At their regular meeting on June 21, the Wasco County Board of Commissioners declared a local state of emergency in Wasco County as a result of drought, banning the use of fireworks through the summer. The ban applies to all areas outside of incorporated cities, as cities are given the ability to make their own bans, as The Dalles City Council did at their meeting on June 26.
The county also revised their vacation policy, amending it to remove language prohibiting use of vacation time during the introductory or probationary period, which includes new hires, as well as employees who are promoted or transferred. The amended policy allows vacation time to be used as earned, given there is approval from the department director.
Additionally, commissioners approved $45,110 for the surveying of 694 tax lots. This is part of the ongoing project to finish conversion of Wasco County maps to meet ORMAP technical specifications, which is expected to be complete within the next five years.
The county also appointed Melissa Alvarado and Heather Bremer to the Board of Property Tax Appeals, which will officially be changing its name to the Property Value Appeals Board on Jan. 1, 2024.
Finance Manager Shayla Maki also brought a budget concern to the commission. Maki explained that the county was currently over-budget, and by the end of the fiscal year they were looking at being potentially up to $25,000 over budget.
Maki explained the county also had unexpected revenue — coming from sources such as camping — which was helping to counteract some of the expenses. She proposed adding an additional $30,000 to the budget to ensure the county could stay in budget and have a “safety net” of $5,000. The board voted unanimously to make the change.
After Maki, Public Works Director Arthur Smith presented a few issues to the committee, beginning with a price quote from McCallum Rock Drilling. Smith explained that the Public Works Department realized they were running short on rock in the two primary county-owned rock pits — the Harvey Pit near The Dalles and the Shadybrook Pit near Tygh Valley — and that the pits would need to be drilled and blasted to obtain additional rock. Public Works wants to drill and blast 25,000 cubic yards at the Harvey Pit and 10,000 cubic yards at the Shadybrook Pit.
Smith said he had reached out to the three drilling and blasting companies in Oregon known to perform this type of work, but only one did a site visit and submitted a price quote, which was McCallum Rock Drilling. The quote was for $114,950, but the exact number will change depending on how the work goes. The committee gave Smith consensus to proceed with McCallum and the submitted price quote.
Next, Smith presented a request to vacate a 1,000 foot section of Hood River Road, between the Hood River County and Wasco County boundary line and the existing east gate. According to the petition submitted by two property owners, that section of the road has been closed to public access since 1994, due in part to issues with trespassing, theft, dumping and illegal motor vehicle use. The owners expressed that, with growing risk of wildfires, they want to mitigate that risk and stop people who continue to access the land.
Following the explanation of the vacation, the county gave Smith the go-ahead to pursue the issue and research the request. Depending on his findings, the issue will go to public hearing and then end up before the commission again.
Mid-Columbia Economic Development District brought forward several contracts, one with the Oregon Department of Transportation for public transit in Wasco County and two with MCEDD for administration of public transit grants in Wasco County.
The county also renewed their intergovernmental agreement with MCEDD, updating some of the costs and lengthening the agreement through 2025.
Finally, Breanna Wimber gave the annual insurance report, presenting the 2023 CIS package and State Accident Insurance Fund (SAIF) Workers Compensation Insurance proposal. The total cost of the CIS package this year will be $351,569.02, and the annual premium for SAIF will be $119,445.65. The board approved the package, allowing the county to continue with CIS and SAIF for the next year.
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