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Oregon Trails
An Occasional Newsletter
from
The Association of Oregon Counties
Month, Year - Vol 1, Issue 1 |
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The Occasional, But Very Important Newsletter
Pre-Holiday Edition
December 15, 2011 |
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Some Issues Never Take a Break | |
Some of us may have thoughts of sugarplums in our heads, but for most, the work goes on. In this issue you will find updates on health transformation, logging roads, early learning, video lottery payments, sage-grouse and much, much more.
Some of the information you find in this newsletter used to come to you in separate e-mails. In an effort to reduce the shear volume of e-mail traffic from AOC to your inbox, we will be producing more out-of-legislative-session newsletters. If there is something that is critical or time sensitive, you will still get an e-mail, otherwise, the information will be delivered to you via the Oregon Trails newsletter. |
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| Health Transformation/HB 3650 | |
Business Plan
The four workgroups have wrapped up their work and the Oregon Health Authority has presented its draft plans to the Oregon Health Policy Board for review. This document, the "Draft Coordinated Care Organization Implementation Proposal" discusses criteria for becoming a CCO, outcomes, information about Medicaid-Medicare issues and the global budget. It is important for commissioners and their staff to become familiar with this document as it will be the basis for all CCO work moving forward.
Timeline: This document is open for public comment through January 3, 2012. The next version of the draft will be presented to the Health Policy Board on January 10, 2012. For a full timeline of the process, click here.
Guidance Document
The Association of Oregon Counties has been working with the Association of Oregon Community Mental Health Professionals (AOCMHP) and the Coalition of Local Health Officials (CHLO) to create a document to help county officials understand how to implement Section 24 of HB 3650. This document provides detailed analysis of both county public health and mental health systems.
Safety Net
Parallel to the Health System Transformation work the Oregon Health Authority's Addictions and Mental Health Division has been working with counties to streamline the funding for indigent care and safety net services. This work should streamline how the funds flow into the counties to provide safety net services. A summary of this work can be found on the AOC Human Services Steering Committee page or by clicking here.
Testimony
On December 20 there will be a special joint meeting of the House Health Care Committee and the Senate Health Care, Human Services and Rural Health Policy Committee to hear public comment about Health System Transformation. A number of commissioners have been invited by Representative Thompson to testify and several others have volunteered to provide written testimony. The hope is to provide the two committees some idea of conversations county commissioners have been having about health care transformation, what opportunities exist and what challenges need to be overcome.
If you wish to provide written testimony, please contact AOC staff, Mark Nystrom.
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| Early Learning Council | |
The Early Learning Council put in a great deal of work during the past few weeks and presented the Oregon Education Investment Board with its SB 909 report. The Early Learning Council took a number of recommendations from AOC's "Oregon's Early Learning Initiative: A County Perspective." While there are still questions to be answered, the document gives much more insight into the vision of the Early Learning Council.
The Early Learning Council is meeting again December 15 in Portland. The council maintains a Web site with the agendas, meeting materials and future meeting dates (scroll down to the "Early Learning" heading).
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| Human Services Steering Committee Webpage | |
With so much happening in the Human Services arena AOC staff have been working to keep an updated list of documents and Web sites related to Health Transformation, Early Learning Council and other related work. This Web site will be updated weekly and there are plans in the work to include a calendar of important meeting dates. For even more up-to-the-minute information, contact AOC staff, Mark Nystrom.
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| Counties Praise Work in Congress to Overturn NEDC v. Brown/Decker | |
At the AOC Annual Conference, the membership adopted a resolution of support for congressional efforts to reverse NEDC v. Brown/Decker, the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit is required for stormwater runoff from logging roads. This ruling was in spite of a Clean Water Act Silvicultural Rule, adopted in 1976, which defines this kind of runoff as non-point source and therefore outside the NPDES permit requirement. Imposing this requirement would be extraordinarily expensive and administratively burdensome.
AOC has filed an amicus brief requesting that the US Supreme Court grant a review. The State of Oregon, National Association of Counties, and others have done the same.
Meanwhile, thanks to the leadership of Senator Ron Wyden and Congressmen Greg Walden and Kurt Schrader, Congress will consider a bill to reverse the Ninth Circuit decision. A legislative solution would be quicker and less costly than a judicial one.
On December 12, the US Supreme Court invited the solicitor general to file a brief expressing the views of the federal government. In other words, the court did not deny the petition for review. Stay tuned.
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| AOC Supports Implementation of the Oregon Wolf Management Plan | |
By resolution at the December 12 AOC Legislative Committee, AOC is in full support of the Oregon Wolf Management Plan, adopted in 2005 and updated in 2010. Noting its participation in the process, AOC reminded stakeholders that the plan was agreed to collaboratively and required compromise. All elements of the plan must be implemented for it to work, including lethal removal of chronically depredating wolves. The Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife determined that two wolves must be eliminated from the Imnaha Pack, but its ruling was appealed by Oregon Wild. AOC stands by efforts of ODFW to appropriately implement the plan.
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AOC Calls on Counties to Convene and Lead Regional Water Planning Efforts | |
By resolution at the December 12 AOC Legislative Committee, AOC has highlighted the critical nature of a long-term, sustainable supply of clean water. With the coming adoption of the State Integrated Water Resources Strategy, and its encouragement of regional, "place-based" planning, counties are well situated as general governments with jurisdiction over all of the state to convene these planning efforts. AOC formally offered support to counties to the extent practicable and requested.
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Video Lottery Payments | |
Video lottery payments have been distributed for the second quarter of this fiscal year. These payments are substantially higher than the first quarter payments to make up for distributing only 35 percent of what counties were owed in the first quarter. The lower first quarter payment was the result of the timing of the state's bond payments coinciding with cash flow. Beginning in the third quarter, distributions should be an even amount of 1/8 of the county video lottery appropriation for the biennium.
The total appropriation for video lottery distributions to counties is $37.1 million for the 2011-13 biennium, an increase of $8.3 million over the 2009-2011 allocation of $28.8 million. For the first time, the Legislature chose to allocate fixed amounts for county economic development and county fairs rather than a continuous percentage allocation of the revenues. The Legislature hopes this will allow counties to budget with more certainty during the biennium regarding the video lottery resources.
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Potential Transportation Legislation for February 2012 | |
The Senate Business Transportation and Economic Development Committee and the House Transportation Committee are planning to introduce legislation that would:
- Direct the Oregon Department of Transportation and Oregon Travel Experience to keep the Government Camp rest area open to 2013;
- Re-allocate excess JTPA transportation project money; and
- Provide $50 million in lottery bonding authority to be spent on Connect Oregon, community colleges, Special Public Works Fund and the Oregon Business Development Department Business Loan Fund.
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| BLM Greater Sage-Grouse Planning Strategy in Oregon | |
In early 2010, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) determined that the greater sage-grouse warranted but precluded being listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). However, the USFWS still has a 2015 deadline to make a decision on whether or not the bird should be listed under the ESA. As a result of this looming deadline, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is acting to update its Resource Management Plans (RMP) in the states that have sage-grouse present by 2014 in an effort to avoid an ESA listing. See the BLM news release for more information on this national effort.
In Oregon, the BLM has already been working on this effort in conjunction with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW). This cooperative effort will continue so that the Oregon Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation Assessment and Strategy (recently updated by ODFW) will be incorporated into the BLM's RMP for Oregon along with other information.
A 60 day public scoping period began on December 9. There will be a series of public meetings scheduled and county governments will be notified. Please see the fact sheet from the Oregon BLM Office. Sally Sovey, Sage-Grouse Strategy Program manger in Oregon, may be contacted at 503-808-6625. |
| Environmental Protection Agency and the Clean Water Act | |
The U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced it intends on using the draft Guidance on Identifying Waters Protected Under the Clean Water Act to develop the rule on Waters of the U.S. This rule expands the number of waterways protected under the Clean Water Act and will likely result in more permits being required for projects (particularly road construction). Additionally, permits obtained from the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) and Oregon Department of Environmental Quality will trigger consultations with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).
AOC has submitted a letter to the EPA with four primary asks:
- The ACOE should continue to honor existing exemptions for maintaining transportation related structures;
- The ACOE should continue to offer Nationwide Permits with 401 certifications and regional conditions;
- Other federal agencies, such as NMFS, should develop programmatic ways for consultation to expedite permitting; and
- The rule should include the flexibility to honor state regulatory processes to avoid redundancies, particularly around mitigation.
The National Association of Counties is also submitting comments and continues to be engaged with the EPA on this process. We will know more in January about the EPA's timeline for the rule.
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| Yamhill County Panel Testifies Before Oregon Commission on Public Safety | |
What would you like from Yamhill County's criminal justice system? One less victim? One less crime? One less tax dollar spent on offenders? How about all of the above?
Since August 2010, when Yamhill County was chosen as one of seven nationwide seed sites by the National Institute of Corrections, county leaders have been working on a strategy for a safer community. On Monday, November 21, Yamhill County officials were invited to share their groundbreaking work with Oregon's Commission on Public Safety. Governor Kitzhaber appointed the seven member Commission in June 2011. The Commission is chaired by State Supreme Court Justice Paul De Muniz.
Yamhill County's panel presented information on their One Less Offender, One Less Victim, One Less Crime Initiative.
The county's presentation team included Presiding Judge John Collins, Commissioner Mary Stern, Ted Smietana, director, Community Corrections; Silas Halloran-Steiner, director, Health and Human Services; and Carol Fredrick, local defense counsel.
Our Mission: As a team of criminal justice professionals, we will act collaboratively to improve long term public safety by implementing proven, cost-effective system improvements in our jurisdiction. Our mission will be to reduce crime, have fewer victims and promote safer communities.
(Submitted by Andy Smith, AOCMHP)
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| - CMA Desktop Video Conference System | |
Earlier this week the first meeting via the AOC CMA desktop video conference system was held. Commissioners Kathy George, Yamhill County and Mike Smith, Sherman County, joined Eric Schmidt and Laura Cleland - all at their respective desks in McMinnville, Moro and Salem for a real-time meeting. It worked great!
AOC offers this service to all commissioners and judges and there are enough licenses for others in the county family as well. All you need is the software (that AOC will provide), your desktop or laptop computer and a webcam. Once you are on the system, you can video conference from your desktop with anyone else on the system - AOC does not need to be involved.
AOC believes this will be particularly useful for participation in steering committee meetings when you can't get to Salem. Todd Harker at AOC can get you set up!
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| Public Employment Relations Conference | |
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This Week's Contributing Elves | |
Rookie of the year, Mark Nystrom, continues his streak of multiple, timely updates. Close behind are Gil Riddell, Ann Hanus, Emily Ackland, Laura Cleland and Mike McArthur. A special thanks to Andy Smith, AOCMHP for his submission.
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Have a Safe and Wonderful Holiday Season! Ho, Ho, Ho!! | |
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Laura Cleland & Eric Schmidt
AOC Elves
Association of Oregon Counties
503-585-8351
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