Scenic-Area Funding 'not enough'

The revisions made by the Columbia River Gorge Commission will be incorporated into both counties’ ordinances next year, expanding current protections for the scenic area.

Among sticking points: Officials from both counties said that managing the plan costs the counties more than they get in state funding to offset the hours of work surrounding scenic area land-use rules.

They both get some state funding, but it’s just not enough, county officials say.

“It shouldn’t be incumbent on all the counties to subsidize and backfill the lack of resources and funding to make this happen. It costs us more to administer the scenic area ordinance than we get in any of the resources,” said Wasco County Commission Chair Scott Hege.

Addressing and implementing scenic-area changes to the county’s land-use ordinances cost $60,908 this year, said Eric Walker, director of Community Development for Hood River County. A $40,000 Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development grant offsets some of those expenses, but there’s no promise of the same funding in the future. Recent notice from the DLCD indicated the grant coming to the county in the future could be reduced by $11,000.

Despite potential losses, removing references to the federal scenic area protections from the county’s zoning ordinance and comprehensive plan could cost up to $50,000, none of which would be reimbursed, Walker said. In Hood River County, Walker estimated about 15 percent of his staff’s time is spent addressing NSA issues.

Wasco County — much of its growing population within the NSA — is even busier. Wasco County’s Angie Brewer, Planning Department director, said that an average of 60 percent of the 1,150 contacts her staff makes annually is spent addressing public inquiries, permits and code compliance related to Scenic Area rules.

“In my six years as planning director, costs have varied from $50,000 to more than $150,000. It is notable, however, that both extremes exceed the state’s grant allocation of $45,000 per year,” Brewer wrote in her April report to Wasco County’s Commission.

The Gorge’s National Scenic Area has been in federal protection since 1986. New proposed revisions to the plan include added protection for streams and wetlands and new guidelines for farm stands, wineries, short-term rentals, recreation developments and dwellings, among others. The revisions will go into effect as soon as each county adopts the regulations into their respective ordinances.

County management of the ordinances gives some local control and input into the rule-making process, Walker told the Hood River County Commission May 3.

“It doesn’t help our community to pull out of it, but it’s just frustrating,” said Hood River Commissioner Les Perkins. “We still have these issues. We would appreciate being heard.”

May 5, Wasco County Commissioners voiced similar frustrations.

Many improvements could be made, especially to financial concerns, said Hege. “We are running this operation in the red. It’s not fair.” The counties, collectively, need to figure out how to move forward in a more efficient way, he said.