just one provider. He would like to find a provider that would mirror the cost to the State. Another consideration is where the points of sale are. Mr. Kanner said that the County is not unhappy with Bend Oil Company. Hoover, the County cannot simply renegotiate with them but has to go through a bid process. _____________________________________ Nick Lelack said the destination resort work group at the State is meeting almost weekly. There are a lot of creative thoughts coming together, and he feels it is very important that the County remain involved in this process. They are hoping to come up with a legislative concept by February. Commissioner Unger stated that he hears a lot of negative comments about destination resorts, and much of it is based on misinformation. Commissioner Luke noted that the comprehensive plan and land use laws are not meant to stop growth, which will happen anyway; instead, these are meant to help plan for orderly growth. Mr. Lelack said that there are some creative ideas being considered that he hopes to share with the Board at some point. _____________________________________ Minutes of Board of Commissioners’ Work Session Wednesday, November 4, 2009 Page 7 of 8 Pages Commissioner Unger said he attended a meeting of the South Redmond Collaboration Group, consisting of members of the BLM, the Department of State Lands, the military, the City and the County. They brought up the proposed BLM transfer of La Pine and Redmond properties. Some land is being requested by the City for runway protection zones and runways and the Rod and Gun Club. Everyone has commented. They are working with Theresa Rozic of the County as a point of contact, as the County is the facilitator. The three properties in La Pine are now being considered in Congress. Mara Stein, Tumalo resident, said she is interested in land use, water, and destination resort issues, as well as the connectivity plan and safety issues in Tumalo. She is surprised how the community perceives things, as misinformation that spread like wildfire. She noted that strategic planning is very important. Too many procedures confuse people. Perhaps there could be a single source contact so people can get the real story and not be overwhelmed with messages that were forwarded multiple times. People need to be clear on the process, whether it is through the Planning Commission or the Board. Commissioner Luke said that it helps to have input from citizens so major issues or concerns can be addressed. Ms. Stein said that all needs to be considered, regardless of the personal opinions of the Planning Commission members. Commissioner Luke noted that if people keep getting e-mails as a call to action and there is no real “emergency”, they might begin to ignore them. _____________________________________ ODOT has said that the project at Lower Bridge Road is finalized and according to the agreement, Wimp Way will be open for ninety days. _____________________________________ Erik Kropp said that the A-frame cabins are being placated for people to view them and for decisions to be made regarding how they might be placed to use as homeless shelters. Chair Baney said that she was told that placing them on church grounds could be a problem because they should be non-secular. Some people are worried about additional crime, and zoning and other issues may be problematic.