Update: The print version of this story contained an information box with an incorrect time and description for the county's upcoming April 5 budget committee meeting, which starts at 3 p.m. in county chambers, 601 State St., Hood River.
The Hood River County Board of Commissioners vowed to run a more “aggressive” work session schedule in the next few months as they look for solutions to the county’s budget struggle.
Chair Ron Rivers expects the board will have a clearer sense of the situation after its April 5 budget meeting, when staff bring back more definite numbers.
“I truly believe that we’re going to know a lot more on the fifth. We have to have that meeting to make a conversation at that point,” Rivers said.
Commissioner Bob Benton advocated for a denser meeting schedule — potentially weekly — after the April meeting.
“I think we just need to be prepared for a very aggressive pursuit of this,” Benton said, noting those talks will also tackle long-term money issues.
Defining the county’s exact budget shortfall presents a moving target, according to County Administrator Jeff Hecksel.
“The deficit we’re dealing with has gone up and down as we (have) the fund balance refined moving through time,” he said. “As it stands right now, the debt’s $1,487,000. We are working diligently to try to get rid of that deficit. It is a formidable task … we will get it done because we have to, but it is very difficult.”
Mentioning a comparatively small but illustrative problem tied to county funds, Hecksel said the County Business Administration building roof has deteriorated. Estimates state the fix will probably cost more than expected. “Now it seems that every time it rains, we get water in the building,” Hecksel said.
Rivers brought up this week’s forecast for rain, and Commissioner Les Perkins joked, “Buy some buckets.”
The county board will have two early April meetings covering finances: an April 2 work session and April 5 budget meeting.
The regional jail presents an important factor in budget talks.
This month, Hood River County informally asked Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Facility what the financial impact would be if its juvenile detention facility closed. (The youth facility has also drawn controversy following a critical investigation by Disability Rights Oregon in December.)
Benton, who also serves as a Hood River county representative on the NORCOR board, on Monday discussed last week’s jail board meeting.
He said based on the jail’s projections for closing the youth portion, “Because of the closing costs involved, it’s not as significant as we would expect. Obviously, the following year would be very significant, but for this next fiscal year, it wouldn’t be that large.”
Hood River County officials have discussed the possibility of sending a request for decreasing the subsidy it pays to keep the jail open. NORCOR serves member counties Hood River, Wasco, Sherman and Gilliam. Those governments pay a subsidy to fund its operations, totaling $3.8 million a year.
In business news, the county approved a zone change at Phelps Creek Winery from forest and exclusive farm use.
DeeTour Hotel
The board held a hearing about DeeTour Hotel in another legal back-and-forth over the proposed development’s fate.
At issue was a Land Use Board of Appeals remand that found three errors in the county’s approval of the hotel at the former Dee Mill site, which would supplement a concert amphitheater.
Backers of the project in March came forward with a scaled down 27-room hotel and sought county approval. Originally, Apollo representatives asked for permits to site a 50-room hotel at the Dee Highway-Lost Lake Road junction.
Hood River Valley Residents Committee representatives argued the hotel is an incompatible urban use in a rural area, and that the project should be considered for its cumulative impacts resulting from a “magnet”-like destination drawing visitors from Portland and beyond.
The board didn’t reach consensus Monday night, with commissioners expressing varying stances on the issue. Perkins said he wasn’t ready to make a decision, given how much information the applicant turned in that day.
Rivers closed the public record and continued the hearing to April 2 at 6 p.m. (For more, see Saturday’s edition of Hood River News).
Commented