Laurel Byer

The meeting included public comments regarding EPA report on Republic Services landfill and helping unhoused neighbors during inclement weather. The board proclaimed February as Black History Month, with Christopher Hubanks from the NAACP present. A new Benton County website was recognized and demonstrated, with acknowledgements given to team members involved in its development.

The meeting of the Benton County Budget Committee involved the selection of a budget committee chair and vice chair. The committee discussed the presentation of the proposed Library County Service District budget, including a recommendation for a budget of $7,711,565 and a levy rate of 3947 per 1000 of assessed value. There was also a presentation of the proposed 911 county service district budget, with a proposal to keep the rate at 45 cents.

The meeting included discussions on amending Benton County code chapter 2 to replace the contract appeal process. There was also public comment regarding the Chintamini Wildlife Center and a proposal for the five counties it serves to pledge a sort of universal basic income for their operations.

The meeting included discussions on policy recommendations, a public comment from Maggie Cooper regarding the board's responsibilities and a gaps analysis, and community updates. Updates were provided on Project Turnkey, the Point-In-Time count, and the Willamette Criminal Justice Council mental health crisis response subcommittee. The board also discussed and approved the minutes from the January meeting with grammatical edits.

The meeting included discussion of HR data and metrics, including recruiting and onboarding. HR provided updates on time to hire, benchmarking, and candidate metrics, as well as EEO reporting. There was also discussion of vacancy factors and a market study.