Minutes: Board of Commission Meeting, 08/01/2001 COUNTY COMMISSIONER CHAIR BRIAN D. COLE
COUNTY COMMISSIONER HOWARD C. BRITTON COUNTY COMMISSIONER TIM L. KERNS
August 1, 2001 Commission Session
Baker County Commissioners met for the August 1, 2001 Commission Session. Present were Commission Chair Brian D. Cole, Commissioner Howard C. Britton, Commissioner Tim L. Kerns, and Administrative Officer Patrick Smith.
Citizen’s Participation: None
Approval of Minutes: Review of the minutes were tabled.
Scheduled Business Disability Awareness Day:
Commissioners went outside to participate in the Disability Awareness Day activity held by Lisa Lien, Jon and Toni Croghan and Shirley Baxter. Those that participated in the project at the Courthouse were: Mark Bennett, Tami Green, Alice Durflinger, Commissioner Cole, Commissioner Britton, Commissioner Kerns, and Patrick Smith. The group was required to transport themselves via wheelchair throughout the Courthouse without any help. All were successful as they traveled from the basement, through the Clerk’s Office to Administrative Services, out of the Assessor’s Office and up to the D.A.’s.
Approval of Minutes:Commissioner Kerns moved to approve the July 18, 2001 minutes. Commissioner Britton seconded the motion with the addition to note that Commissioner Britton abstained from approving the July 5, 2001 minutes due to the fact that he was not present. Motion carried unanimously.
Bull-A-Rama Update:
Bob Savage presented the break down of what was bought with the funds provided by the County. They are still short $287.55. Mr. Savage requested future assistance from the County.
Commissioner Cole stated that the Elk’s have done a great job. This event has continued to grow and is great for everyone around.
Bob Savage stated that he will be going before the Fairboard tonight to see if they can help in any way.
Commissioner Kerns clarified that the additional funding needed was $ 287.55 and he sees no problem with that amount as it is a great program.
Mr. Savage announced that he is currently working on getting 12 more Bull-a-Rama’s set up throughout the area and to have regionals in Reno.
Commissioner Cole stated that he does not have any problem getting this final bill paid. Commissioner Cole moved to commit $287.55 and for Mr. Savage to continue seeking assistance from the Fairboard. Commissioner Kerns seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously.
Documents to be Signed Addendum #3 to Intergovernmental Agreement: Agreement deals with the weed control effort with Union County. Ken Helgerson stated that the weed board saw it fit that with the weed levy, they would help the Road Department out with $15,000 to fight noxious weeds in the right-of-ways. The Road Department contracts out for this service to Union County. As a result of the additional revenue, they have increased their contract amount with Union County.
Ken stated that they will be working closely with Arnie and expressed to Arnie that he would like to focus on the right-of-way areas of those owners that are actually working hard to keep their fields weed free.
Commissioner Cole moved to sign the Addendum #3 to the Intergovernmental Agreement with Baker County and Union County. Commissioner Britton seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously.
Federal Hwy Letter to ODFW:
Ken Helgerson read a letter that he had drafted to submit to Dave Larson of the ODFW. It has come to Ken’s attention that funding for wetland mitigation to be completed at the Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area for the Anthony Lakes Highway Project will be reviewed by the State Legislative Board for the acceptance by the ODFW. Ken stated that he would like to see state representatives look into this. Ken is asking the commissioners to okay the letter so that he can send it off as quickly as possible. Commissioner Cole requested that copies of the letter be sent to our state representatives. Commissioner Kerns moved to accept the letter to ODFW. Commissioner Britton seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously.
Pocahontas Road Speed Study:
Paul Davis has sent Ken Helgerson a packet dealing with the request that OTEC originated regarding the speed limit after 23rd Street. Paul Davis has come back with a recommendation of 45 miles per hour. Ken has talked with OTEC and they are satisfied with this recommendation, as is Ken’s staff. The next step is to notify ODOT that they agree with the recommendation. New speed limit signs will be posted after an order is signed. Ken presented a letter accepting the recommendation with the Commissioner’s approval. Commissioner Britton moved to accept the recommendation and sign the letter. Commissioner Kerns seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously.
House Bill 2142-Transportation Funding Meeting:
Ken has been invited to the attend the meeting that will be held in Pendleton. They are trying to figure out how the money will be divided. Ken is concerned about farm to market roads and stated that bridges will be another issue. $200 million will be used to increase lane capacity. $50 million for district highway preservation and $50 million to bridges. Ken will be focusing his energy on the bridges. This meeting will be a great opportunity for rural Oregon to compete for these monies.
Commissioner Cole and Commissioner Britton will not be able to attend these meetings, however, Commissioner Kerns will be attending. At the meeting on August 9, they will be discussing the County’s Immediate Opportunity Fund. If it is approved, one of the conditions is that we improve D street up to city standards.
Documents to be Signed Order No. 2001-158. Designating the Record-Courier as the newspaper of publication for foreclosure lists. Commissioner Britton moved to approve order 2001-158. Commissioner Kerns seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously.
Professional Services Agreement: RN Coordinator: Karen Cloudt. This is a continuation of past work that Karen provides for the Health Department. The cost of Ms. Cloudt’s services will be $1,030.00 per month (total costs not to exceed $13,810.00). Commissioner Britton moved to approve the Professional Services Agreement with Karen Cloudt. Commissioner Kerns seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously.
Additions to the Agenda City Antenna on Courthouse:
Patrick Smith has been contacted by the City of Baker City. Baker City would like to attach an antenna to the top of the Courthouse. It would mainly be for the City’s use to communicate between the law enforcement offices. The antenna will not be large. Patrick has already talked to Gary Smith of Maintenance and it shouldn’t be a problem. The City will cover all costs to install it. There will be minimal use to run the antenna–the cost of running a light bulb. Patrick stated that the main concern was if it was going to be ugly. It would be 18" tall and would placed on one of the sides of the tower. Commissioner Cole would like to see it on the west side if possible. No objections were made by the Commissioners.
Deferred Compensation Plan:
Patrick Smith stated that thanks to Allen Phillips, Baker County employees will have the opportunity to join the Oregon Savings Growth Plan that is administered by PERS. The cost of the plan is incurred by the employee/participant. Patrick wanted to give the Commissioners a chance to think about it and will ask for thoughts at the next commission session. Mr. Smith stated that he has had experience with this company and he likes them and feels that it would be a good thing for our employees.
Parks Tour
Commissioner Cole announced that the Park’s tour has been cancelled, however, the tour for the 15th of August is still scheduled.
All Star Donation
The County is wanting to support the girls All Star softball team. One idea was to place a donation jar at Sheriff Hale’s smash car at the County Fair. The second suggestion is to have all department heads and elected officials get the word out to donate. The question was raised on whether the County would match the donation amount. Commissioner Kerns moved to match the donations dollar per dollar up to $200 dollars. Commissioner Britton seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously.
Discussion Topics Comparison of Calendars
August 2nd: Armory Architects, National Guard Armory Meeting at 4pm at Courthouse
August 8th & 9th: ODOT in Pendleton: Commissioner Kerns
August 14th: Northeast Oregon Housing Authority: Commissioner Britton
August 15th: EO/DH Meeting, Commission Session, Parks Tour
Civil War Re-enactment at the Lime Plant
A request has been submitted by John Koocan. Mr. Koocan is asking to have the County’s permission to hold a Civil War Re-enactment at the Lime plant. Commissioner Cole has directed John to speak with Sarah Hilderbrand, County Counsel. Sarah stated that she would like to see someone out there at the same time with them to make sure they stay away from the Lime plant buildings. There is also the question of fire protection. If this is going to be during the fire season, they would need to ensure that they had fire protection. Commissioner Kerns moved to table this until more information is received such as time, date, fire protection, and letters of recommendation. Issue was tabled pending further information.
Meeting was adjourned at 11:30 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Robin Nudd, Executive Assistant
Baker County Board of Commissioners