Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Well, good morning everyone and welcome to administrative issues and updates on April 7th, 2026. Uh, County Administrator Gary Smith, would you please call the role for us? Yes, chair. Thank you. Commissioner Schrader is out of the office today. Roll call. Commissioner West here. Commissioner Helm here. Commissioner Savis, present. Chair Roberts, here. All right. Thank you, Gary. Uh would you please introduce our first agenda item today? Yes, thank you. First is advisory board and commission appointments. Andrew, would you please lead this section?

Mr. Chair, the board has for its consideration today two advisory bodies. The first, the parks advisory board, is staffed by the Department of Transportation and Development and currently has three openings due to resignations. Public recruitment opened in October of 2025 and closed in January of 2026. 11 applications were received and three are recommended for appointment. The recommendation is as follows. Steve Glazer to a first term, Brian Echer to a first term, and Carrie Waters to a first term. The board could select other candidates or require further recruitment. Mr. Chair. All right. Thank you. Any questions for my colleagues? I move to approve the swipe. Second.

All right. Commissioner Savis has moved to appoint Steve Glazer, Brian Echler, and Carrie Walters to the park advisory board. It's been seconded by Commissioner West. Any further discussion? Seeing none, clerk, would you please call the poll? Commissioner Helm, I. Commissioner West, I. Commissioner Savis, I. Mr. Chair,

I. Motion passes four to zero, Mr. Chair. All right. Thank you, Andrew and Gary. What is next? Uh, one more advisory board, please. Andrew. All right, Mr. Mr. Chair, the other advisory body is the local public safety coordinating council, which is staffed by the Clackamus County Sheriff's Office and currently has one opening due to an incumbent's resignation. This position is reserved by state statute for an Oregon Department of Human Services representative. The recommendation is as follows. Jennifer Ricks to a first term. That concludes the recommendation, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Andrew. Any comments, questions? May I have a motion? I move to appoint Jennifer Ricks to the Local Public Safety Coordinating Council. Second.

All right. Commissioner Helm has moved to appoint Jennifer Ricks to the Local Public Safety Coordinating Council. It's been second by Commissioner Savis. Any further discussion? Seeing none, clerk, would you please call the poll? Commissioner West. I. Commissioner Savis, I. Commissioner Helm, I. Mr. Chair, I. Motion passes four to zero. Mr. Chair.

All right. Thank you, Gary. Thank you. Next is review of your board business meeting agenda for this Thursday, April 9, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. You have public communication, housing authority consent agenda. Two presentations. One is pro proclaiming April as Graange month in Clackamus County and another business spotlight. This time QB fabrication and welding. You have five public hearings. Two second readings readings on ordinances. One on public land corner pres preservation. Second on county internal auditor. Third on hospital facility authority and then two boundary change hearings. You have a consent agenda for the board of county commissioners and for water environment services and reviewing a document I signed on your behalf during your recess. That's a lot but we're happy to get through that for you. And if you have any questions on any of these items, would you please let me know so that I may answer your question or have staff in the room for you on Thursday. Thank you. Next is Bureau of Land Management proposed cooperative agreement. The actual title is approval of a memorandum of understanding with the Bureau of Land Management to serve as a cooperating agency for the Western Oregon Resources Management Plan. Revision and designation of a county representative. There is no cost associated with this agreement. There are no county general funds involved. Uh Cute Sedig is temporarily working in the office of the county administrator and she prepared this memo and we'll give you a brief update. Go ahead please. Q. Good morning, uh, Chair Robert, Commissioners, and Administrator Schmidt. This is a straightforward decision, yet a strategically important one. The Bureau of Land Management, or BLM, is updating its resources management plans in western Oregon. Uh, those decisions are being made and moving forward in at

the federal level. However, um, Clackamus County includes roughly 90,000 acres of these lands. This memorandum of understanding before you uh enables the county to be involved early when options are being still in under development rather than reacting to it later on. It ensures that we have consistent seat at the table in a process that directly affects our county. It allows us to bring forward local priorities and community perspective as the plans are developed. There's no cost associated with this. It does not give the county decision making authority and it does not commit the county um to any positions. So today there are three decisions before you. First whether the county should participate as a cooperating agency. If so, who should be designated as the county primary uh representative and an alternate to ensure uh continuity of engagement. And with that, we are ready for your direction and and happy to address any question you may have.

All right. Thank you very much. Uh Commissioner West has a question for you. Uh well, just thank you for this memo and this update. Q. Super appreciate it. I know you've been working on this. Um, I think some of this came out of the meetings that we had in our lobbying efforts in January that I was on behalf of the county. We met with senior leadership of BLM, uh, many of the delegation throughout the western United States, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, um, and others. And we were advocating for the the management plan to be updated to increase production for better forest management. And these are specifically ONC lands. Am I right, K? you're speaking you're speaking about the 90,000 acres of ONC lands. Um

and so after we had been engaging and and had um those very productive conversations, we were invited to be at the table as they actually create that management plan for all of Western Oregon. Um, and so it's a great I think it's a great opportunity for us as we try to modernize and improve our forest management and production of ONC lands and potential revenues for the counties and not just our county, but all 16 western counties that are part of the ONC lands. Um, and so we've been a very active voice since we've made this a priority recently. Um, I would like to put myself forward to represent the county continuously on this issue uh with this group um on this management plan and these resource issues. So, uh, I don't know who might I don't know if the board is inclined to let me do that, but I'm putting myself out there.

Great. Thank you, uh, Commissioner Hill. Thank you, um, Q, and I, um, appreciate the presentation. Um, I'll move on to the Commissioner West thing here in a minute, but because this is getting out there in the public, who does if if there want needs to be like public communication, who do they communicate with? because this is a federal program if they want to um have something to say about the what Clackamus County does with these lands. Well, that is why from uh what I understand that's why we if we want to have a voice, decisions are being made whether we participate or not.

However, if we want to have a voice, we need to have a representative and thisou is the way forward and that all communication will be done through that through that person. Okay. Um, if that's the case, then I would like to um nominate Ben West to be that point person for the county, unless you'd rather do it.

Um, I think that uh right now I also wanted to, I guess, hear from Commissioner Savis and then maybe we'll come back to the nomination. I I think if we're scheduled to do that today at another time, Gary, we we just need a name to put in the the memor theou that you'll approve on Thursday. We do need a name today. So, first off, without any delay, I I I will second that. I support that. Uh my comment is I just want to make a um overall in this effort and also that Commissioner West has been our leazison on this topic for a while. I want to say you've done a stellar job. You brought more energy into this than your predecessors. So, I just want to just put that out there. Um, I hope you continue to do that and you be as effective as you seem to be because that formula change you came back that's a lot of money.

It's a lot of money we got. Yeah. And I I don't think we can uh we've really monetized that yet until we actually see some production um and so forth. So, I just want to just give you that that uh those those words of of uh confidence. Thank you. Towards your work. All right. So, I've heard a motion uh by Commissioner Helm to nominate West uh as our representative, a second by Commissioner Savas. And any further discussion? Can I make a friendly amendment? Yes. So, Q thought that we should have an alternative along. Can I nominate Commissioner Savas to be the alternative if necess I don't know if you even want to, but I'm throwing your name out there to add an alternative representative if one of us or I can't. Uh,

how about uh how about we get through this one? Do you want two motions? Yeah. Would that be all right? I'll draw that then. Yeah. Okay. And then we'll Yeah, we can do it that way. So, any further discussion? Uh, clerk, would you please call the poll for us? Commissioner West, I. Commissioner Helm, I. Commissioner Savis, I. Mr. Chair, I. Motion passes four to zero, Mr. Chair. All right. I I think Commissioner West had a a motion. Um, well, how about I do this? I would like somebody we can just pick on Martha. She's not here.

She can't fight us on this. Um but I like to pick an alternative if necessary. I think it's important that we super stay engaged in this and things come up. Um uh I don't chair if you want to do it or commissioner Helm or Commissioner Savas or we can Martha has been somewhat mildly involved in this issue in the past but she's not here to consent to our nominating. I would nominate Paul for this or Commissioner Savas. I don't have the bandwidth. You don't? Okay. I want to do I want to do the work, you know, give the work justice and um I I just don't have the bandwidth. Do I I I will step up to alternate. Okay. It's all right. Totally. Fine. Um then I nominate Chair Roberts to be the alternate on thisou for the with the Bureau of Land Management.

Second. All right. Commissioners West has uh nominated myself, Craig Roberts, to be the alternate. It's been seconded by Commissioner Helm. Any further discussion? Uh, clerk, will you please call the poll for us? Commissioner West, I. Commissioner Savis, hi. Commissioner Helm, I. Mr. Chair, I. Motion passes four to zero, Mr. Chair.

All right, Gary. Uh, what's next and thank you very much. Great presentation. So, this will go to this Thursday's business meeting consent agenda for your final approval. Thank you. Next, city of Portland has made a shelter funding request to you commissioners has got a lot of attention lately. And so the letter that Mayor Wilson of Portland sent to chair Roberts which has been updated. You have the updated version on your DAS and is also posted online. So chair, if you'd like to uh kick off what's happening, please.

Yeah. So, um I think in a condensed reader digest version, I I think Mayor Wilson has uh spent time meeting with most of my colleagues uh talking about um some of the positive changes happening in the city of Portland and um I think he's uh done a a a good job and is making progress and uh with that obviously he uh presented a request for funding and uh they they wanted that um urgently and in conversation with Gary and I this is a big decision. Uh we needed to know what the financial impact would be us on locally also wanting to make sure that we were hearing from uh citizens input on this issue because it is very important. And so, uh, so with that, I just wanted to bring it to, uh, my colleagues here, have kind of a further discussion about it and, um, uh, get your thoughts. So, I'll start with Commissioner Savas down there.

Yeah. Well, first of all, um any kind of a funding request regardless where it comes from or what it's for, you know, my typical uh modus appari is it that we are compromising or sacrificing. So, it's a a very dynamic um process. And while I did uh indeed meet with the mayor um and we uh and we chatted, I did not get the details from him at the time about specifically what the proposal was. So, um he did share, you know, with his success for the shelter program and so forth. And I think their approach to how they are dealing with the homeless crisis has historically been different than ours. Right? We've taken a different approach. Our approach has been based on trying to help people up and out um and into transitional housing ideally or a pathway towards that. And um I kind of view maybe the different philosophies and approaches that our neighbors to the north have done as um somewhat almost perpetuating the status quo to some degree. And I I'll give s you know hand out success where they've had success and you I understand the magnitude of their problem is much greater than ours but the magnitude of the funding is substantially um more for for them as well. So the proportion of those funds that those supportive housing services are getting I think is you know again monstraably uh higher there and to our neighbors to the north. Part of this is complicated obviously by the difficulties between the jurisdiction of the city of Portland and the

jurisdiction of Mull County. They apparently aren't working together. Um and my understanding is there's not an ask from the mayor to Mona County there specifically to Clakamus in Washington County. Um, so when I saw the letter and have it before me, at least the one I got, and I don't see the difference between this, I don't have them both in front of me to compare them, but what I was in my head was asking, well, what is it? And now I see these are shelters that aren't really close to Clakamus County actually. And I just thought maybe a proposal might look more like a area of mutual interest or challenging. I look at the area around the Clakamus service center. Um, I do know I've been out there several times over the last 16 years. I can tell you that. Um, uh, one example, uh, I was there the point in time count. We had a team from Clakmas County doing the point in time count and there was a team at Maloma County that were doing the point in time count. And, uh, for those you don't know where it is, it's very close to the Springwater Trail. It's very close to the Mulma County Portland city line or border. Um, and you know, a substantial amount of people that use the Clakamus service center um are, you know, a lot of them are from Portland. I won't I don't know what percentage that really is. I can but I'll tell you that that day we did the point in time count, the question was, you know, where did you sleep last night? That was the question in the in the point in time questionnaire. And so for those who were in Portland, the Mulma County team was tackling those and those from were spending night in Clakammus County uh team and I was one of that members of that team, you know, they they lined up in in our Clackamus County line. The line for Clakamus County was pretty short and the line for the people that were there um uh that spent the night in Portland was was noticeably longer a line. So all to say I don't know what the proportion is but it seems to me that some kind of remedy in that area geographically if there's

ever an opportunity in the future for some kind of a remedy um uh or joint effort that might be the place but geographically I'm looking at what's proposed here that does not line up and um and so again if there's a way to jointly do something together uh and it aligns with our policies and aligns with our transitional philosophies of helping people up and out of homelessness. Great. But this does not appear to do that. And um I would be afraid to cut $4 million of services, which we would ultimately do, to our our citizens in our county. Um and uh redirect that elsewhere. Does not feel uh does not feel as though that is that's it's really um a workable, justifiable, defensible, or effective means. And and I guess the other question would be of course what are the outcomes of this? What would be the outcomes, the measurable outcomes? And I'm not sure that again those those line up with us. So I would have a hard time um supporting this proposal. Um in fact I I can't support that proposal.

All right, Commissioner West. Um, you know, we have been quite vocal in the champions of establishing a recovery oriented system of care, making sure that treatments available for those with behav behavioral health struggles in the metro area, specifically Clackamus County. We've been very intentional for the last three and a half years on how we've accomplished that. And um, it's flattering that it's getting noticed and that we are um, serious policy makers addressing a serious problem and providing real solutions. That's why Mayor Wilson's come to Clackamus County. Um, and so I appreciate him reaching out to us to try to build that collaboration. It's needed regionally. That is for sure. And I support that. And he's also um quietly under his administration trying to shift the city towards a model that mirrors ours, a recovery oriented system of care. Even in his letter to us, he talks about recovery resources um and those type of thing. when we talked to him privately, he's very complimentary of what we've done in Clakamus County and he is reaching out to the rest of the metro area, especially Washington County and Clacamus County because there is a difference. There is you can you it is there is a strong contrast and he does have a difficult relationship with Multma County. many do. Um, and he has a difficult time with uh a city council that um in in in many instances has very much eroded at public trust um and has not been easy to work with and you know I think we do need a regional promo approach as commissioner's office said to some type of infrastructure maybe where it is a a joint approach close to the border make sense for both communities with shared ownership and shared um skin in the game as you might say uh to to maybe addressing some of the shelter needs. We are looking to site a shelter. Um there are opportunities to get creative and maybe partner um moving forward and and we

have to have that regional approach. So part of that is actually being addressed right now in the regional policy oversight committee that was newly founded by Metro. I'm representing the board of county commissioners on that and we do need to look at that regional system and what that looks like. I think that this is getting to this and this debate will happen even further with the entire region. We also have to be careful of will this undermine our ability to keep our allocation from SHS dollars and that's a real approach we have to think about as in Clackamus County. Um I'm not even sure that everything that we pay into SHS actually comes back to our county. I think there's a a good chunk of money that somehow isn't getting back to us and we're actually being underallocated funding from SHS and if we continue to give basically by our actions say we don't need this money, we're going to give it to another jurisdiction. What does that do to the IGA and already the agreement and the oversight that's happening within Metro? That concerns me. Um and we're at that table though. We're we're we're having those conversations. Um, and I do appreciate that his values align a little bit with us and and that he's making that effort. Um, this ask it is is tough to get there. I don't know how that happens, but it doesn't mean that there isn't opportunities for us to be collaborative. I think we should hear from him. I'd like to invite the mayor. I don't know if we've invited the mayor to come and speak to us and give a presentation. Um, and at the end of the day, like there is a lot of common ground between Mayor Wilson's office and administration and the board of county commissioners. So, there has to be a way for us to be good partners with him and good neighbors. And, you know, when somebody's pushing all their belongings up Duke Duke Street on 82nd, they don't know if they've crossed over the county border. They don't know that. Um, and so they service some of our people. We service some of their people. We don't turn people away at the door for care and treatment because their address might be on the wrong side of a county border. We don't do that. If you're here, you need treatment and care. We give you care and treatment because that's well legal and morally the right

thing to do. So, with that said, I don't know. Um, my big concern though is anything we do, I think it needs to be directly with the mayor's administration. I do not trust the Portland City Council. they do not have public trust and they have not um been able to show that they can uh deliver results and that's essential if we begin to build these partnerships. Now, his administration is separate from his council. So, I don't know what that looks like legally and how we navigate that, but I am very skittish to partner at all with the Portland City Council. Um and I think that the majority of Clackmus County residents would feel the same way.

Thank you, Commissioner Helm. Yeah, and I'm going to repeat some of the things I said last week after I had lunch with Mayor Wilson. Um, number one, uh, kudos to him for, um, stepping up and trying to take care of a a problem that's over 10 years in the making, right? He's he's been on the job a little over a year and he's he's trying to make a visible difference. And he's got an not quite impossible job. He's just got a very heavy lift. And, uh, for that, I feel for him. Um, I mentioned his positivity is is contagious. He's uh he's excited. He's seeing results. He's and again, we're maybe not on the same page as far as he's sheltering people. Um, but I'm not sure that the recovery oriented system of care is in place yet. And that that worries me a lot. Yes, they're getting off the streets at night, but they're getting back on the streets during the day. And it's it's a problem. and people are not seeing that visible difference of people getting off the streets. Um, I would like to collaborate. This is a regional issue obviously. It's an issue right here in our own county and it's gotten way better, but it's not gone and it's not going away anytime soon. It's getting worse if if you, you know, listen to our service providers. Um, I would like to reach out more in in kind help, right? how can we sit down and talk to him about how we can help with the services we're providing and um the ideas and what's working and you know just just the sharing of all that. I think that we have a lot of uh experience so far that's worked that I we have a lot of things we can pass along. I do think the stabilization center that we just opened does turn away people that are not from Clakamus County. Right. If I was if I was correct in hearing that that it is um it is only Clackamus County residents that can go to the stabilization and it is right on the border. Now, I will say that if there was an empty bed there, maybe we

should be allowing that to be used, right? So, um there's there's other ways we can help. Um I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I don't think Clackamus County residents want their taxpayer dollars going to Portland. I I just think that that's um we need to take care of our own, but yes, we can we can help in in other ways. So, um yeah, because our budget is is looking more gloomy by the minute. So, um I uh I want to support him in any way possible, but I think financially we're just not at a point to do that right now.

All right. Thank you. Uh couple comments and then I'll go to you, Commissioner West. Um, one of which is I did invite the mayor to come present. I I thought it would be very beneficial for um uh citizens of Clackmus County to hear where he's at, some of the things that he's accomplished. Uh, and I also echo some of the same sentiments my colleagues do. And Commissioner Helm, you just talked about some of the things is we're really in a tight budget economically. Um, I do believe uh citizens want us to use those resources in our county. Uh but I also want to hear from people to make sure we're listening as to uh what their input is about this. I do want to say that it it is so important that we are all successful as a region because we mult county impacts us and we impact Multma County and Washington County and it is really important that we're all successful to really make sure that uh economically we're thriving. we have a lot of challenges in front of us and so um so I really believe um even if there isn't the ability to um contribute financially it is about us coordinating our efforts with this population and making sure that uh what I believe is we're not just sending one county to the next we're helping address the problem for the long term so that takes coordination and um uh really all of us working together and really that's one of the big things he's asked is really can we work together to solve some of these issues and and I think that's where a lot of us really uh we do want we do want that the one thing I want to tell you too is I don't always take things uh um 100% sometimes I have to see them myself right and he he'll be able to talk publicly about a lot of his

uh improvements and things that he's done in the city of Portland and so I went down Portland. In fact, uh a number of times now I went out over on Marine Drive and under the 205 bridge that used to be a massive homeless camp and guess what? It's gone. And all along that waterfront uh looked incredibly uh improvement. And um just last night again, I said, "Okay, I'll take uh Mr. Wilson at his word." And and I went downtown. I took two seniors, one who had her 85th birthday downtown Portland

and uh Arlene and Barbara. I got to mention them cuz they're just wonderful seniors and um they were blown away as to number one how clean it was. Um there wasn't much traffic downtown. There wasn't much even pedestrian. We saw little to no uh homeless issues. I mean we were right downtown in the heart down by the federal courthouse down by Mr. Williams old office. And um and and at the very same time uh we had dinner and I asked weight staff, do you feel safe? What do you think things are improving? And I mean I was trying to get really a pulse of the people that work there and live there and they said that there has definitely been an improvement. So do I say it's over? No. But I do feel like things are are headed in the right direction and and if we can work as a region to kind of help support that uh particularly this population that uh whether it's addiction and mental illness, we're excited about a recovery campus uh future shelter coming. And so I I do believe we're uh headed in the right direction for a lot of progress. And so I know um uh Commissioner West, you had a comment. Go ahead. Yeah, I um I do believe and this is maybe an education piece is like at the recovery campus if somebody is from another county they would have they would be served at the recovery campus the stabilization center is uniquely different. So it just depends on the service but we do but you are also correct but it's more nuanced than what I did say.

I I know I know um I just wanted to point that out. You're right. Um, and maybe there is something that's replicatable where it would be joint again, you know, closer, you know, that's not actually that far from the border. There's where can we get creative?

We have built out an immense amount of recovery infrastructure. I mean, the list is quite extensive in three and a half years. It did not exist um three and a half years ago. Um, and so it's very impressive um what has happened in this county. I also would like to concur and agree with everything every one of my colleagues has just stated. Um but uh I do think that um he is coming in good faith. There is a difference though still a lot of work. It's not we don't want to be Pauliana about it. We want to be we still see what we see with our own eyes. We don't need to always look through rosy glasses but we need to be pragmatic and honest with voters and not gaslight them. There's still real issues there. Um but you know there is no healthy Oregon or Clacamus County without a more stabilized Portland and we share what is it 10 or 12 mile border with them.

Um we are intertwined with you know for good and for bad. Um so it'd be interesting to hear from him and then once we hear from him let's get a little more creative and sharpen our pencils. So I'm not trying to say no. I'm trying to say um this ask is not maybe the right pathway for Clakamus. Great. Thanks, Commissioner. Uh, Commissioner Savis.

Yeah. Uh, just a couple things I want to add here. Um, and I'm kind of stating the obvious, but maybe haven't really spoke to it as much as that should be, and that is that, um, you know, I think the region, uh, for these SHs dollars, the taxpayers are expecting results, right? And I know that we are very focused on results. Um, and again, if I had some inkling of belief that this was a recipe or remedy or prescription towards success that we can mesh with, then great. But I don't believe that it to me it's more perpetuation of the same. Um, then I again I would have a different approach to this. But the point what I want to point out, which is kind of the obvious, is there's a relationship issue between the county, Mullen County, and the city of Portland. And um I think the mayor is wrangling somewhat with a diverse city council as you kind of pointed out to um and um there's an election coming up in M County and we know there's changes because the the way who's running for office in MMA County, who's not. So, I think there's opportunity for change. And so, I think there is a solution maybe for the city of Portland um in this crisis to turn the corner with some with some leadership changes and perhaps an approach towards that. And as I shared with the mayor and I share with anyone, we are happy to show you and you know what we're doing, what our beliefs are, you know, to get them on a pathway success, but we need them to be successful,

but we can't tell them what to do, right? Um, so that said, um, I I did want to I very deliberately I just want to point out, um, that the great work not only our staff are doing here in Clackmus County and some are in the room uh, or H3S, the staff in this crisis in all the different ways we work and the nonprofits that are doing, right, and managing those contracts. So, we're doing a great job and and that doesn't mean that we get to take our foot off the gas. We always have to strive for continuous improvement and I know we're doing that but um as costs are going up frankly right these dollars we have right whether it's 4 million or 2 million they're buying less today than than they were yesterday so we have to be mindful that we're not we're not flush with money this is not money that's sitting out there we would have to take it from somewhere else and I I can't sit here and take it away from something that's working and can shift it over to something that is not working. That's all I have. Sure.

All right. Thank you, Commissioner.

Just one more little addition. Um, in January, there was an economic forum put on in Portland by the uh Portland Metro Chamber. Um, and it was it just gave some really stark and very depressing numbers about what's happened in Portland. Um, and I hope that that both the city and the county take this as an opportunity. And I would not just encourage them but implore them to to come together. I mean as a county and a city and and take care of this. I think it gives them a great opportunity to address some very very large issues and this being just one of them. But they they all need to be they all need to be reading from the same page, right? This is uh it's it's it's not a good relationship. And I think that that needs to be repaired before anyone else can kind of step in and and get into the thick of it, especially us. So, um, anyway, I just wanted to mention that because it's, uh, I I think this is a a great opportunity for Portland and and Multma County to partner.

Great. And and one last comment, we'll probably move on, but I'm sorry. Dip into that. Oh, go ahead, Commissioner. First,

if are we are we just commenting today or do we want to give a little bit of direction beyond Mayor Wilson coming to speak? I didn't know like do we have a couple ideas of innovative collaboration or conversations around that? Like what system are they using to follow up with those that are um homeless in our communities? Are they using something like Chaw? Is Chaw replicatable into the city of Portland? It's national award-winning program that works, right? So, is there are we're about to site a shelter. Can we do they want to partner with us on the shelter? we have funding for that and do they want to have shared interest in that close to the border and help us out on their side of the border, our side of the border? Maybe it's a shared something shared there. Do we have any other ideas from staff where we can we can find that that very strong regional approach while still like holding on to our fund our funding having control over our funding doing the Clacamus County way the way that's been working. Um, and you know, to be honest, like if we gave him $4 million, is his legislative body, which is his city council, do they get to dictate actually how that money is spent and we have no we just wave the money goodbye to Portland, that I am not interested in doing.

Um, so I that's that's maybe my questions before we close out here. What are we going to speak about a next step or do we need to just hear from Mayor Wilson first? What where are we at with that? I guess where I'm kind of leaning right now is next step perhaps hearing from him and that really um uh at least I'm hearing from my colleagues here that right now financially is a pretty difficult time. So maybe one of the things we could ask him when he does present is you know outside of uh financial commitment is there a better coordinated regional response we could do to improve One thing that comes to my mind is um treatment services are very expensive and if you have an empty treatment bed uh I'd rather see somebody even if they're from Momen County or Washington County in that bed rather than seeing that bed empty. Mhm.

And so maybe there is a coordination on bed usage and vice versa if they had a treatment bed was open and maybe somebody from Clackmus County could go there. But I think the worst thing you can see is not utilizing the resources to their full extent. And that's what I would hope that um that we use some of those things. There could be a number of things. you know, I kind of looked at H3S is, you know, whether it comes to workforce or different efforts that we might be able to coordinate because I think that um it's it's a it's a long-term plan of recovery and uh reintegration into a system of care to workforce to um housing to many things. And so the more we're coordinated on those efforts, I think the better off that we're serving the public. So, if if nobody objects, um perhaps have him come. We then have a further discussion about next steps. Um I'm kind of getting the nod. I want to give Commissioner West. Is that all right?

Yeah, I I support that. I support that. Is that all right? Okay. Anything else, Paul?

Yeah. Lastly, I just want to close out with this. I you know, I I you know, mayor's clearly stated he's trying to prepare for a budget. We all know that. We are too, right? State law. We all got to prepare our budgets. And while I know that the um that the funding stream that this well he doesn't really ask really the $4 million comes from right he's not specific he's not saying 4 million in SHS he's just asking for 4 million right um but I think all our buckets are pretty well spoken for right we don't have the 4 million so want to point that out it's not really clear and so that gave me pause and it also gives me pause I'm just going to use this because a budget's around the corner and I don't think that because it's not clear that I can straight face our citizens and knowing that on our dis here we've had this running numbers of the budget and right now it's been up here for a while we're 4.9 million in the red. So the optics of us giving $4 million that we don't have knowing that we already have our own $4.9 million hole we need to dig out of and others um I don't see how we can explain that away.

All right. Thank you. Commissioner. All right, Gary. What's next, my friend? Got it. Thank you. So, the next step, we're invite the mayor to come and speak to you and then go from there. Next, uh, Chair Roberts and Commissioner West co-hosted a healthcare roundt a few weeks ago. And if you don't mind sharing your insights and, uh, update from what happened there, Chair Roberts and Commissioner West.

Yeah, I think maybe um, I'll kick it off, turn to my colleague over here. It was uh to me it was very exciting to uh host our first ever healthcare roundt to talk about challenges in the healthc care field. Um, and we had it on uh, Wednesday, March 25th. And I do want to thank the representatives that uh, showed up. and uh CEO Phil FA from Marquee, Brad Henry from Providence, Tanya Hoskins from Abamir, Craig uh Van Vulcanberg uh from Wamut View, Adam Vanen Avel from Kaiser, Joe Yoder from Legacy, and Dish uh Baja from For Health. So that was uh folks that um uh were at that. And one of the things that we really wanted to do again is um uh talk about the challenges that the health care field was suffering. Obviously there was a lot of issues shortage of CNAs nurses and looking forward to um how we can better address our aging population and make sure we're better uh in a better position to provide those services. So there was a number of other issues uh that we talked about um and some exciting things on on the front. We had the groundbreaking at Kaiser Hot's new hospital and it is uh just an amazing new facility with all kinds of robotics and technology for really kind of leading edge healthc care field. So um we really um are fortunate to have Kaiser in our county. They've been here for a number of years. So, uh, seeing kind of what's going on there. I think some of the next steps, I think that there was a lot of discussion around, uh, any kind of state regulation um, uh, when it comes to uh, some of the

health care regulations that make it challenging for the industry. And I think that um uh we just really had I I thought it was a very productive conversation and um looking forward to future ones where we can kind of now take some of those issues that they brought forward and see about how we can kind of work together to solve some of those. So, I know I'm leaving a a lot because it was a very productive conversation and I thought it was beneficial having a nurse uh uh because one of the issues that really came to the forefront constantly was, you know, that emergency room population, those struggling with addiction or mental illness and how that kind of can backlog treatment for other patients may perhaps with heart issues or so. We just want to be very effective with um referrals and how we maybe plug people in. And some of the early programs that I think has really helped us in our county is kind of this nurse navigation that works out of SECOM is a great example. And I think they were also really um really excited to hear some of the things that we do have going on. So it was really a formative both ways. But Commissioner West, do you want to add to that? Yeah, I I it was a really great meeting, a great opportunity to collaborate with the healthc care providers in Clackamus County all the way from those that have long-term care um uh nursing fac uh uh long-term nursing facilities, hospital systems, really a good um representation of different aspects or facet with of the health care system. One of the things that these leaders spoke to and really reiterated was some of what we've heard come out of Eco Northwest in the Portland Metro Chamber and how that has impacted their ability to be financially viable. And they talked a little bit about that critical inflection point that we're at and that we kind of have

an economic emergency here. As much as the economy is still growing throughout the country, we're not feeling it in Oregon. And they also have those workforce issues that Chair Roberts spoke to. and they're they're facing really challenges and it's like we're we are diverging away from some of those national growth trends here in the Portland metro area and that they are facing some real structural challenges and long-term financial distress if they're not even addressed within our hospital system. Um and we know about a lot of that. We know about the stalled population growth, job losses recently was reported at 8,800. We understand where we are with real estate investment. We're 80 out of 81 out of the major US cities. Um placing us second to last on the national real estate attractiveness. We have a housing crisis. We have a decline in our exports significantly. Um we have the record office vacancy. We have the lowest leasing uh on record happening. We're not getting any new permitting for this. So just like there's just a stall in some of when I talk to these businesses and some of these hospital leaders like it reminds them of 2008 and that was a crisis, an economic crisis.

Um and there's some fiscal real fiscal concerns there. One of the things we talked about not just about the nursing shortage and workforce issues which the county can help with as a partner is Oregon consistently ranks second um I'm sorry, let me get this right. Oregon consistently ranks among the lowest number of hospital beds per capita.

You go to the north in Washington, they're like the direct opposite of that. Um, and so beds per thousand people in Oregon typically provides approximately 1.6 to 1.7 bs per 10,00 residents in Oregon. The national average is about 2.3 to 2.4 beds um per thousand people is actually the national average. So, we have a serious gap in just access to like the beds that we need to treat people and to get them the actual care they need. Um, I think this also can lead to rationing of care when there's high demand on the system and long wait times and lack of quality access to care. They spoke to that a little bit. Um and we tied to the behavioral health crisis, tied to the workforce shortages we have and that that fiscal instability is really negatively impacting our hospitals. So, we're just trying to be a good partner and hear them out um at the county level. Um we spoke to how Vibra Hospital, it's a long-term hospital that did acute long-term care specialty hospital just closed over on 102nd in Hollyy. That was a massive loss. So then now you actually have an overburdening in your ICUs and in your step down units. Um and we I asked them about how does that impact the overall system with losing that piece of care and they were like massively. Um and then you also have people like that should no longer be in they need to step into a different place to get that longerterm care but they still have those high acute critical needs not getting the that kind of care. Um, so it's this overall kind of pressures that is just so familiar to all the other major economic issues that we're looking at within the region. Um, so it was super informative, right? And they want to and I think it was like Cher Roberts a great way for the county to say, let we're listening and at this level of government, we want to find out how to be a good partner with you. And so that partnership was good. Um, great

group, very candid conversation. Uh, and so I hope we do it again and I hope that other commissioners get the opportunity to be involved in this conversation. It shouldn't just be to maybe next time there's a way to do it more publicly and have the public see this conversation. I think it would benefit the public.

And thank you, Commissioner. And I just wanted to highlight really the themes of the discussion that came out of it. And so really it was um increasing economic health and vitality of the region. And really that uh also uh extended to attracting new businesses and jobs and how business really helps support the health care industry which uh um they say businesses leaving the Portland area once again impacts the health care field. Identify opportunities to create more capacity. This is again having to do with uh nurses, CNAs um and uh how that was important. supportive um competitive workforce. Really the issue they also brought up was that nurses are going to British Columbia um and the UK and another other places. So uh really trying to be supportive of the workforce and then more education coordination between the two of us. So those were kind of the themes. Hopefully work on those for the upcoming meetings. And with that I I think we're at a point to kind of move on unless anybody had a comment. All right, with that, Gary, what's next?

Final item for issues is commissioner communications, and you do have two policy sessions this morning. All right. Well, our commissioner Shrader is not here today, so I'm going to go to Commissioner Savis.

Yeah. First of all, just to help, well, not to help, but just to opine on the conversation you and Commissioner West just had, I'd like to say that, you know, capacity that, you know, Clackmus County does have a large medical presence um you know, and obviously growing that is important as well. and um related to infrastructure and keeping people or businesses um growing here in the county. Uh you know that piece of property that Providence owns on Highway 212 which has been basically stranded if you will because of lack of infrastructure the highway is part of Sunrise Phase 2. So, just so you know, Providence is ready to move once that they have access and that that has been impeded by that that that uh project not moving forward fast enough. So, transitioning back into what I want to chat about. Um, you know, budget's coming. I I want to I'm going to be very careful on what I say. I'm I'm not a person to speak for the the the uh sheriff or CCSO financial work group that Commissioner Helm and I sit on, but I just want to just give you um a just some positive feedback that's coming out of that in that number one we are clarifying a number of things. Um there's been, you know, I think over the years some myth and maybe some myth misunderstandings. I think there's been misunder understandings of terms, but overall I think I just am really and I think the theme the the feeling in the room is that we are actually finding agreement on a number of things and clarifying not. So whether it's facts or figures or whatnot, but I just want to say the progress is really good. I want to thank everyone for their participation. Um, but I'm hoping that we can have really a very constructive dialogue at budget time with facts and reality. I think everyone wants real

numbers and does not want to have the conversation devolve into um some uh back and forth or in invalid numbers or so forth. So I I guess essentially uh steal a term from past is that we can all sing from the same sheet of music and that music hopefully is facts and figures, right? that are real. Um, so that want to give you all that update and um, chair, um, I'm going to keep it short because I have to leave here shortly after 11:30 and I know we have work sessions. So, I'm going to I'm going to yield back to you. All right. Thank you, Commissioner West.

An issue that I've been working on. I think I'm not the only commissioner, so I've been made aware of the moderate income revolving loan. It's called Merurl to help um, with home ownership and our housing crisis. Gary, is this an appropriate time for me to briefly bring this up to my commissioners? I've been wanting to have the opportunity to Your request is is to ask for a policy session to further decide the topic.

So, we've talked about this. I can give a brief explanation because we are short on time, but I do want to ask today the commissioners to allow us to bring this for a policy session. Um, Merurl is a program that is state funded initiative. It passed in 2024 to increase the production of middle um housing in Oregon. It's kind of first come first serve to the funding. It is managed by the Oregon Housing and Community Services. Um, and it provides zero interest loans to local counties and cities which then use those funds to grant help to developers to build affordable um, rental and forale homes. Um, we had approached by a number of developers and builders that are looking to get innovative and provide housing. I think it's also a great opportunity for those firsttime home buyers. Uh, we have a housing crisis. I know that there is um a property and opportunity of 44 units really gummed up right now in the city of Milwaukee and um uh I uh speaking to the groups that are trying to get this done and the builders and developers, they've been over a year having some difficulty with the city of Milwaukee, but they're finding the tone with Clackamus County to be much more accommodating. Um and I think that we're trying to be a government that figures out how to get to yes and solve problems. So I think it's a now thing we're wanting to address. Um, it uh helps target households earning 120% or less of the area medium income uh to create more housing for those families and um it's a little bit lower purchase price. Uh there is a tax abatement issue with it, but it's only for 10 years to kind of help get these things off the ground and then those things are back on the tax roles and it's more in inventory on the tax roles. So, I think that's kind of a fair balance or give. It's not for 30 years. It's not exorbitant. Um, and uh, it also can reach even rural areas that are having issues with home ownership that sometimes get neglected, all kinds of different project types. Um, and I think we should be in conversations with the state, with that department, with our

partners that develop and build the housing and then us to maybe help facilitate that as a local jurisdiction. I'd like that to be a policy issue that we could talk about. Is there Yeah, I'll just say did I do okay summarizing? So that's come up at C4. So we are actually planning on having that discussion as well. Okay. So whether that's at the retreat or not or whether that is at the next C4 meeting when we have that the next C4 meeting will be at the city of Milwaukee. So we're planning on dialoguing about that. So the mayors have expressed that interest in looking at that as well. I don't know if it came up at the mayors and chairs meeting, but it's come up with some of the mayors I've talked to. So yeah, I I think we can do that. But I I'll just tell you it's already underway to some degree.

I just want to make sure that it's publicly out there that we're we are looking at this seriously as an option. Um and and also like you said, I guess working with our city partners. Yep. All right. Anything else? That's all I got today. All right. Commissioner Hill.

Well, just uh piggyback. I would like to learn more about it. I just found out about it recently and then find out found out about the uh the kind of the holdup in the city of Milwaukee. So, I do think we need to explore it more. I love having more tools in that toolbox like we did with CPACE and other programs that are available um to help our developers and builders because they're trying very hard to do what they've been asked to do but there's so many hurdles in the way that it's uh it's we we sometimes get in the way of that and then also uh Commissioner Sabas mentioned the work the work group for uh CCSO and I just our second meeting just had so many revelations in it. It was it was very good. we got to the meat of a lot of things that we have been wondering about and I think you even were surprised on a few things which shocked me as long as you've been around. So, um I I see good things coming out of this meeting. So, um I think we'll we'll have some better effects and figures going forward. So, um but that's it for me. I'm

Are we Are we a thumbs up on a policy? Yes. Oh, yeah. I'm a thumbs up on the policy. Nobody Are we doing it? Yes. Yes. Yes. We're doing it. Sorry. All right. Anything else? I want to make sure I didn't cut you off. So, I think in the interest of time, I'll go and pass and we'll go ahead and move on. Uh, so I'll conclude our administrative issues and updates. We'll now proceed directly to our policy session. So, I'll turn to you, Gary. You want to

Thank you. First policy session is potential county bienu biianial budgeting. Uh, presenting today is Cindy Becker, project manager in the office of the county administrator and Greg Gut, director of water environment services. You are meeting as the board of county commissioners here. Although there's potential you could ask West to be a pilot for this potential project, but you're meeting as the board of county commissioners, not the West board for this discussion. Um, all right, Cindy and Greg, take it away, please.

Good morning, commissioners. Um, Cindy Becker, county administration, and I'm not here to talk about the recovery campus. So, um, what I'm going to do basically, um, provide you with is an overview of bannual budgeting, uh, versus annual budgeting. Um, first I want to say that there's no um, right or wrong. There's a variety of jurisdictions that do uh, both of them. Um, under Oregon budget law, local governments may adopt either an annual or bianial budget. Um, and there are numerous examples of that across the state, across the country. Um, Clackamus County obviously operates on an annual budget. Um, all Oregon counties except Benton County operate on have annual cycles. Uh several cities in Clacamus County have bianial cycles. The state of Oregon along with 16 other states has a bienial budgeting cycle. However, I do want to note that they they move to annual cycles, although the the the off one is supposed to be policy, but what happens oftentimes is that there's budget discussed in that as well. And um the uh state of Oregon also has um emergency board meetings. And as you know the federal government operates on an annual cycle. So um there are there's been a variety of studies done. Multma County actually had commissioned the Hatfield School of Government to do a study on annual versus banial cycles. I I did not include that. I can send that to you if you want. But I just wanted to talk about the advantages and disadvantages and they both have them. I mean there both annual and bianial cycles. So the common advantages of the banial budget includes um a reduced amount of time and and I want to mention the reduced amount of time is if you do a oneandone in other words and I'll talk about this a little bit later. So you would have a reduction if you're doing a true bianial

cycle where you just do the budget once and you come back in two years. Um it also encourages jurisdictions to think strategically over multiple years. you know, as when we do the annual budget cycle, we I think we have we're a little bit different because we have this 30-year forecast. So, we are looking into the future, but a bianial budget really um forces you to think in in multiple years and the impacts there. Um bianial budget aligns with the state's budget calendar. Um when there's a discussion about more transparency on full program costs, what what that means is when you have a banial budget, you have a kind of a two to threeyear period to really look at how dollars are spent, what the what the impacts are. When the annual budget, it's it's more difficult to do that just because of the compressed amount of time. And um the budget is considered a non-electioneers which frees up policy makers not to think about their elections and the budget at the same time. So a common disadvantages one of the biggest ones is the uncertainty when you are doing a bianial budget um you're really looking at out three years and particularly given in this kind of let's say tumultuous economic environment it's it's a challenge to look out look out three years with any kind of certainty so that's I would say probably one of the biggest disadvantages um and is more difficult to respond unless you have another mechanism in place a true banial budget is more difficult to respond to unexpected downturns. Um to be more flexible. You can't turn a bianial budget on a dime, if you will. Um and it is more complex to develop uh to develop a budget just because you're you are looking um three years out. I work for the state for a number of years. I lived a banial budget. So I I can speak from experience that um you you're making lots of decisions and you're really weighing risks because you're doing a lot of estimating and projecting because

because of the unknown. Um and then again bianual budgets require um working um very far in advance. There's also a concern when you have a bianial budget and depends on how you that budget is approved. There's a concern that people go wow I've got two years of a budget. I'm going to spend most of it in the first year and then they come back the second year going unless you have some really good internal controls. Um it's not unusual to have to reconcile the budget because of um u mis I wouldn't say misspending intentionally but but um people being excited and spending more money than they should the first year. So as I mentioned earlier um there are several approaches to bianial budgeting. Um so one of them is and I think it's used more commonly is um a modified bianial budget. So you'll have some jurisdictions that approve overall a a banial budget for two years but only allocate the first year. Um and so there is the opportunity to come back and repro and do some of those things. So while on on while while you have a benial budget on the books for two years the actual working of the budget actually comes back to the the um uh commission or other elected jurisdictions for any changes. As I said in uh for the state, they approve a bal budget, but they um come back, they do rebalancing throughout the two years. They have emergency boards every other month, and then they have the annual session where if there's any outstanding budget issues, for example, we um recently were approved the $5 million for the recovery campus. I'll get that in on a on a policy year. So, this wasn't the banial budget year. This was the policy year. So there are some things that are done around the budget in in the interim. So there as I said there there are very few pure banial budgets. So it really depends on what kind of internal controls that you have to really make sure that if you want to do a banial budget that you've got the internal controls so you're not

surprised um when you're when you're at the end of the year and whether you're putting that together. So I think um as I said there's no wrong or right doing a biianial versus an annual budget really depends on the elected body's goals. What is it you what's broken? What is it you want to accomplish? What are the outcomes you want to achieve? Either one bianual or an annual budget. Again I'm talking about from a conceptual basis not the technical what it takes to do it but from a conceptual basis either one of them can work. So I I think um for if if the board was considering a bienial budget for the county um it would require a lot of work and a lot of research to make sure that it was um done in a way that was um manageable and appropriate. It would require additional uh staffing technology. This would impact all the departments, all the timelines. Um there would have to be changes in process and policy and there would be training needs. Again, I'm not saying it's wrong. It's just these are the things if if you want to move that way, these are the things that you would need to consider. Um, one of the options that has been discussed and and Greg's going to talk about this. Um, if the board is interested in doing uh or or putting your toe toes joint toes in the water around banial budgets, you may want to start with a pilot program and just u look at one department. Um, West and and Greg will be talking about this. I think one of the reasons that um Wes would be the uh from my perspective the optimal um department to do that is they control they have much more control over their revenues. So it's not a question of property taxes and some other things but they're setting the rates or controlling the revenues. So there would be less uncertainty in uh a banial budget for a department like West which is really not true for for our other departments. So, um, with that, I'm just I'm going to stop and ask if you have any questions before Greg starts talking.

Um, yeah, one comment I want to, uh, kick it off with is, uh, thank you, Gary. I know this is one of the initiatives we talked about is, uh, looking at, uh, doing a bi-annual budget and as formerly being responsible for doing one. And I see Erin in the back of the room. It's like you finish one budget and you maybe have a week off to catch your breath and you're back into it. And the way I look at it is staff time is money. And if you're able to do this longer term planning, it I I believe it frees up staff time to do some other critical work that they can do because it is uh I think sometimes we forget how much time goes into uh putting together a budget, all the checks and balances and uh and so I very much am thrilled about Greg and you and your staff being a pilot. I think that's wonderful suggestion is to have you guys identify kind of the challenges or issues. I think also the what I'm also very interested in hearing about is kind of staff time. Do you see an improvement or not? And wanting to see what those benefits are because uh um I think that's the goal is to help uh make us all more efficient. So uh Commissioner Savis has a comment and then Commissioner West. Yeah, I I've really thought about this quite a bit actually and um in conversations, you know, I going to say this only because I think it's it's it applies here. You know, I started out my first elected position on a special district um back in the year 2000. So, I've served in a capacity of special districts and elected roles continuously since then. My first budget committee meeting was in 1998. So, I've been serving um you know the public in ways uh financially and I think what's missing in this presentation and again I come from a grassroots background. So,

I'm sorry I'm not a I don't have an administrative background. I don't have a government background. I just came from um being a small business owner uh raising a family in this county. I come from the perspective of our constituents and there's not anything in here that really speaks to the fundamentals of why we have elected boards and that is that we are considered the watchd dogss. We are considered the the people that oversee the operations and um in this case West for example is fees. there's fees that we annually have that we apply annually in fee increases um that need to be managed. Um and um and I think that having in my opinion having a a budget every other year reduces transparency in a time when our economic times are more stressful than ever. And while West does have the protection of rates, whereas a lot of our other departments don't have that, we're on a property tax base or we're on a grant funding basis from federal or state funding. The point is that um um there's, you know, in in past people have criticized the state legislature because they have a bannual budget, right? And some people say, well, geez, it's it's hide the ball. Well, I I don't know that. But you look at reality. The reality is that in this short session, all those staff still met and talked about the budget, state budget. It still happened, right? So, if there's a proposal here that says, you know, I see this one bullet here, um, that we can maybe reduce administrative efficiency. So, the question is, is there actually a a measurable outcome where we there's actually a cost reduction where we reduce FTE? Is that the goal? I don't know. Um but I just fundamentally think that in these economic times um it's really critical that and and we we have to be very surgical about how we go forward about everything is that the

impacts to families and households are more important before. So maybe maybe if we have a really bad recession, I might want to be able to tweak the rates uh accordingly. And so having our finger on the button um all the time um is important, but I just think we lose a little bit of that uh effect of control that our electorate elected us to do to respond to the times, the economic times and the oversight. So I I I'm reluctant to consider this, frankly. Okay. Thank you, Commissioner West.

I have questions. Um, help me understand this Cindy. So, how will the kind of true up process be managed? So, when we do the bannual budgets, um, how do we like adjust for economic factors? Like we, if there's a supplemental or adjustment versus like an amendment or a minor review, like what does that look like to be like we have a pretty tight budget. It's it's razor tight and we have high expectations to stay in the black um and to keep our pulse on these things and I kind of am familiar because every elective position I had does this annually. So you're you're much more acutely aware um and nimble but I'm I don't understand that kind of true-up process and how it's managed in a in in a bianual pro uh budget.

So Commissioner Elizabeth is here and she can talk about certainly the technical pieces of that. I know that um there are mechanisms and internal controls set in place before you before you embark on this. You really need to put your framework together kind of what's inbounds, what's outbound. I know that some jurisdictions will have many more supplemental budget requests in a benial budget. Um the mechanism that the state uses is the emergency board. you know, they they set things over for emergency boards and it's an opportunity for um state agencies to come and ask for changes and those happen as I said I think every other month. So that that's why there's very few pure one and done banial budgets where you set the budget and don't come back for two years. There's a lot of things that the governing body can put into place um to do whatever makes them the most comfortable and and that that really in the in the studies that I've read and the research that was done by by the Hatfield, everyone is everyone is different. They make it um to what however they're the most comfortable, but but you have a lot of flexibility in that respect. But it's also important that you have your your budgeting systems, the technology um in such a way that that it helps you to do that. Is there an FTE or financial benefit to staff hours change from an annual budget to going every two years? I mean I and even how accurate can we be with like a 28-month forecast? I I think one of the the biggest risks associated with the banial budget is the forecasting and is the projecting because you particularly with things changing so much know maybe 20 years ago things are a lot more stable and you know you can make those projections I think given the environment we're in that is difficult I I think in staffing you know I remember when I worked and it's not just me I worked in budgeting in many in many state agencies um there's a very intense amount of time that you're doing putting the bianial budget together. Um, and

it's less intense during the course of that bienium, obviously, when you're just coming back for oneoffs, if you will, or chewing up. Um, I know, for example, what what agencies have to do is they have to come in um for what's called rebalancing where a department of human services um because they have so many different funding streams, they have to even with a bienial budget, they have to come back and show the puts and takes and get approval from the governing from the legislature before they can make those changes. So again, that is in the interim. So I think it it really reflects the complexity of your budget. Department of Human Services, um they're they're about budget all the time because of all the federal money they get. Some of the other agencies that are that are that are um either, you know, more simply funded for one of a better phrase, it's it is going to save them time and energy. Um but the complex departments are always at it.

Always at it. Okay. So, we as a board made um a 30-year forecast. Mhm. So, what are the impacts with that very unique forecast? Like, we're the only ones that do that for 30-year financial forecast. Um how will a two-year cycle work with these long-term projections um to ensure multi-deade stability? I guess Commissioner, I think it's another thing that's important to add about the long-term forecast, the 30-year 30-year forecast, is that you also said that you have to be in the black on the 30th year, right?

That that is a really it's one thing to do a 30-year forecast, that's another to say, I we have to be in the black. That um really impacts how you do your forecasting. Um, and I think again when when you're already doing a 30-year forecast, doing it up on on a bianual or an annual, you're still making those projections. You still have to come up with a set of assumptions that you apply throughout the course. So, I'm not sure that um the biggest risk again is in that two-year uh forecast, excuse me, two-year budget is that you nail your forecast on that second year. If there's like another wildfire, heat dome, ice storm, some disaster, flooding, we just recently had flooding in Clackamus County. Are we less responsive in those emergencies with this budget going every two years? Are we equally as responsive or less?

Um, it depends on on what you decide. For example, the legislature sets aside money when they do their bal budget. They set aside money for emergencies or for fires. Okay. So, and that is released um during the emergency board. So, if you would set aside amount of money, you could do that. Does the public weigh in or is this a board decision? Does the public get a chance to weigh in? What's that process look like if we make a shift like this to um by annual? I don't know legally whether or not that would be a code change or in that respect the board would I don't know what that would take from a from a legal perspective. It is a board decision. Okay?

You don't need to change your county code. So, here's my concern. We're also going into budget season right now. This right now seems like a lot as we're going into May and we haven't even seen this current budget. There's already rumblings about a budget that this board has not seen or had really any involvement in. Um, and then that's due to state statute on how budgets are done, right? We don't actually as a board that provides oversight and gets to look at these numbers and what we're being asked of until I don't know was it like late May?

Like late May. Yeah. So, but there are things that are in process now. Um I'm reluctant to move forward with something like this because I these questions are still looming. I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with all the questions I just asked. Um, and this is potentially this is a pretty big shift in how we do things. And we've already made some pretty big movements and shifts with how we've been handling our budgets over the last 3 years since I've been here that have been quite public. And we're going to probably be in for another I mean, our last budget meeting that we did was what 16 hours or 12 hours or something when we were dealing with that budget alone.

I would want to see us get some stability and work through some of that before I'm looking at another big change. And then I I saw these questions and I don't know if I fully wrapped my thoughts all the way around them to make a shift here for a pilot program that just seems like one more thing to have to like manage and look at and go through during a budget process. Um I don't know how finance department may feel like this may impact them with a major shift like this. They're being they're being asked to do a lot right now. Um so that's kind of where I'm I'm kind of settling today. It doesn't mean I wouldn't change my mind, but that's kind of where I'm at. Thank you for answering my questions. All right, Commissioner H.

Well, I I kind of look at this as two different issues. I mean, the pilot program for West doing this, if there is any department within the county that could do it, it's them. they do have the most stable funding source and having served on the the AC for you know six years I know they're very very stringent with their money and and and I have no problem allowing the pilot program. Rolling it out to the rest of the county I think would be I think it would be awful. So my question is if they do this pilot program just with Wes, it's successful just with Wes. Can they just do their budget on a bianial basis and the rest of the county do ours on an annual basis? I mean, we shouldn't be punishing them because their numbers are so stable when the rest of ours is all over the board. We talk about shifting sands. Um, I just don't see the rest of the county and the other departments having the sort of stability that West does. So, that would be my question. Yes, you could do it for one service district that you govern, which in this case would be West. There's still an impact to the county because the county finance department does work with West, the district, and it's and it's work. So, there still is an overlap. But yes, you could eventually say just West would be a permanent two-year or the other special districts you govern. That's an option.

You don't have to decide any of that today. The request is question. and Greg might be answering some of these questions if we would allow him to speak um before

he's just chomping at the bit. Um but no, that would be mine. I I just I just see this is um we we've got we've got too many moving parts right now. I mean it it's it's where the rest of this is not stable. And I know you are. So that's why I say if you want to do it, cool, whatever. But I I don't think it should be rolled out to the county. even a even after a two-year uh pilot program would be successful, I'm not sure that it it should it would work for the rest of the county. So maybe special districts. Yes. Um uh once they showed the the you know numbers were as uh steadfast as yours have been. Um and some of them have but I think let yeah let's try one at a time here.

So um I I'll make a couple comments. I think that um uh I think one of the expectations often times of uh government is do more with less and at some point uh you have to kind of think about how can I be more efficient right and that is why I I guess from my perspective I I can just tell you I know how much time goes into the budget it's exhausting and and where I think well why I think this is a perfect opportunity is because your revenue is pretty stable. Um, and you know where I see supplemental budgets kind of play effect in is grants and other stuff like that where you'd come back and hey I got some additional money and I want to do ABNC with it and so so I think it's not trying to take a big bite of the whole county doing it and and I see this as a long-term plan. So, for example, step two might be just the assessor's office, right? Their budget is pretty simple really. And maybe that's the next one. And and I I don't want to I kind of want to address, you know, Paul's kind of concern about transparency. Nothing uh prevents us from having you come and present on your budget and talk about how things are going. I think that's something we we should do regardless so the public does know how you're spending your dollars. So, it's not that um I would just say, "Hey, we're going to not have you come except every two years." That we would get, you know, uh update maybe even a couple times a year. The um the other thing I guess I'm concerned is is if we can't do a two-year forecast, how on earth can we do a 30-year forecast? I've never been a big fan of 30 years because I think everything can change. I'm hoping we can get to at least being pretty confident what we know. How can

we survive for two years? And that creates long-term stability is if we start thinking beyond just a year at a time

because when I look at the overall different some of the department budgets, they're like this up and down up and down. I just asked those people that's sitting at home, if I cut your budget one year and gave you an increase the next year and cut it the next year, uh that's horrible trying to manage your budget. And particularly when you have to cut uh you get used to living on a certain income and then that cuts that is extremely difficult. And so, um, I have been completely impressed with Greg and his staff and the confidence if if there was one department that would be perfect to really kind of, uh, try it and and you might come back and say, you know what, we probably shouldn't do this. And that's okay,

but I really, uh, I wholeheartedly trust your staff to give us honest direct feedback and say, "Yeah, this is as is we can say that there's a savings or not." So maybe now's the time give you a chance to comment and then I have uh Commissioner Savson West that also want to respond too.

All right. Well, thank you chair uh commissioners uh just on the timing. So as far as this does not impact the budget that we're we're preparing now. Um so we would come back to the board um after we consult and put an action plan together with finance maybe June, July, whenever finance has the time to work on it with us. um that would be presented to this board as action plan specific to water environment services implementing a pilot budget. Um and again that would be a pilot for two years and it may go four years before you know people are ready to say okay this is successful or not. Um so it's it's a long range view uh here. Uh also want to remind folks that it doesn't we would still come back to the board annually to set rates. So, as far as an accountability um metric goes, that does not go away. And I do think, you know, we've done quite Aaron Blue and her team have done quite a bit of research and we think for our circumstances, and we only know our circumstances, that this could be a very positive thing for our rateayers. Uh we have we've demonstrated discipline and stability in our budgeting over the years. We have stable revenues. We have long range financial plan coupled with a a long range capital plan. Um, we see the future as clearly as I think anybody can. So, that's what we're asking.

Okay. Thank you. I think Commissioner Savis was up next.

Well, I I'll just word it a little bit differently. Um, you know, if I use the term watchdog, I I I I think again the citizens expect us to be the watchd dogss and locking the decision makers in the doghouse for two years is probably not being transparent and not really being given ours ability to to be watchd dogs. I mean, that's I'm I'm again I'm coming from the citizen perspective. I'm coming from the perspective of um the challenges we've had with wastewater uh over the years and knowing a number of people out over there in the in the in the district um uh who've had through the turmoil prior to you getting here, Greg, through the turmoil we've had with that knowing that West is the only agency that raises rates every year. of all the things we cover that I can think of off the top of my head. There is no other agency that raises rates every year um and not knowing well trying to cope with the uncertainty of how households are dealing with things and having that disconnect between households um uh rateayers and only having one bite every every two years um to attend a budget committee hearing um is another that's a take that's a take from public process. So, I'm coming from the public process standpoint. I think maybe if if this does come back, I would I think that we ought to maybe considering this is pilot for this department, but it's actually potentially something for the entire county. I think really, frankly, I would suggest that we consider having a town hall or some kind of public outreach that the board's considering um going to a two-year budgeting um and put that out there because, you know, if it starts here, let's get in front of it now and talk about it. Um and lastly, I will say there's a big difference between a two-year forecast and a two-year budget, right? And I don't know

anyone that does two-year two-year budgeting or two-year forecasting, but um I know that West does, you know, a lot of five and 10-year forecasts, but being mindful because you're the only department that raises the rates every year has a direct impact on every family in in the county that's or in in your district, and that's big in these economic times. Commissioner West, Director Gist, um, is there another entity in the region that does bienial budgeting similar to what was being proposed with your department today? Yes, multiple multiple. Um,

and we have several members on our advisory committee that are familiar um, with utility based to your budget and fans. Yes. Um, oh, can I ask you one qu make a comment uh, when you asked about the timing? Yeah. So, King County recently went to two-year budgeting, but it took them, I think Erin can let me know if I'm wrong, but over a decade to to fully transition for those very reasons as they were working out the kinks as as other departments were uh brought on board. Um, you know, it it would take it's a long game. Is it a significant improvement for West to take on such a big change? County just took 10 years. We really think we really think yes. But

you do believe that priority. Absolutely. Yes. But it's a pilot and we will find out and we're open to learning. I mean that's what that's what we do. We're always trying to learn. We're always trying to do something that reason. We don't take big risks but we're trying to grow and we're trying to improve and we think that this is has a lot of merit directly and and we think that the fact that that there's accountability the same way there is with the state or with any other entity that's on a two-year budget. when we're being audited, when we're being setting rates on an annual basis, there's definitely checks and balances uh along the way.

Director Comfort, um looking at the county as a whole, are we asking a department that is unique in its finances and its budgeting practices to somehow be a model for the rest of the county that is significantly different in how it budgeted it budgets? So, um I don't know if I see how a pilot with Wes would be applicable and and would be a guide for departments that operate wholly different than they do um as some type of you know guiding light for us in how to change our budgeting practices. Am I is that do you share that concern or is it something that's replicatable that can be transferable apples to apples to other departments? I think Commissioner Helm raised real concerns when I listened to her comments and it made me think about that a little further. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Elizabeth Comfort, finance director with the county and uh no, a pilot project with Wes on this will not be applicable to looking at how it would impact the county going to

So my question is would the outcomes from Wes be replicatable for a different to be successful for a different department? Do you know what I'm saying? So, we're trying to learn something from West. What we learn if it's successful, is it truly comparable to what we might do with H3S or we might do with, you know, DTD or we might do with the sheriff's office, right? So, the rest of the budget. So, it may work for West, but we're also trying to learn something. Is it truly apples to apples if we use that as a model to transition the entire county? So my understanding is that Wes, you know, rightly wants to try this for their capital projects because their capital projects are long-term. We don't have any projects like that that we can replicate with any of the other departments in the county. Okay?

So they're looking to save time of going through the project forecasting and budgeting. Um this would not apply to the assessor's office. We could not pull out a department out of the rest of the Clackamus County to to do a uh a test. We can do it with West because they are a special district. They have their own uh revenue sources. They are a component unit. And when we're not budgeting six months of the year, the other six months of the year we're doing auditing. So it fortunately we don't have to budget 12 months a year because we have another task to do. And so what we're able we we've looked at this we've talked with Wes and how we can bring it in. We can take their because they'll have to do an audit annually and so we'll have to take their numbers that they've audited for their first 12 months of their bannual budget and then we'll have to input that into our annual audit. So we wouldn't be able to do that with any other department. It would not be successful.

I just don't understand how it's applicable countywide. It now sounds like this is like something for the benefit of West as a pilot. Correct. But it was just presented to us as a pilot for the county is my understanding and I am I wrong? Am I missing? Well, I think it's

so I just I just don't I guess I just don't understand. I feel like I'm being told two different things right now. So I'm being told right now that it may work for West wants to do this and maybe it does. I'm not saying it doesn't. But I'm also presented to this as hey this is a test case so we can move the whole county to bianial budgeting but I don't understand how the uniqueness and of west could ever be applicable to like Mary's department necessarily and then I would be have some angst about moving Mary to a bianial budget. I just don't think these are apples and apples that we're comparing and we're looking to west to be a guidepost for us when it could actually be completely not applicable to the rest of the county because there's so many unique budgets.

That's my concern. I don't know the impact on your office which has already got a lot going on and this is a new change for you. Maybe it works for West and we need to talk about it just for West. I'm open to that and learning about that. I don't really like that I'm talking about this going into our current budget cycle. I'm just already like wrapping my brain around what we're we're about to tackle in late May is an issue in itself. So now I'm I don't know where we're going. Okay. Um Gary and then D.

Yeah. So the the original question is should the county itself go to two-year budgets? It can be done. Cindy told you this earlier. It can be done. It's not impossible. Other counties do it. but to before you even get there to try it on a test basis with a really stable entity that has increased revenue every single year which is not the same as Clackmus County but let's try it with West is their request and frankly we could you could probably do it with your other special districts you govern like the library district the extension 4 district the lighting district those are stable those are stable you could potentially go that route but before any of this happens we're suggesting do you want to try it on a test basis

that doesn't mean it applies applies appropriately to the rest of the county. Just because West it works for West does not mean it applies to the diverse bud budgets on which we deal with. So it could get great information for West or what work for West, but I don't necessarily think it's an appropriate guidepost for the rest of the entire budget. That's my concern right now. Okay. Commissioner Helm,

and that was that was my initial comment that this is um something I support for Wes because they are different than the other districts. So, um, but you mentioned, Greg, um, that there could be savings in this. Can you speak more on that about why, uh, the bianial budget could could help either with rate payers or some of the costs involved as you're doing your capital projects, right? Because having that time to work on those capital projects more, there's savings involved, right? And yeah, so Elizabeth um mentioned the capital. you know, we have to close our books every July and that's the height of construction season, right?

Um, also we spend both not just in our finance team but our management team spend a lot of hours on annual budgeting that we would not have that we can use for other things. Um, our finance team is incredibly talented and innovative. Uh, things like the tiered system development charge based on square footage, our new and revised uh, uh, customer assistance program. Um those things take time to to develop. We again we're we're trying to learn. We're trying to innovate. We're trying to do better. And it would relieve that pressure uh across our management team and in our finance team to free that up for some of those other endeavors on the benefit of our customers. Right.

Thank you, Commissioner. Yeah. I I think Commissioner I'll just build on Commissioner West's point he's trying to make. I I really think it's apples and oranges. I I don't think it is the model by any stretch of the imagination to something to model after and see if it's good for the county. The rest of the county is living on a fixed revenue,

property taxes, right, Gary, I strongly disagree. Libraries are struggling. Every year we're squeezing because the costs are outpacing the revenues. It's constantly being adjusted. Same thing with NCPRD. Every district's struggling. Wes, not because it's Wes and not because it's Greg or any of the staff. We're all doing great work, but they're the envy of most most every other department in the county because they get to raise their rates every year. Now, just imagine if Wes was really truly successful, didn't raise the rates at all, and was able to to boast all these successes without raising the rates. Well, if they were doing that, then I think it's comparable. So to build on Commissioner West's point, it's not apples for apples. It's not a model in which you had ability to raise the rates to calibrate when the rest of the county can't do that.

So So my comment I I love I'm pushing back on you guys a little bit here. So um I think that what we're asking is and Greg said it well. I mean some of these other counties it's taken 10 years you know and what we're just asking is to give it a try right let them explore and identify is is this a good system is it not just be open to what his staff finds out because again I kind of come back is staff time is money and and just being in where Greg and some of his staff is it is like hours and hours right and if you can save those hours I can focus on other things that are just really is just as critical and I think we can come back and have them give updates and saying look we saw a cost savings here right and that's just what we're asking to do is like at the end of this you know uh two years or a year you give us an update hey has it saved you money has it cost you more money do you what do you see those efficiencies are and so uh as finances get tighter and tighter I really believe you have to kind of think outside that box and saying book. Uh let's let's try it. It's a very um we we have uh a great department that can do it that has the talent and and I think that they'll come back and say uh give us some information one way or the other and we could have an annual or quarterly update of how is it going and what do you see the challenges are. if we don't ever start right um you can see okay well it's going to take 10 years that's another 10 years and if we're able to start it and so that's that's all I'm saying is uh it's uh nothing gained nothing lost if we try it and learn is it a benefit or not so commissioner Savis

yeah one other thing one other perspective I think maybe and again I think a conversation for another day um after all the noise of the budget is behind us maybe in the summer or the fall we can have this conversation again if there's there's will to do that but you know I will just tell you even though businesses file their taxes on an annual basis you know often most businesses don't budget on an annual basis sometimes are budgeting every month and looking at their budget you know I looked at it a budgetly uh or a monthly basis others look at it on a quarterly basis but you've got to look at it especially in changing times you have to have your finger on the pulse all the time and we are not looking ahead towards prosperous economic times. We're we're in a high inflationary period. Our our citizens are feeling high impacts and I think that requires us again, we're elected to do so, have our finger on the pulse of what's going on all the time. And I do not want to take any any opportunities away for um the the public or the elected leaders of whichever portion of this is being studied or evaluated or the port of county commissioners or whatever it may be. And I will say this one thing I heard a long long time ago that always kind of rubbed me a little bit wrong was is I would say well how's that how's that going and or you know what's the status of that and why isn't that or should we really be doing that and the the response I would get back from staff and no one in this room and you know it's back prior to me being a county commissioner but it's still it's still out there there's there's this sentiment that commissioner or director whatever your position is it's in the budget so therefore you know, we've got the authorization to do it. So, they've got room for a whole year to do whatever is because it's in the budget, right? So, you know, that that leash is 12 years long or 12 months long and to extend it 24 months is a different conversation.

Um, all right. I think uh before I kind of ask if there's a motion, I just want to give Greg last chance if you want to add anything before I turn. Um well like any we we do pilot projects on technology on a regular basis. Sometimes they work out, sometimes they don't. Um and I think this was presented in the context of the county as a what if or a maybe. Maybe we can learn something, maybe we won't. Um but at the end of the day, I I from only speaking for Wes, I think it's a worthy endeavor to try for Wes. Um, and the intent if if number two is picked is that Wes would come back with an action plan in concert with finance after this budget, so sometime this summer to present what that would look like for Wes. Whether the county can learn something from it or not is why we do pilots. It's just the name of the game. So,

all right. So, with that, I think we've talked about it quite a bit. I guess I turn to my colleagues. Does anybody want to make a motion? Chair, I move we direct West to work with county finance to develop a biionial budget pilot for fiscal year 2027 2028 and fiscal year 2028 2029 and return with an action plan for final board approval. All right. Is there a second?

This is going to be interesting. I'll second it. So, uh, Commissioner Al's move to direct West to work with county finance to develop a bianual budget, uh, pilot fiscal year 2027 2028, fiscal year 28-29, and return with an action plan for the final board approval. Commissioner Roberts has seconded it. And is there any further discussion?

If I might just make one more comment. I I will push back a little bit on Commissioner Savas. I don't feel like we're hiding anything from the public by giving West the opportunity to go to a bianial budget. I believe we would get regular reports. We would obviously get a a mid-year report uh or a one-year report. Um, I I'm I'm just saying that this is a and I'm not about rolling it out to the entire county, but if this can relieve pressure on some of the departments that spend their entire year working on this that don't have I don't think it could work in H3s. I think, you know, there's there's federal funding that's gone away. There's federal funding that may come back. There's there's all of these es and flows, but there are departments that this could help. Does that I don't believe that's hiding anything. I think that is uh that is being more efficient with government dollars and allowing the departments themselves to be more efficient.

All right. Oh, and Commissioner West. I'm sorry. Go ahead. Sorry. Hi, Elizabeth. I just want to be clear that special districts are different and those could independently do something different. Any of the Clacamus County departments have to be thought of collectively and together. We cannot separate H3S or CCSO. It has to be one county special districts. My bad. Just wanted to make sure that was clear. Yes. Thank you. Thank you. All right, Commissioner Wes.

So my I'm not I you know we're making a vote today. Um, my concern is is that the intentions of this was for a pilot for the whole county. I am not convinced of that. Um, I still have unanswered questions. Um, and I'm not opposed down the road to having a different conversation for special districts or for West Independently as it is a unique department and I recognize that and you have a very talented financial like your finance staff is literally amazing and yeah I in the back. Thank you. So you guys do a great job and it is uniquely different and so I'm open to having a longer conversation about that and a little more robust than this. It is a significant change. When we say pilot, I don't know who you're piloting for beyond yourself.

Um and so maybe it's great for Wes, but I don't I when I I need information and guidepost for future policies that can go out throughout the organization. I I'm not convinced of that at all. So based on how it was presented today and based on the intentions of what was presented today, that will impact my vote. Commissioner Sus. Yeah. Just real quickly, uh my comment about hide the ball was um concerns I heard over the years about the state legislator's by budget, not about anything internal or directing. So I want to just clarify that for the record. I also want to clarify it. I'm actually late to leave. So uh chair, I call for the question. All right. There. Andrew.

Commissioner West. No. Commissioner Savis. No. Commissioner Helm. I Mr. Chair. Hi. Motion fails two to two, Mr. Chair. All right. Sher may be excused. Yes. Go ahead there, sir. And next, Gary. All right. Uh, time check. So, Commissioner West and Chair Roberts, you've agreed to a media interview that starts at noon. That's why the cameras are in the room. And you have one more policy session that I think you probably could do in 15 or 20 minutes. So what would you like to do? We can start the policy session, take a break, come back. We can put the policy session in the afternoon. Um I would I would recommend you do the policy session here in the morning. So maybe we start and then take a short break at noon.

I would just say if you guys are right, let's try and push through and that's okay. Be efficient.

All right. The next and final policy session today is economic development incentives and funding tools. Presenting is Dan Johnson, director of transportation and development. Uh good morning, Chair Roberts, commissioners. In the interest of time, I'm going to keep this pretty um succinct and to the point. uh we came and talked to you at some point in time uh back in October about interest about expanding some of the tools and incentive programs that we offer businesses of various size throughout Clackamus County. Um at that time we presented you a sheet um which is identified on exhibit A which is a very extensive list of tools um some better than others um some targeted for some specific uses versus others um that we have taken a look at and are not um ignoring other opportunities on there but we have whittleled those tools down to a couple very small incremental steps that we'd like to take forward in advance those um if you look at exhibit B We provide you two um specific areas. One, existing tools that we have and you'll see the tools that our office of economic development possesses currently for incentive programs. Those are traded sector business grants where we're doing annually now uh pushing about $600,000 annually out to small business. We've got workforce development funding. We do targeted funding with local educational institutions for um funding initiatives for workforce development. The next three are essentially state programs. Um those are common tools that are found throughout the region. Um uh that we take advantage of for various um um economic advancement. One of which I'll just speak to it because KB manufacturing QB manufacturing pardon me and welding is actually a business forum or a business um spotlight video that

you'll be hearing this Thursday. um they are a proud recipient of one of these enterprise zones um that have helped them expand locally within the region in Quacamus County.

If you go to the lower portion of that, you'll see uh C uh CPACE, which is commercial property assessed clean energy program. You've already directed us to advance development of that program. We have worked on that program. Um we have had good discussions here recently with county council and other entities and feel that we are at a point uh where we can bring that forward for final consideration by the board of county commissioners sooner rather than later. The two other incentive programs listed down here um are relatively um well one's a little more complicated than the others. First is the small business grant program. Essentially what we'd be looking to do is is um build on the current grant program that we have and diversify that program a little bit and targeting different areas. Um essentially uh the one program we have now is focused solely on traded sector. This would diversify out of that area. Um basically looking for uh capital improvement, project development, things of that nature or there could be other objectives that we are looking to expand on. But again, these are lottery dollars that the office e economic development receive. We would just increase the amount of money we're putting out annually and retool it around a a new grant program to meet other needs throughout the region. Next is a strategic land bank and I um I want to make take two seconds and just make sure this is a different discussion than a discussion that was held back in 2019. There was a discussion the board of county commissioners had with state funding about the ability to stand up a land bank authority. A land bank authority is an independent entity that essentially is there to establish to target uh the cleanup of brownfield properties. Um it has a number of different components to it. you can they can take debt. It's a lot more complicated than what we're talking about here, which is essentially is a program. And by program, um we're looking to centralize um the discussion around lands the county may own now or may acquire in the future around economic development. So,

if you think about um I'll just use for example, we have our um urban renewal authority in Clakamus County, the development agency. They have a number of properties that are scattered around. The idea is, hey, could we take those properties and seed a program like this um to look to expand economic opportunities within certain areas um uh to uh put them back in the marketplace, which the agency is doing now, but is doing disconnected from kind of the office of economic development. So, it centralizes and puts a more focused effort on getting those properties back out into the uh tax base. Um there could be some acquisition. Any acquisition, as you know, comes before the board of county commissioners. I doubt there would be a lot because we do not have a lot of lottery funds available to kind of do that. But it could be the lottery funds leveraged with other monies and grant monies to possibly buy properties that would be strategic in nature. But it is taking a more strategic approach to kind of our property portfolio and seeing how we can push that out to the market place. So essentially before you today um we have a couple options for consideration. One is to direct staff to further develop uh the expanded business development grant program and strategic land bank program for future consideration. I want to highlight the future consideration. We would bring back program specifics to you for approval. Second is to direct staff to further develop uh the board's preferred list of incentives. So if there are other incentives on this list that you'd like us to take a look at, let us know. And last but not least is kind of pause uh advancement of these incentives at this particular time. And with that, we'd be happy to answer any qu Oh, the recommendation obviously, pardon me, from staff is that we would advance uh further development of the business development grants and strategic land bank for future consideration. Happy to answer any questions you might have.

All right, questions. Commissioner Helm. Yeah, thank you uh for the for the presentation, Dan. Um couple questions. Um number one, I'm all about um kind of opening them up the programs to make them more available for things maybe we haven't thought of. uh let the market kind of drive what needs to happen out there on the strategic land bank um investment is what's is there a cost involved if we're going to take over and uh buy lands that have constraints that are going to cost to fix they could be but for example we've done and we've we've dabbled in that area through the uh urban renewal authority the development agency we actually you are actually congratulations proud owners of a super fund site um yumm

that's the one I'm referring too. Yeah.

But but we do not go into those acquisitions with our eyes closed. Um essentially we're working closely with um DEEQ and EPA. They have all remediation responsibility on that property. We're essentially essentially just the holder of the property and we have have minimal liability or responsibility associated with that. That's what's different. This is not a proactive approach like an authority might be to go out and and get brownfield spots or get brownfield properties. It's more of if an opportunity presents itself, let's assess it. um see what liability there may be, bring it forward for board consideration, and see what dollars may be associated with it. There is minimal cost um that we're seeing right now in regards to to um to maintenance. Most of the maintenance costs that we're seeing for properties that we own right now is just securing securing the sites.

Um but we're we're getting better at that. Um but essentially if you think about it, we've got properties that are in the development agency, properties that are in the um uh surplus property program that have been foreclosed on. Um we've got properties actually within that property resources program that have been set aside in there for certain reasons and um and there more focus on those properties would be beneficial. Uh we think for a deeper dive into the economic benefit they might provide the county. Okay. All right.

All right. Is there a motion? I move to direct staff to further develop the expanded business development grant and strategic land bank programs for further consideration. I'll second. All right. Commissioner Helm has moved to direct staff to further develop the expanded business development grant and strategic land bank programs for future consideration. Commissioner West has seconded that. Any further discussion? Seeing none, clerk, will you please call the poll? Commissioner West, I. Commissioner Helm, I. Mr. Chair, I. Motion passes three to zero. Mr. Chair, thank you so much.

Thank you, Dan. Great job as always. And Gary, do you have anything else for us today? That is all for today. All right. This concludes our business meeting for the day. On behalf of the board, thank you for all that joined us.