APPROVED 1-17-01

BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

REGULAR MEETING

July 5, 2000

9:00 a.m.

Commissioners Conference Room

 

Commissioner Peter Sorenson presided with Commissioner Bill Dwyer, Bobby Green, Sr. and Anna Morrison present.  Commissioner Cindy Weeldreyer was excused.  County Counsel Teresa Wilson and Recording Secretary Melissa Zimmer were also present.

 

1. ADJUSTMENTS TO THE AGENDA

County Administrator Bill Van Vactor was excused.

 

2. PUBLIC HEARINGS

 

a. PUBLIC HEARING AND ORDER 00-7-5-1 An Election Authorizing Lane County Jail Improvements General Obligation Bonds.

 

Terry Wilson, County Counsel, explained that a public hearing was required before a measure is placed on a ballot for voter approval of general obligation bonds.  She noted the purpose of the hearing was to get citizen’s comments about the potential measure.  She said this would permit the measure being placed on the ballot to make improvements at the Lane County Jail, expanding the capacity of the jail intake center, and improving the jail mechanical systems.

 

Commissioner Sorenson opened up the Public Hearing.  There being no one signed up to speak, he closed the Public Hearing.

 

Jan Clements, Sheriff, supported the initiative and concurred with County Counsel about the materials that had been prepared.

 

Wilson noted the recommendation was Option 1 (language without the taxpayer protection initiative additions), with the understanding that if that initiative does make the ballot she would come back with either Option 2 or something similar.

 

MOTION:  to approve Option 1 of ORDER 00-7-5-1.

Dwyer MOVED, Green SECONDED.

 

Dwyer asked what would happen if the bond passed, but the levy failed and they didn’t have the money to build.

 

Clements responded that the Board could not move forward on building the intake center.  He said they have to deal with the structural issues.  He noted the solution would be for all of Lane County to revamp the capacity to meet needs of the entire system.

 

VOTE: 4-0.

3. PUBLIC COMMENTS

Bill Brown-Gierga, 3348 Videra, Eugene, asked the Commissioners to make a board agenda item for changes to this year’s road chip sealing plan, converting some of the listed roads that are currently listed as emulsion-treated to hot oil.  He noted that Public Works estimated the cost to be 7 cents to 20 cents per square yard or more.  He presented a list of the roads they were asking to be converted to hot oil. (Copy in file). 

 

Kit Harma, 80 Braeburn Drive, Eugene, President of the Greater Eugene Area Riders Bike Club, thanked Weeldreyer for going out last week to examine the roads.  He noted that Lane County has roads that had been praised by riders from all over the country as superlative for bike riding.  He said they recently learned that the hot oil chip sealing produces a smoother riding surface than the emulsion method.  He said they will be running a bicycling event over Wolf Creek Road.  He hoped that Public Works would deliver a safe smooth riding surface.  He noted they are ready to work on a plan for next year with the chip sealing.

Frank Vignola, 2468 Hawkins Lane, stated he is Director of the University of Oregon Solar Energy Center.  He said they have been working with other states in the region and formed a coalition to push solar energy and had gotten the governors involved for Solar Awareness Month.  He noted that Oregon is third in the nation for installing solar systems, behind California and Hawaii.  He added that Eugene leads the state in solar hot water heating and Ashland leads in solar electricity.

Tom Steinberg, 1830 Washington, Eugene, stated he was a scientist.  He noted the Board was considering a letter about the Federal Forest Service Roadless Policy.  He said the federal government needed to be reminded that this is a truly important issue.  He said they could do well with a strong inclusive roadless policy in the national forest.

Nancy Nichols, 93849 Deadwood Creek, Deadwood, understood that the Board of Commissioners was considering writing a comment letter on the Forest Service draft environmental impact statement on roadless areas.  She urged the Forest Service to cover areas smaller than currently preferred and provide more protection for the areas.  She said areas in the forest that act as refuges for salmon and other endangered species need to be kept intact.  She urged the Board to ask for roadless protection for all national forest areas of 1,000 acres or more, including the ban of off-road vehicles, mining and logging.

Peggy Robinson, 2990 Harbor, Springfield, stated she hoped the Board would not oppose this plan.  She said the Forest Service states the benefits in the draft environmental impact statement.  She noted that the Forest Service couldn’t afford to maintain the roads.  She said whatever monies are available for roads should go towards restoring what they have.

Dough Heiken, 909 W. 10^th, Eugene, represented Oregon National Resources Council.  He urged the Board not to oppose the roadless protection initiative and support the strengthening of the proposal.  He noted that excessive road building and logging have caused serious problems in the forests.  He added that roadless areas are important for wildlife habitat and endangered species, and are a legacy for future generations for recreation.  He asked the Board to seek stronger protection of the forests.

Jim Baker, 51013 McKenzie Highway, Finn Rock, urged the Board not to send the letter on the roadless issue, as that would be the best for Lane County.

Mary Lou Mansfield,  2468 Hawkins Lane, supported the solar energy initiative and appreciated the Board’s support.  She said it was important to keep a roadless area for the county and state and anything that could be done to sustain the environment for the future should be considered.  She urged the Board the consider the importance of a roadless area.

 

4. COMMISSIONERS' BUSINESS

 

a. ORDER 00-7-5-2 Directing that the Lane County Jail Improve­ments General Obligation Bond Measure be Placed in the State Voters’ Pamphlet and Appointing a Committee to Draft an Explanatory Statement.

 

Sorenson noted the committee working on the explanatory statement would be Kay King, Gretchen Pierce and Ken Tollenaar.

 

MOTION: to approve ORDER 00-7-5-2.

Morrison MOVED, Dwyer SECONDED.

 

VOTE: 4-0.

 

b. ORDER 00-7-5-3 Accepting the Internal Auditor’s Work Summary Gantt Chart for the Period May 1, 1999 Through April 30, 2000, the Internal Auditor’s Work Plan Update for the Period May 1, 2000 Through June 30, 2000, and the Internal Auditor’s Gantt Chart Update for the Period May 1, 2000 Through June 30, 2000.

 

Dean Stephens, Internal Auditor, discussed his proposed work plan.

 

Morrison said she thought they had already approved his proposed work plan.

 

Stephens said he had tried to predict where his time was going to be spent.  He said he never had a formal workplan approved.

 

Morrison asked how he broke down all the meetings he attended.

 

Stephens noted there were other meetings that he was asked to attend, like staff meetings.  He added the administration dealt with going through his E-mails and other office works, not just meetings.  He noted it was a way to keep track of every hour.

 

Morrison wasn’t comfortable with the time it took to update the plan.  She was interested in the internal audit piece.

 

Stephens stated that accountability was critical for his function as well as accountability to the Board.  He said a work plan that is approved in advance is important to hold him accountable.  He thought he had accomplished a lot with his plan.

 

Sorenson said the internal auditor should not be a staff person of Lane County government reporting to a department director.  He suggested an independent relationship for Stephens so his time is not spent doing the work of other people.  He said communication needed to be increased, but they had to decrease the time on helping departments comply with various administrative requirements.  He said there needed to be less staff time and more audit time. 

 

Dwyer said he was concerned with Stephens’s time in professional organizations.  He noted that Stephens was an officer and on the Board of Directors.

 

Stephens was concerned that some things weren’t getting done and there was no completed work plan..  He said the Board unanimously approved his work plan for the next 14 months and he wanted to be held accountable to the timelines.

 

Sorenson asked what project would be occupying his time over the next 12 months.

 

Stephens responded he would perform a jail space survey, reviewing the previous audit or study, and bring it back to the Board with recommendations.  He estimated that would take 40 hours.  He added that a fleet management vehicle maintenance review is a comparison between the sheriff’s fleet management system and the public works motor pool and would be a cost assessment of  maintenance on the vehicles. He estimated that would take 500 hours.  He noted building permit process, 500 hours; then cash handling, 160 hours for the remainder of the year.  He stated he had just completed the federal risk assessment and it would come in 50 hours under budget.

 

Sorenson asked which assignment was the most important on his work plan.

Stephens responded he had things that were not completed and that had contributed to problems with communication. He said he wasn’t sure when he should be communicating with the Board on certain issues.  He wanted written policies so there were no misunderstandings.  He noted working with the Finance and Audit Committee eliminates misunderstandings.  He was happy with his work plan and wanted to be held accountable.  He added that the cash handling had been an important piece.

 

MOTION: to approve the Internal Auditor’s Report for May 1, 1999 to April 30, 2000 and the Internal Auditor’s Work Plan update for the period May 1, 2000 through June 30, 2000 and the Internal Auditor’s Gant Chart Update for the Period May 1, 2000 through June 30, 2000.

Green MOVED.

                     

Stephens noted the last proposed work plan had a motion attached to it and the Board hadn’t passed a motion to accept it, and there was an amendment for the jail survey.  He noted he did not prepare a Board Order to accept the update.

 

Green said this should had been a discussion and he withdrew his motion.

 

Sorenson recommended that Stephens prepare an oral report/discussion on the progress on the internal auditor’s work plan so he could get feedback from the Board. He said it would be helpful for Stephens to have a proposed order and separate agenda item approving the next 12-month work plan.  He asked Stephens to bring this to the Finance and Audit Committee to determine if they approved the plan.

 

Stephens encouraged the Board to contact him individually.

 

c) Draft Letter on the Roadless Issue

 

Morrison reported that the AOC sent out a packet on June 23 in regard to the US Forest Service draft roadless policy and a copy of the results were sent to other counties.  She noted there were issues that were questionable and there was a request for the extension of the deadline and a possible withdrawal of the EIS report itself.  She said there was board direction for her to draft a letter and it had been disbursed.  She noted the majority of the report was factual with the report being about 700 pages.  She was concerned about the elimination of the 5,000-acre limit and off road vehicles.

 

Dwyer stated that a 60-day comment period was inadequate for such a tremendous impact on citizens.  He said it had been pushed forward quickly. He said he likes to ride in the forest and wanted to make sure roads are not built that can’t be maintained.  He said the larger areas need to be protected and he was not willing to protect everything, but there needed to be a comment period.

 

Green said Morrison did a good job of crafting the letter.  He said they needed to slow down and allow the public to weigh in. He added that property owners should have access to their own land.  He said they needed to take a broader view and strike a balance to slow the process  and allow the public further comment.  He said he would adopt sending the letter forward and mirror some of the language of AOC.

 

Sorenson said it would be a good idea if each commissioner sent a letter separately.  He said that NACo and AOC were asking county commissioners to say things that weren’t balanced.  He said if the Board wanted to send the letter, they should feel free to do so, but to express the opinion that Lane County government agrees with it was not true. He said asking for public comment was fine, but he was not willing to say he was against the report.

 

Dwyer said he didn’t have a problem with sending the letter.

 

Morrison noted the deadline for responding was July 17.

 

Sorenson said that it was not appropriate to send a letter to the Forest Service saying the Board had encumbered numerous unsupported statements.

 

Morrison suggested Sorenson read and compare the EIS.

 

Sorenson proposed that he would read the letter with the goal of writing a letter requesting an extension in the public comment to give people an opportunity to give input to the Forest Service.   He would not advocate that the Forest Service immediately withdraw the EIS. He said this would be on next week’s agenda regarding the draft EIS on the roadless issue and he would propose a letter.

 

5. RESOLUTIONS

 

a. ORDER 00-7-5-4 Proclaiming the Month of July 2000 as Northwest Solar Awareness Month.

 

MOTION: to approve ORDER 00-7-5-4.

 

Dwyer MOVED, Green SECONDED.

 

Sorenson noted for the last whereas on the letter, the four should be stricken,  inserting Northwest county government.

 

Dwyer amended his motion to strike the word “the four”.

 

VOTE: 4-0.

 

6. EXECUTIVE SESSION as per ORS 192.660

None.

 

7. COUNTY ADMINISTRATION

 

a. Announcements

 

None.

 

8. CONSENT CALENDAR

 

A. Approval of Minutes

 

B. Health and Human Services

 

1) ORDER 00-7-5-5 Awarding Subcontract Amendments to Whitebird in the Amount of $34,284, and to Willamette Family Treatment Services in the Amount of $122,320; Authorizing the County Administrator to Sign the Subcontract Amendments; and Appropriating an Additional $262,034 in Revenues and Expenditures in Fund 286 in the Department of Health and Human Services (34) for Services to Individuals with Alcohol/Drug Abuse Problems (FAGA 20-001, RGA 31, 33, 34 and 35).

 

C.      Management Services

 

1) ORDER 00-7-5-6 Authorizing the Sale of Surplus County Owned Real Property to Leo Lemke (Map #18-11-30-20-08800, Adjacent to 6370 Highway 126, Florence).

 

Weeldreyer requested that 8. B. 1) be pulled.

 

MOTION: to approve the Consent Calendar as amended.

Dwyer MOVED, Green SECONDED.

 

VOTE: 4-0.

Morrison stated she had a problem with how the $50,000 was being disbursed to the Oregon Together Committee.  She noted that the proposal was using best practices, and best practices for one is not best practices for someone else.  She suggested more flexibility within the County in working with the communities.  She said it was a mistake pitting one community against another.

 

Rockstroh replied that not every project works the same way in each community.

 

Karen Gillette, Health and Human Services, stated the change was to strike a balance guaranteeing a core amount of support for each community and acknowledging that some communities were interested in different types of projects. 

 

Rockstroh suggested changing the language to pro-rate it.

 

Vorhes noted that all the order did with regard to the money was appropriate it.  He said the direction of the board order could be enough to award the contract without having to come back to the board because the dollar amount will be within the county administrator’s authority.

 

Dwyer stated he would move the order to make the policy statement regarding the small amount with the pro rating

 

MOTION: to approve ORDER 00-7-5-5.

Dwyer MOVED, Morrison SECONDED.

 

Green said he wanted a follow-up to see if it makes a difference.

 

VOTE: 4-0.

 

9. COMMISSIONERS' ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

Morrison announced she attended the retirement party for Chuck Ryer and Linda Wagner.  She declared the Board needed to make a decision about the Truck and Travel project in Coburg.

 

Sorenson reported the Bach Festival was at the Hult Center and the Country Fair would be taking place.

 

10. EMERGENCY BUSINESS

 

None.

 

11. HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

 

a. ORAL DISCUSSION Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programs.

 

Rockstroh explained that most of the treatment in Lane County is program monitoring, with little long-term evaluation.  He said they want to measure what the service levels are with enrollment rates.  He said the state would do an audit with evaluations relating to records for alcohol and drug treatment.

 

Morrison asked what Lane County had to work with. She noted there were also private grants that Lane County received.  On all the departments that deal with alcohol and drugs, she asked what the total dollar amount was.  She asked if Lane County was spending its resources effectively.

 

Rockstroh responded it was $1.5 million per year from the state Alcohol and Drug office.  He noted most of the monies don’t go to counties anymore, but to the Oregon Health Plan.

 

Sorenson said the Department of Youth Services, Children and Family Services and Department of Human Services were inquiring about the total number of dollars, and the number of people so the Board would have a better understanding of who is being served.  He said when there are demonstrated cost-effective programs show a decline in alcohol or drug abuse, or criminal activity, there need to be recommendations to the Board.  He declared they have to be proactive to get societal benefits.

 

Sorenson requested putting this on a future Board agenda.

 

12. OTHER BUSINESS

 

None.

 

There being no other business, Commissioner Sorenson adjourned the meeting at 2:20 p.m.

 

Melissa Zimmer

Recording Secretary