Board of Commissioners - Regular Meeting
The Yamhill County Board of Commissioners approved the surplus designation and retirement of a narcotics detection canine, advanced several contract and IGA approvals, and discussed proposed zoning code amendments.
About this meeting
- Government Body
- Board of Commissioners
- Meeting Type
- Board Of Commissioners
- Location
- Yamhill County, OR
- Meeting Date
- September 3, 2026
Published excerpts
Only published remarks appear here. The full transcript is not published.
48 sections (from 55 segments)
All right. Good morning, everybody. Welcome to our formal session on September 3rd at 10am. I'm going to open it up at 10.05. Okay. And I'm going to ask Ken to lead us in the flight salute. which is sans, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you for that. C is our calendar session. Is there any changes?
All right. D is public comment. I see we had one emailed in. Is there anybody in the audience that would like to give public comment? Seeing none, if you're online, raise your virtual hand. Looks like we have one from Clay. Is that gonna be on an agenda item, Clay? Yes, that would be for agenda item H2. H2, okay. We'll call on you when we get to there. Thank you. Seeing none others, we're gonna move on to department updates. There's none. Work session, there's none. consent agenda we have some minutes i would move approval is there any further discussion none none none all those in favor signi
None. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Aye. Motion passes unanimously. Thank you. That brings us to H2 is consideration of a drafted ordinance amending the Yamhill County zoning ordinance to allow roads, highways, and transportation facilities in exception areas of Yamhill County. This was continued from July 9th. We have a public comment from Clay Downing.
Thank you. Appreciate it, Clay. Thank you, Clay. Thank you. Okay. Any, you got any input? Go ahead.
I was just going to ask County Council to clarify a couple of things. number one this is nothing that's going to be adopted today correct and this is just really preliminary for our input and then after that it goes back to the planning commission and there will be a public firing public hearing with notices and everything else at which point they will make a recommendation send it back to us with findings with findings I have a couple of comments. Go for it. But just in terms of there was an original plan by Wendy Kellington early on where she made a recommendation that allowed for roads, bri
But in the waste management case that's already existing, it's just an expansion, right?
Okay, so I do agree with the going back to the planning commission with this. I feel like we're in a way different spot than we were originally when we sent it back to the planning commission. When, even when I originated on the point of 2022 back as hey, just do them as conditional uses. So I feel like it is different. It would be nice to get their input. Last time we talked here back on the ninth, we had no other applications in the hopper. So I felt like we had time. Do you feel like this application is going to be an issue or do we still have time to do this?
So a quick question. What would your response be? You would have to basically deny this short of a fix. And what would the fix be that you would recommend?
In other words, you're also going to put that, you know, lay that over for include additional adjacent properties. Well, in other words, if we want to really do a fail safe, put some safeguards, could you then add language that says also adjacent properties would be subject to the same scrutiny in terms of a farm impact study?
If I'm understanding, we had this question last time we discussed this, you can do that already.
But not friends. In a commercial setting, I advertise that I am open to the public in charge of, let's say, charge a fee to traipse from my property to the neighbor's property if I had an agreement with the neighbor. That would be where you're going to have to go through a conditional use.
But it does, and there's a fine balance to it of making sure that everybody has their property rights covered, unfortunately.
Well, it's the way of 10. I think, I mean, you'd have to go through that process, right? So if you're building the trail down the middle of your property and you have the correct buffers to not impact the farming community around, let's say it's EFU and you're, let's talk about what's our, the, yeah, what's our trail? I mean, it literally- That's a public trail. Right, but you literally, so your example was private, and then we discussed commercial, and you said you disagree with that also having two properties connect commercially where you're going to advertise and charge, and this is all th
That's what I'm talking about right there. Right. And now what protects your neighbor when you built that trail right on the edge of your property? What's the neighbor's rights now to say, wait a second, you're impacting because now you're bringing public onto your property. How am I not protected?
but but don't you think that that farm impact study protects it really protects both of you it protects you from putting a trail right next to the neighbor who now you're impacting their farming abilities where it may be a bit uh is a process that the neighbor gets to try and be like hey uh could you just move that over 120 feet so that it doesn't impact my farming practices that i've been doing for the last 100 years on my property it's that process that that neighbor that it borders that they get to go through and protects them along with still allows you to have your trail if you go through
There's more than drift too. I agree. Drift cannot leave, but there's exclusionary zones with EPA labels and whatever certain chemicals that you spray that drift or no drift, people cannot be within a certain timeframe of being applied. So I do... Agree that if we're all in consensus to actually send this back to the language, because it has been long enough to where we probably should run it through the public input process again, and then they'll have Yeah, sure.
again the planning commission is where um all the sausage is going to be made and there's going to be a lot of public input and i i respect all of the input because they've been through this for so many years i want to make sure that what we do here is not going to undo years of of trying to make things right with regards to farm impact studies on any of the rezoning that we do
Right. And which really the only thing that's changing from originally, because originally it was, well, I think it was three permitted uses and like VLDR 2.5. yep um side note you bring up the waste management that seems to be a concern of all of ours safety wise on making sure that we get that done so keep us up to date on what's going on there thank you again and i just want to throw in that that the planning commission can also add specifics when they send it back to us for consideration so this is not the the the uh end of the story
Okay. So do you want me to make a motion to that effect, Ken, that we're going to send it to the Planning Commission or just no action?
Thank you. It looks like we have one more online. I don't see a hand up next to a name. Are we losing? Morgan? Oh, yeah. There you go. Name and address, please.
Okay, appreciate it. The good news is it'll be going to the Planning Commission for lots of public input. Thank you. Yeah, you bet. I see no others. There's no other in the audience. So can you restate what you want to hear, Jody, for a motion?
Right. Did you not hear me? You were... Oh, right to farm in Oregon. There's been one other case when marijuana actually was legalized back in 2016 where a vineyard was suing a new marijuana facility. So it'd be interesting to look at that court case, but you have a right to farm. Okay. Up to your property. Yep.
Yeah, I'd go if you're interested, I'd go look at that case and see what the resolution was. They definitely were continued to grow marijuana after that court case. Yeah.
thanks all right uh i believe we had uh we had a discussion during the board came before the board uh during that uh i don't know where's ken he left but do you remember that yeah and it was a it was a spirited discussion was it i do remember that all right so i lost track motion's been made motion's been made all those in favor signify by saying aye aye aye all right motion passes unanimously thank you very much
And we are on to, let me make sure I'm in order here. I, so I wants consideration approval to designate narcotics detection canine Rojo as surplus property after eight and a half years of service and further authorized current canine handler deputy Jacob Halverson to purchase Rojo for $1 and allow every other weekend visitation rights to Commissioner Sterritt. Oh wait, sorry, sorry about that. I. and designee uh visitors of commissioner starts um sorry about that i'm going to redo that just in case uh consideration approval to designate narcotics detection canine rojo as surplus property after
Cool. You guys got a little rundown you want to give us?
I wanted to read a little bit about what was written about him. They said, as Rojo entered the later stages of his career, he's begun experiencing the natural effects of aging. I feel your pain, Rojo. And a decline in mobility and overall stamina. Retiring him at this stage allows him to conclude his career with dignity while he remains healthy and able to enjoy a high quality of life. Waiting until his physical condition significantly deteriorates would not be in the best interest of Rojo or the sheriff's office. And I thought they were writing about me because I'm on my way out. But it's so
All right. Thanks, guys, for coming and giving us an update on the stats. There's been a motion made by Commissioner King. Is there any further discussion? None. All those in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye. Motion passes unanimously. Thank you.
You want to go up front and get a picture?
Sometimes there's a question of what you can do as a commissioner and this is whatever you want When you talk about the
Thank you, guys. All right, we're going to move on to I-2's consideration of approval to authorize Sheriff Sam Elliott to designee or designee to apply and, if awarded, accept a Department of Public Safety Standards and Training grant in the amount of $1,500. Move approval. Motion's been made. Any further discussion?
None. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Motion passes unanimously. Thank you. I-3's consideration of a contract employee agreement between Yamil County Planning Department and Jeff Clevenger to perform building, plumbing, and mechanical inspections in the amount of $75 per hour effective September 1st, 2026 through September 1st, 2028. I would move approval. Is there any further discussion?
All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Motion passes unanimously. Thank you. I force consideration of approval of Amendment No. 2 to Agreement No. P0-44300-000-44294 between Yamil County Behavioral Health and Oregon Health Authority, Board Order 25-241, adding federal terms and conditions and catalog of federal domestic assistance number effective upon full execution through June 30, 2027. I move approval. Motion's been made. Any further discussion? None. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Aye. Motion passes unanimously. Thank you. I file for consideration approval of a mem
Motion's been made. Any further discussion? All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Motion passes unanimously. Thank you. I6 is consideration of approval of an agreement between Yamhill County Health and Human Services and Willamette Education Service District to serve on the Yamhill Polk Behavioral Safety Assessment Team retroactively effective August 14, 2026 until terminated.
none all those in favor signify by saying aye aye aye motion passes you now so thank you I-7's consideration of approval of Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. PW-26002-CON between Yamhill County Public Works and Roy Howe Construction LLC, increasing the total amount to $1,073,574, effective upon full execution through October 31. And we have Greg here if you've got any questions. none for me i would move approval is there any further discussion none none all those in favor signify by saying aye aye motion passes unanimously thanks for coming greg thank you I-8 is consideration of approval of an i
All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Aye. Motion passes unanimously. Thank you. I-9 is consideration of approval of change orders number 2, 3, 4, and 5 to a contract between Yamaha County and Haworth Construction, Inc., Board Order 26-014, updating the scope of work and increasing the total contract amount to $1,723,330.59, retroactive effective through September 1, 2026. Chair, can we have Ken just kind of give us a little summary? You betcha.
I will say, too, that there was also some projects that we didn't get charged extra for that we potentially could have. I remember one issue with a sprinkler line possibly having to be moved or something that they actually just went ahead and did it because they were already there and it easily could have been a change order. But I felt like it was a nice kind of back and forth. These are all, yeah, very reasonable land.
And bottom line regarding the the this we've talked a lot about how we tried to be really respectful of. of our finances in terms of not going out for a bond, but we had a certain amount and we've done a lot of different things to mitigate what this is on on top of the county correct So how does this impact that. In terms of we've had a we had a dollar amount with a dollar amount for. you know, the, you know, retrofitting and a lot of the work that we did here, how is this going to impact where we started from?
So yeah, I just, so this is not in addition to, this is included in.
There's even glass entryways we reused, doors we reused. There was inventory of doors when we bought the building that we used. We were dang thorough. I was very impressed. I was part of the meetings weekly for construction and I was very impressed on how well it was all coordinated and used every last thing that we could.
don and payworth and kit i'm looking forward to the construction to the transitional house yes where are we at with that i don't know if i have the latest update i think uh
That's really why he's asking. That's the only reason he cares.
All right. My lost track. We had a motion. uh if not i'll make a motion to approve uh any further discussion none all those in favor signify by saying aye aye motion passes unanimously thank you thanks dawn for coming thank you uh jay's public hearings there is none so that brings us to announcements
Yes. Well, there's all the talk both at local government advisory committee and also the CCO is all the changes related to H.R. 1 in terms of SNAP benefits and Oregon Health Plan. So a couple of things have been mostly how are we going to have more of a cohesive message? Because a lot of these changes are are very, very complicated. And we want to make sure that folks know the changes are coming. So bottom line, September 1st, OHA started a statewide media campaign called Stay Connected, Stay Covered. And then members who are receiving Medicaid benefits through the CCO, Oregon Health Plan are
you're going to be moved from one program to the other a lot going on in that area thank you uh wednesday we had our ledge committee for council of governments we discussed priority projects some of those have a city nexus with the sewer and water infrastructure upgrades basically the main goal that is for us as a group as a ledge committee with cog to just support those as they go through legislature if there is any projects um ours that's more uh county related would be transportation projects so like lafayette and 18 mcdougall intersection projects like that would be safety upgrades we focu
Yeah, but it's been interesting because we've had to stand down on this because one of us has been on the ballot. So we can't really vote on something that would allow us to increase the square footage of a sign if one of us is on the ballot. So hurry up and get it done.
So plan commission night, 7 o'clock here. And then, man, go support your state fair. They're still going on right now. go buy those tickets, go watch those concerts. It's going to be, it was a rough last couple of days with it raining like this and not, I've been at state fairs before where it's rained, so it's not unprecedented, but it definitely hurts attendance rates. So make it up this weekend, go enjoy the state fair, get yourself some ice cream and scones and enjoy a concert. And with that, if there's nothing else for the good of the order.
Happy birthday. And with that, we're going to close it out at 1102. Thanks for everybody for coming.
These excerpts are remarks by officials whose identity a person confirmed, from a transcript generated automatically from the official public meeting video and presented unedited. Accuracy may vary; view the original recording for reference.