BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS'

REGULAR MEETING

April 14, 2009

10:00 a.m.

Harris Hall Main Floor

APPROVED 12/1/2010

Commissioner Pete Sorenson presided with Commissioners Bill Dwyer, Bill Fleenor and Rob Handy present.  Faye Stewart was excused.  County Administrator Jeff Spartz, County Counsel Liane Richardson and Recording Secretary Melissa Zimmer were also present.

1. ADJUSTMENTS TO THE AGENDA

None.

2. PUBLIC COMMENTS

Jim Seaberry, Eugene, said it was brought to his attention to talk to Cliff and Kathy Larson who live in River Road.  He reported the problem was that Hodson Lane was never a county or city road, it was a private road.  He said the city said the County Commissioners gave the road to them when it wasn’t theirs to give.  He added there was no public hearing or posting of the road being annexed.  He indicated there was one home that causes the problem.  He said it gave way another neighbor’s private property.  He asked the Board to follow up on this.

Scott Bartlett, Eugene , recalled that he worked with Fleenor in 2002 and 2003 to analyze animal conditions throughout Lane County .  He said the Board came up with a requirement that the veterinarians report each rabies vaccination administered in the office.  He indicated this year there has been a partial effort to monitor this.  He added without being able to monitor it, the Board will not know what level of compliance the  County may need to upgrade in order to maximize the revenue.  He said the revenue is important in order to wean the agency off of the general fund.  He commented that the reports they are getting do not reflect all the rabies vaccination reports the vets turn in.  He asked for the Board to monitor this and to maximize license compliance.  He wanted to procure a complete reporting from staff on what was required five years ago for that to happen.

Bob Van Dyk, Forest Grove, stated he is a Professor at Pacific University .  He indicated he is working for a group called the Wild Salmon Center .  He said they are at a critical juncture for state forest management.  He noted the Board of Forestry is close to making a decision.  He added there is a lawsuit by the counties against the state.  He said HB3072 is pending legislation of the state forests’ timber production.  He alerted the Board to these matters.  He supported a more balanced and integrated management of the lands.  He thought they were lacking the center of forest policy.

3. COMMISSIONERS' RESPONSE TO PUBLIC COMMENTS AND/OR OTHER ISSUES AND REMONSTRANCE

Dwyer said with regard to Bartlett’s request, he wanted Karen Gaffney, Health and Human Services to come in next week to report back to the Board.  He commented that they made a mistake when they transferred this to Health and Human Services.

Fleenor stated that it was important to have a rabies compliance program with proper data.  He asked what they should do regarding Hodson Lane .

Richardson responded that if this was a private road and annexed by the city, the County may have an obligation to contact the city to look into this.  She stated they have no authority over it.  She indicated it wasn’t the County’s road to begin with and the city annexed it.  She said the city could look to see if the process was done correctly and if not to go back and do it. 

Fleenor asked about the remedy.

Spartz recommended communicating with John Ruiz, the city manager to see if he will verify whether or not the annexation was done properly.

Handy’s concern is in the good governance principles and their work with rebuilding trust.  He indicated that they have a simmering situation in Santa Clara River Road and they have a County resident who has not been represented well.  He wanted to redress the situation.  He also wanted to have a work session on LCAS.

Sorenson wanted an e-mail sent to Bartlett on compliance with the Board order. With regard to Seaberry, he wanted to see an e-mail to the city manager and to Seaberry.  He requested that the Board keep a request for topics at the Board meeting and send them to Zoe.  He said they are going to be having a work session on the Western Lane County Lands.

With regard to the Tillamook Forest, Dwyer said there is a “greatest benefit clause” in the contract. He wanted to have a work session.

4. EMERGENCY BUSINESS

None.

5. COMMISSIONERS' BUSINESS

None.

6. COUNTY COUNSEL

a. Announcements

None.

7. PERFORMANCE AUDITOR

a. Announcements

None.

8. COUNTY ADMINISTRATION

a. Announcements

Spartz reported the first Fair Board meeting will take place on Thursday at 5:00 p.m.   He recalled the Public Service Building had a partial power failure.

b. DISCUSSION, RANKING AND POSSIBLE ACTION/Review of Proposals for Funding for the 2009-10 Economic Development RFP General Allocation Cycle and the RFP Scoring Process.

Mike McKenzie-Bahr, Economic Development, explained that this is the general allocation Economic Development cycle.  He said this is for the government side.  He said they have gone  through a competitive process in house as they do the initial and open cycle.  He discussed the scoring mechanism.  (Copy in file).  He recalled that they have been allocating about $475,000 annually for this process.  He stated these are funds that they received for the next fiscal year.  He said they are for the 09/10 Fiscal Year.  He said they have been receiving 100 percent of lottery funds they are due. He said the legislature last week said they will cut the video lottery funds and other funds to the problem gambling services.  He said the governor’s budget has asked for a 30 percent cut from all departments.  He said if that occurs, they will not have $475,000 to award.   He said it could be about $300,000.  He indicated there was about $800,000 in front of the Board.  He wanted the Board to rank these projects and to fund them at a discounted level.

Dwyer asked how much they spend before the people can give their presentations.

Sorenson said there will be presentations and then the Board could decide.

Handy asked if they were going to spend the money and how it relates to other economic development priorities they have.

Joe Pishoneri, gave a presentation for the Lane County Correction Work Force.  Matthew Stringer, Department of Youth Services, gave a presentation on enhanced vocational programs to serve high risk youth offenders.  Steve Cornacchia gave a presentation on the Junction City Water Control District.   Matt Laird, Land Management, Oregon E-Building Permits for permit tracking software.  Amber Fossen Public Information Officer, gave a presentation on Working for You Videos.

Sorenson asked McKenzie-Bahr to reopen the process.  He wanted to have another workshop for people who wanted to make presentations.  He said there would be a two week time after the workshop for projects to come in.  He wanted to appoint a five member committee to score them after the second round of proposals.  He wanted to try out the five committee task force, one appointed by each commissioner and they would make a recommendation and the Board could review their recommendations and take action.  He thought it would take two months to do. 

Dwyer stated they already have a process.  He sees this evolving back into a political process.  He wanted to be as objective as possible to take the politics out.  He stated they have the work force and have a citizen member.  He said they already have a committee familiar with scoring these.  He added they refrain from voting on anything that might benefit them.  He recalled when he came on the Board of Commissioners that this was a pot of money anyone could use with three votes.  He commented that he found this proposal moving back to that concept.  He indicated that they have objective criteria in scoring this. 

Fleenor commented that no matter what process they take, it still only takes three commissioners to overrule any advice that any committee provides.  He thought they should have five citizens appointed by the county commissioners to review this and make recommendations to them.  He thought it depoliticized this more than what they had seen in the past.  He was supportive of a five citizen task force that would be set up in the next 45 days to review the applications and then report back to the Board  using the objective criteria that has been established.  He wanted to keep the applications open to June 1 and then the committee could start reviewing them and then report back to the Board in the middle of June.

Handy recommended using the tourism committee that reviews the applications for tourism projects.

Dwyer commented that if it is not broken, not go to fix it.  He stated that he put nine years into this committee.

MOTION: to continue the application process until June 1.  They forward the applications to the citizen task force for review and they will then report back to the Board of Commissioners on or before June 15.  The five citizen task force could be compromised of the Tourism Board with the caveat that any one particular commissioner can reappoint someone to serve on that task force.  The citizen task force will use the criteria that have been developed over the last nine years under the hard work of Dwyer.  They reserve the right as the Board to make the final decision.

Fleenor MOVED, Handy SECONDED.

Sorenson wanted the citizen task force to meet ahead of the receipt of the applications. He indicated that they need an update from McKenzie-Bahr regarding the budget situation.

Spartz commented that if this committee is dominated by the tourism board, they will have to narrowly screen to adequately review all of the proposals that will be coming forward.

Richardson stated it has to be called the Lane Economic Development Standing Committee. She added that they can’t just say the tourism committee can be this committee.  She indicated that they have to be appointed as members of that committee.  She recommended stating a short time frame for commissioners to appoint someone with first looking at the members of the Tourism Committee.

McKenzie-Bahr said in Lane Manual it specifically talks about allocations “shall” be made by the Board upon the advice of the Economic Development Standing Committee, after reviewing comment by the Lane Economic Committee.  He said the Board wanted to move the Lane Economic piece. 

Fleenor reiterated that the motion is to keep the application process open until May 15, the Board of Commissioners will each appoint one citizen to form a task force that will be called the Economic Development Standing Committee. It will have a one year sunset, they will utilize the same current process for evaluating and ranking, they will make their recommendations to the Board on or before June 15 and County Counsel will add an exception to Lane Manual to allow this to occur.

Richardson said if you call them the Economic Development Standing Committee, they are the one group to be making the recommendation.  She explained it is different than being a citizen group.

VOTE: 3-1 (Dwyer dissenting).

Fleenor commented that because of the changing economics and the state not giving the program as much money, he stated that they need to postpone the decision.  He said they need to have additional time allowing other applications to come in.

Sorenson asked what the best way was to address this new system.  He asked if they should deny all these applications today for them to be resubmitted.

MOTION: to move to postpone actions on these grants until after the State Economic Development Forecast comes in and they see the impacts it might have on the resources.

Dwyer MOVED, Handy SECONDED.

Richardson said the Board could make a decision today  but they might have to go back to revoke the funding.  She said the Board could determine not to award any grants at this time.  She said the Board could table this decision and not allow other people to apply and make the decision later or to extend the timeline for applications.  She said if the Board extends the timeline for applications, she recommends giving a preference to people who hit the first deadline and ensuring there is a process to inform not just internal departments, but external groups.

Fleenor asked Dwyer if the motion included the resubmission of the existing applications.

Dwyer said his motion didn’t include reopening the process, just delaying a decision based on the applications.  He said they don’t know what will happen with the funding.  He wanted to know what their resources are.  He added that they don’t have enough money to open up a process to encourage more people to jump through hoops where there isn’t any money.

Fleenor asked if the people who already submitted the applications can resubmit them as long as they do it by the May 15 deadline.

Richardson responded that if the Board is delaying the decision, instead of denying it, then their applications are still in the pipeline and they don’t need to do anything different unless they want to make additions. 

Dwyer doesn’t encourage new applications, he wanted to let these people know the proposals were good, the question was how much money and how they would allocate the resources.

VOTE: 4-0.

There being no further business, Commissioner Sorenson recessed the meeting at 11:00 a.m.

Melissa Zimmer

Recording Secretary