Clatsop County Board of Commissioners Highlights Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015 regular meeting

Vision adopted

The board adopted the Clatsop Vision 2030Together. The Vision, crafted with assistance from consultants Zenn Associates and developed through a long public outreach effort that included interviews, community workshops and surveys, provides a roadmap for where citizens hope to see the county in 15-20 years. It includes an overarching vision and core community values, as well as visions for each of six focus areas: Economy and Jobs; Arts, Culture and History; Health, Safety and Resilience; Education and Learning; Environmental, Natural Resources and Recreation; and Community Development and Planning.

The board will consider a plan with specific implementation measures at a future meeting.

Wetlands measures

The board voted unanimously not to have county staff draw up interim wetlands protection measures for the Arch Cape and Cove Beach communities, instead opting to allow a newly formed ad hoc committee to examine the issue and bring recommendations to the board. The committee will focus on the Local Wetland and Riparian Corridor inventories conducted for the Arch Cape area in 2011.

Budget policies adopted

The board approved the Fiscal Year 2015-16 Budget Policies and Strategic Plan/Resource Reduction Strategy. The policies provide guiding principles and instructions for developing the upcoming year’s county budget. They include:

·   Conserving General Fund resources to fund high-priority programs.

·   “Status quo” department staffing levels with any proposed changes fitting within base budgets; any new staffing or program request accompanied by justification form.

·   A goal of no increase in materials and supplies expenditures for General Fund departments

·   Pursuing revenue sources to the fullest extent possible

·   Budget savings achieved during the fiscal year be saved and added to ending fund balance

·   No “back-filling” use of General Fund dollars to make up shortfalls in state or federal funding.

The Resource Reduction Strategy prioritizes county functions for funding in the event that cuts are necessary during the budget year:

1.     Public Safety and Justice

2.     Public Health

3.     Government Direct Services

4.     Community Development, Land Use, Transportation and Housing

5.     Culture and Recreation

Fee study discussed

The board heard a presentation on a comprehensive study of the county’s service fees. The study examined what percent of the cost of service delivery the existing fees cover, compared Clatsop County’s fees to other jurisdictions, and recommended fee adjustments. The board will consider action on the recommendations at its Feb. 25 meeting.

Other Business

In other business:

-Approved an increase in the vaccine administration fee for the county Public Health Department from the current $21.96 per vaccination to $44. Director Brian Mahoney explained that the current rate covers only 50 percent of the department’s actual costs to administer vaccinations.

-Approved a property line adjustment on the southern boundary of Cullaby Lake County Park to account for cranberry bogs that were found to encroach into the park property during a 2010 survey. The county will trade 0.88 acres of property to two neighboring landowners in exchange for land of equal size to adjust the boundary and place the bogs entirely outside the park.

-Appointed Commissioner Lisa Clement to the Northwest Senior and Disability Services Board.

-Approved a proclamation declaring Feb. 2-9 as Tongue Point Job Corps Week in recognition of the program’s 50^th anniversary in Clatsop County.

-Voted to hold all the board’s regular meetings at 6 p.m.

Submitted by Clatsop County

CAPACITY CROWD QUESTIONS LNG PERMITTING AT PUBLIC MTG IN WARRENTON TUES

A capacity crowd of over 100 packed the Warrenton Community Center last night (Tues) for a  public meeting about the permitting process for the proposed Oregon LNG export terminal and pipeline project.

Representatives from Oregon DEQ, the  Department of State Lands, the Department of Land Conservation and Development and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers addressed questions relating to the permitting and certification process. 

DEQ representatives focused on 401 water quality certification, intended to ensure that work completed under the Federal Clean Water Act Section 404 Dredge/Fill permit would meet state water quality standards.

Representatives from the Army Corps of engineers declined specific comments on a pending lawsuit filed by Oregon LNG against the Corps.  The Corps says it has a permanent easement to deposit dredge spoils in the same location of the proposed terminal on the Skipanon Peninsula.  The easement, dating from 1957, could prevent construction of the proposed terminal.

Public comments will continue to be taken until February 16th.*  Comments can be mailed, emailed or faxed to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.  

The U.S. Department of Energy recently announced conditional authorization for Oregon LNG to export domestically produced LNG to countries that do not have a Free Trade Agreement with the U.S.

Oregon DEQ will hold another question and answer session in a public meeting January 29th in Vernonia. 

*Comments may be mailed to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality Northwest Region, Attn: 401 Public Comments, 2020 SW 4th Ave., Suite 400, Portland, OR 97201

Comments can be emailed to:
401publiccomments@deq.state.or.us, or faxed to:

503-229-6957

LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN OREGGON CAN APPLY FOR GRANTS FOR PARKS AND RECREATION PROJECTS

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) announces the opening of the 2015 Local Government Grant Program grant cycle for funding public parks and recreation projects.

Large, small and planning grants are available for cities, counties, metropolitan service districts, park and recreation districts, and port districts looking to fund the following types of projects: planning, development, rehabilitation, acquisition, and acquisition and development.

The Local Government Grant Program is designed to help local government agencies acquire property for park purposes and fund outdoor park and recreation areas and facilities. The grants are funded from voter-approved lottery money. 

OPRD gives more than $4 million annually to Oregon communities for outdoor recreation projects and has awarded nearly $50 million in grants since 1999. 

Applications, a grant manual, application deadlines and other information are online at oprdgrants.org.



Submitted by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

CLATSOP COUNTY SEEKS APPLICANTS FOR BUDGET COMMITTEES

  

Clatsop County is currently inviting citizens to serve on local budget committees.

These citizen committees review the proposed budgets and make recommendations to the county commissioners. Each committee is made up of five county commissioners and five other local residents they appoint. The committees generally meet in May to review the proposed budgets.

Seats are available on the following committees:

Clatsop County Budget Committee:  One full term, ending February 28, 2018, representing District 1 is open on this committee, which reviews the county’s overall operating budget. Applicants must live in District 1 which covers western Astoria as well as Warrenton and Hammond.

Road District 1 Budget Committee: Three full terms ending February 28, 2018 and two un-expired terms ending February 28, 2016 are available. The committee reviews the district’s budget for roadwork such as cutting brush, patching pot holes, cleaning and replacing culverts, maintaining road shoulders and drainage ditches, grading and re-basing 220 miles of county roads. Applicants must live in the unincorporated areas of the county.

ODFW donates 175 tons of salmon to Oregon’s food banks

Banner runs of Pacific salmon helped feed thousands of Oregonians in 2014.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife hatcheries donated more than 350,000 pounds of Chinook and coho salmon to food banks in communities across the state.

The huge donation of high quality protein was made possible by one of the largest returns of Pacific salmon in years. A record 1.2 million Chinook and 1 million coho returned to the Columbia River in 2014. Similar returns are expected again in 2015.

“The unprecedented returns salmon to our region the past two years have benefited fishermen, the economy, and helped feed thousands of people who might otherwise have gone hungry,” said Chris Kern, deputy administrator of ODFW’s fish division.

The vast majority of salmon donated to Oregon’s food banks are collected after ODFW hatcheries gather enough eggs to produce the following year’s crop of juvenile salmon. Once the young salmon are reared at the hatcheries and then released, a small percentage of them will return to the hatcheries as adults after spending three or four years maturing in the ocean.

“We’re proud that our hatcheries have such positive impact on the lives of Oregonians,” said Manny Farinas, ODFW West Region hatchery coordinator. “Thanks to all of our great volunteers that helped collect, process, and deliver the fish to the various food banks.”

If forecasts materialize as hoped, 2015 could be another outstanding year for salmon returns. Preliminary data compiled in December by fishery managers from Oregon and Washington suggests Chinook returns will be even larger than 2014 while coho returns could be mixed.

“All the indicators are pointing to another good year of salmon returns,” Kern said.

submitted by ODFW

TALL SHIPS LADY WASHINGTON, HAWAIIAN CHIEFTAIN ANNOUNCE COLUMBIA RIVER TRIP

 

The tall ships Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain have announced an extended voyage on the Columbia River in July and August, 2015. The two vessels will visit 11 ports and offer educational programs, public sailing excursions, and public walk-on tours at most locations. Lady Washington is the official ship of Washington state, and Hawaiian Chieftain accompanies her on her voyages. The last extended trip on the Columbia River was in 2013. Here's the list of 2015 stops with public availability:

July 5: Depart Aberdeen
July 10-11: Kalama
July 15-20: Stevenson
July 22-23: Hood River
July 25-27: The Dalles
July 31-August 10: Pasco
August 13-14: Arlington
August 23-24: Rainier
August 26: Cathlamet
August 28: Ilwaco
 

Specific dates and times for tours and public excursions, including the ships' popular Battle Sails, will be announced in the spring. The ships are also working with local organizations on charters and special events. For information on chartering Lady Washington and/or Hawaiian Chieftain, visit the Charters page at www.historicalseaport.org, or call 800-200-5239.

ODFW monitoring seabird die-off on Oregon coast

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists are investigating the deaths of large numbers of seabirds along the Pacific coast in the wake of harsh winter weather the past several weeks. 
 

Common murres and Cassin’s auklets have been showing up dead on coast beaches in greater numbers than usual. Preliminary lab results indicate the birds are extremely emaciated, likely related to exhaustion and starvation caused by exposure to cold temperatures and heavy wind. 

Herman Biederbeck, ODFW biologist in Tillamook said, quote: “The birds washing up on the beach seem to be starved and beaten up by the storms, we have seabird die-offs in the fall and early winter every year but this year we’re seeing elevated numbers”, close quote. 

Seabird mortality has been observed from as far south as California to as far north as British Columbia, leading some researchers to believe the die-off is the result of an unusually large hatch of young birds last spring, followed by harsh weather. 

Biederbeck said colored zip ties have been affixed to some dead birds by researchers from the University of Washington as part of a seabird mortality study.

People who encounter dead seabirds on the beach should not touch or move them. ODFW is asking beach walkers who find large concentrations of dead birds that have not been marked with colored zip ties to call their whereabouts in to their local ODFW field office or the wildlife health hotline at (866) 968-2600.

WEATHER RELATED TRAFFIC DELAYS IN PACIFIC COUNTY FOR MONDAY JAN 5

Washington State Route 4 is closed in both directions at Milepost 3 just west of Naselle at Youth Camp Lane.  A collapsed culvert has closed the road for several days estimated.  Local detour for small vehicles only is Parpala Road. No large trucks. The other detour is south from Naselle to Astoria Megler bridge via highway 401 then highwayt 101 through Chinook.  
South Valley Road in Naselle is closed.

Further north in Pacific County, Northeast of Raymond/South Bend: both directions off SR 105 are closed between Smith Creek Bridge (milepost 10) and Airport Road (milepost 4.5) due to a debris slide that is blocking the roadway near milepost 8. Crews will assess the conditions during daylight hours to make a determination on possible damage. At this time, there is no estimate for reopening the highway.

A slide is affecting both directions of US 101 near “A” Street in South Bend. 

FLOOD WARNING NASELLE RIVER

The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Warning for the Naselle River until this afternoon or until the warning is canceled.  At 3am this morning the river level was at 15.1 feet.  Flood stage for the Naselle River is 15.5 feet.  The river is expected  to crest around 9am at 16.2 feet. Minor flooding is forecast.

CLATSOP COUNTY AGAIN RECOGNIZED FOR BUDGET PRESENTATION

   For the second consecutive year, the Clatsop County Budget and Finance Department is the recipient of the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada.

The award recognizes the commitment of the county board of commissioners and staff to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentations. These guidelines assess how well an entity’s budget serves as a policy document, financial plan, operations guide and communications device. Budget documents must meet 14 mandatory criteria in those categories to qualify for the award.

A total of 1,424 entities have been selected for the award. Clatsop County received the award for the first time in 2013.