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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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Primary Results, Legislative Action and More
Now that the election is over...
May 16, 2012 |
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| May Primary Election | |
The May Primary election is history. AOC has compiled a complete list of the races for commissioners and judges across the state. Several races were settled in the Primary, but several more will have to wait until November for resolution. We do know that there will be at least 18 new commissioners and judges come January.
There were some upsets in Legislative races as well. Sen. Chris Telfer of Bend lost the Republican Primary to former House Majority Leader Tim Knopp. Knopp faces Democrat Geri Hauser in the General. Happy Valley Democratic Representative Mike Schaufler lost to Jeff Reardon. Umatilla County Commissioner Bill Hansell won the Republican Primary for Senate District 29 despite being outspent by his opponent $140,000 to $78,000. The past AOC and NACo President knows how to work on a tight budget and we look forward to having his experience and county perespective in the state senate.
The current members of the Oregon Legislature gather for three days next week in Salem for interim activities. They'll be taking another look at the budget and the County Payments Task Force meets on Tuesday to continue their work with Oregon counties facing the loss of federal forest payments. AOC policy staff is gearing up for an interesting mid-week experience in the Capitol.
Enjoy this week's Oregon Trails knowing the lawn signs have to come down this weekend and summer is just around the corner. |
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| Study of Water Scarcity in the Willamette Basin Draws Feedback | |
On Thursday, the Willamette Water 2100 research project held a workshop in Salem of stakeholders in the Willamette Basin to report on progress of the project and to receive comments of participants. WW 2100 is funded by the National Science Foundation and managed by Oregon State University, in partnership with University of Oregon and Portland State University. The project is to develop a modeling framework on the potential of, and policy responses to, water scarcity in the basin. It is being conducted with an emphasis on open, community participation. The workshop drew some 70 people, including stakeholder interests, federal and state agencies, and local governments, including Benton County Commissioner Linda Modrell and Polk County Commissioner Craig Pope. Through focus groups and plenary sessions, the project team reported on, and received comments about, the modeling components, which include surface and groundwater hydrology, snow accumulation and melt, dam operations, water use, land use, fisheries, and climate change. The ultimate product is intended to be a functioning computer model that will be capable of informing policy considerations when basin water shortages occur. Sam Chan, the project coordinator, stated that he expects to have a preliminary model for public review in about six months.
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| Federal Forest Payments Update | |
The U.S. Senate version of the transportation bill contains a one-year reauthorization of federal forest payments and PILT. The transportation bill is now being debated by a House/Senate conference committee.
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-OR, sent a letter signed by 26 other senators (including U.S. Jeff Merkley, D-OR) urging the Senate members of the conference committee to push for the reauthorization. U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-OR, has a letter to the House members of the conference committee that was signed by 15 of his fellow Republican lawmakers. U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-OR, is preparing a similar letter for Democrats and expects to have it circulated in the very near future.
So far, the conference committee hasn't committed to the reauthorization, but then again, the conferees haven't committed to passing a transportation bill either. Negotiations continue, we are told, but at this point, when any action will take place is unknown. It appears Congress would like to have the Transportation package out of the way soon. Construction season is well underway and contractors across the nation would like to see projects continue rather than stall out with a lack of Congressional action.
U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-OR, and U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-OR, are members of the conference committee.
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| Early Learning Council Eastern Oregon Meeting | |
The Early Learning Council is taking their meetings on the road. This month's meeting will be held on May 24th in Burns. This would be a great opportunity for those of you in Eastern Oregon to see the group shaping Oregon's early learning initiative. According to Harney County Commissioner Dan Nichols the ELC "will be having their public meeting the 24th and we will be providing a tour and information as to how Harney County works in a cooperative manner to provide services to children and families the afternoon of the 23rd." The meeting will take place on the 24th from 9am - 4pm at the Harney County ESD,
1225 S. Rock Ave., Burns.
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| CCO Update | |
On Thursday, May 03, the governor's office announced that Oregon has reached a preliminary deal with the Obama Administration/HHS for $1.9 billion over the next 5 years to support the State-Federal Medicaid partnership. This deal includes $620 million in the second year of current biennium to support Medicaid clients and innovation across the state.
For those of you following the CCO development closely: 14 CCO applicants submitted first round technical applications. OHA has produced two tables describing the CCO applications: by county alone and then by county broken down into zip codes.
Part of the requirement of becoming a CCO is to hold a public meeting to describe the plan. For a list of upcoming public meetings being hosted by the CCO applicants click here. |
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Population Forecasting Proposal Being Developed | |
A group of stakeholders, including the Association of Oregon Counties, League of Oregon Cities (LOC), and Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD), have been working on a proposal to modify the population forecasting process to resolve longstanding concerns on the part of cities about getting timely and updated numbers in order to proceed with Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) expansions. After months of research on the history of the program, the group is getting closer to a legislative concept that will be submitted by DLCD. You can find details of the proposal in its current form here. In addition to AOC, LOC, and DLCD, the group of stakeholders includes the Homebuilders Association, 1000 Friends, Metro, State Office of Economic Analysis, Business Oregon and others. The meetings are being facilitated by the Oregon Consensus Program. Additional details and information will be available as work progresses. Please contact Mike Eliason if you need additional information.
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| Juvenile Justice Task Force Starts Up | |
The AOC Juvenile Justice Task Force was recently created by the Board of Directors to examine the juvenile justice system and the role of juvenile parole and probation services. Some counties have expressed interest in assuming parole and probation responsibilities of the Oregon Youth Authority (OYA). Other counties have expressed concerns. The Task Force is charged to review how those services are delivered and how they fit into the broader system. If appropriate, the Task Force is to make recommendations to the AOC Public Safety Committee for improvements to the system. The Task Force has broad representation from commissioners and judges, juvenile department directors, district attorneys, defense lawyers, circuit courts, mental health services, private sector providers, AFSCME and OYA.
Last Friday, the Task Force held its first meeting. Members reviewed the roles of OYA and county juvenile departments in the system, their relationship to each other, the function of juvenile parole and probation, recent changes in the system, and the overall landscape of juvenile services and the state budget. The discussion was lively and informative. The next meeting of the Task Force is scheduled for June 8th at 8:00 a.m.
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| GETF Human Services Subcommittee | |
The GETF Human Services Subcommittee met on Friday, May 11th. The subcommittee discussed the efficiencies that could be gained in adopting Therap as a software program for providers of DD services. DHS stated that by using Therap there would be cost savings and improved client outcomes. Additionally, the software could help with data collection from providers, saving even more time and money. At this time 50 percent of DD providers (covering 80 percent of the clients) use Therap. DHS identified potential barriers: some counties have just recently adopted other software programs, some providers do not have the finances to adopt new software, and the interoperability of Therap with other software used by physical health providers. The committee decided to explore both legislative and non-legislative approaches to meeting the outcome of 100 percent using software that can reach these efficiency goals.
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| Road User Fee Task Force Vacancy |
We need to fill a vacancy left by Commissioner Don Lindly's retirement to represent counties on the Road User Fee Task Force. It is an independent body created by the Oregon Legislature in 2001 and administered by ODOT. Members are appointed to four year terms by the Governor, Senate President, House Speaker and Chair of the Oregon Transportation Commission. The task force guides policy development of a user based payment system as an alternative to the fuel tax as the principal way Oregon funds its road system. Meetings occur approximately three times a year and are subject to the open meetings and public records laws. Meetings tend to be scheduled in Salem but are occasionally held elsewhere in the state. Travel expenses are covered by ODOT.
If you are interested, please contact Ann Hanus.
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Employment Relations Board to Host a "Roundtable" June 2nd | |
The members of the Employment Relations Board (ERB) invite you to join them the evening of Tuesday June 5th at 5:00 p.m. for a discussion on its services and suggestions for improvement. Light refreshments will be served. In particular, the Board would like to discuss ways to address a budget note from the February 2012 legislative session that calls on the Board to improve the timely disposition of cases, and evaluate the quality of Final and Recommended Orders. The Roundtable will take place in the 3rd floor ERB hearing room located at 528 Cottage Street NE.
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Upcoming Trainings, Workshops, Conferences and Listening Sessions | |
OEDA Spring Conference, Portland, May 18
Ecoroof Symposium, Portland, May 18
Brownfields Conference and Awards, Portland, June 13-14
EV Roadmap 5, Portland, June 22
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Have a great weekend!
Laura Cleland & Eric Schmidt
Association of Oregon Counties
503-585-8351
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