Marion County

The meeting included a public comment segment regarding the homeless issue in the Salem area, specifically requesting services like kitchens and bathrooms for homeless individuals, and noting upcoming discussions on $5 million in services funding. The consent calendar addressed numerous items, including the renewal of 98 Oregon Liquor Control Commission licenses, the appointment of Pam Zalinsky to the Marion County Fairboard, approval of an intergovernmental agreement with the Oregon Health Authority for oversight and care coordination services, an amendment to a contract with Seaman Industries Incorporated, a property tax refund for Voured LLC, designation of the Woodburn Independent as the newspaper for the 2024 tax foreclosure list publication, and the establishment of petty cash funds for the Community Services Department and the Marion County Fair. Action items included the approval of a subrecipient agreement with the Boys and Girls Club of Salem, Mar and P Counties for funding healthy lifestyle programs at the Epping Homestead location. Additionally, the Board approved a significant contract with Advanced Security Inc. for unarmed security and vehicular patrol services for Health and Human Services locations. Another contract approval was for Matthew Peer, as an Assertive Community Treatment prescriber, providing skilled medical assessments and supervision for individuals with severe and persistent Mental Illness. Finally, the Board considered a contract with CNA Corporation for consulting services related to a Public Safety Assessment for the Marion County Sheriff's Office.

The meeting commenced with the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by public comment sessions where citizens raised serious concerns regarding sexual harassment and discrimination involving an employee named Jamie, urging an investigation and appropriate action. Other public comments emphasized the need for safety, support for Jamie, and general discussions on fairness and justice. The board addressed a consent agenda, which included approval of a Board of Commissioners Role CC application, an order revising administrative policy 206 concerning reduced operations and temporary office closures, an ordinance adoption related to the city of Sobriety urban growth boundary amendment, and approval of incoming funds via intergovernmental agreements with Salem Kaiser School District and Tualatin School District to fund School Resource Officers through June 30th, 2019. The discussion also covered advancing tax levies for small taxing districts. A significant portion of the meeting involved recognizing the 21st annual proclamation designating October 14th through 20th, 2018, as National Hands and Words Are Not For Hurting Week, featuring presentations from counselors and student peer leaders from Leslie Middle School who spoke passionately against bullying, racism, homophobia, stereotyping, and advocating for respect, equality, and freedom for all individuals, including immigrants. The board acknowledged the widespread distribution of materials related to this campaign across various county departments.

The meeting commenced with a Coronavirus update from the Public Health Division Director, detailing case counts, hospitalizations, and deaths in Marion County, while encouraging social distancing and mask usage. Information was shared regarding a new weekly surveillance summary from the Oregon Health Authority detailing reported COVID-19 symptoms and risk factors, along with concerns for long-term care facilities. Discussion also covered necessary modifications to personal protective equipment (PPE) and isolation procedures for transporting adults in custody. Key actions included amending the consent agenda to add consideration for the Marion County Small Business Grant Program and remove a Health and Human Services item. Approval was sought to increase a purchase order with Arco Services Corp to supplement IT staff vacancies through June 30, 2020. The Commission also approved an amendment to an intergovernmental agreement with the City of Salem to increase funding for work crew services to $150,000 total, intended to support additional work requested by the city, contingent on the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions. Furthermore, significant discussion centered on allocating up to $800,000 in video lottery funding to supplement the initial $200,000 allocated to the Small Business Grant Program to fund all eligible local businesses that applied, recognizing the extensive need demonstrated by over 1,000 applications received in the first 24 hours of opening.

The meeting, held quarterly outside the main county seat, included presentations from community representatives. The Silver Falls School Board representative detailed district statistics, including its 240 square mile coverage, 13 schools, high graduation rates, parental choice policies, and community partnerships. The Silverton Chamber of Commerce representative discussed collaborative initiatives such as the Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) project, the 13th annual Shop Hop event, and tourism initiatives focusing on bike-friendly visitors and developing a historical walking tour. The Silverton Fire District Chief provided an update on the district's history, its service area of 106 square miles supported by volunteers and paid staff, its recent retirement of a 1995 general obligation bond, securing a new 14-year bond, ongoing seismic improvement grants for three stations, and extensive volunteer service, including participation in food and toy drives. The Fire District is also preparing for its annual training academy in January.

The meeting commenced with a flag salute, followed by confirmation that no one signed up for public comment, leading directly into the consent calendar approval. Key actions on the consent calendar involved approving updates to paygrades for specific nurse classifications and receiving notice of an officer's decision denying a partition case. The main business item was considering an appeal regarding a hearings officer's decision to deny a variance request concerning the replacement of a dwelling destroyed by fire in 1967, where the denial was based on the variance procedure prohibiting variation of replacement criteria. The board ultimately upheld the hearings officer's decision to deny the appeal, recommending the applicant pursue the administrative review process for replacement dwelling applications instead. Later, the board opened a public hearing concerning the City of Donald's request to amend its Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) to add 76.7 acres for residential land and 10.9 acres for public land needs, including stormwater detention areas. Staff presented analysis confirming the land could be serviced by city utilities and that the proposed land had the least amount of prime farmland among study areas. The board considered staff recommendations to concur with the City of Donald's UGB amendment, direct staff to prepare ordinances approving amendments to the Marion County Comprehensive Plan, and approve the rezoning of the affected properties.