Grant County Court minutes: July 22, 2020

Published 11:02 am Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Grant County Court minutes from July 22, 2020:

Pursuant to notice made to the newspaper of general circulation throughout Grant County, the radio station, county website, and e-mail distribution list, a regular meeting of the County Court was held at the County Courthouse in Canyon City, OR.

9:00 am — Call to Order. Present were Judge Scott W. Myers, Commissioners Jim Hamsher and Sam Palmer, Administrative Assistant Kim Puckett, Judge Kathy Stinnett, Roadmaster Alan Hickerson, ARES Coordinator Steve Fletcher, Valerie Maynard, Camillia Haney, Reporter Steven Mitchell, Reporter Logan Bagett, and Pastor Al Altnow. A Pledge of Allegiance was given to the United States Flag. The invocation was given by Pastor Altnow.

CLAIMS. The court had approved claims & Extension Warrant #131 & 132

HAND CHECK. The court approved outside of normal claims day check #59934 – C. Voigt.

AGENDA. MSP: Myers/Hamsher– to accept the agenda as amended to include a third subject in

Executive Session.

ANNOUNCEMENTS. Judge Myers attended the Airport Commission meeting on July 13th and on July 16th he attended a Mental Health Advisory Board Meeting. Today there will be a bid opening for the Meredith House at 2:00pm.

Commissioner Palmer has done bi-weekly calls with State Senators, Representatives & County Commissioners, they have been working on some state issues. He met with the Core Medical Group via phone conference a couple of different times. He spent a day with Representative Mark Owens & Tony Svejcar, Eastern Oregon Counties Association (EOCA) Scientist. They reviewed forest items that he will be bringing to the Blues Intergovernmental Council (BIC) Committee. Palmer personally thanked Commissioner Hamsher for the work he’s done on the CARES Act Funding.

Commissioner Hamsher said there will be new information released today. The state will be changing restrictions on public venues from 250 back to 100, face mask requirements for children ages 5 & up, restaurants will be required to close by 10:00pm and indoor Gyms will require face masks. Today they will also be announcing Malheur, Umatilla and Morrow County will be reverting back to Phase 1. He also has had meetings with State Representatives & Senators. Hamsher brought an issue to their attention awhile back and it is the same across the state, small businesses that had only even received $1,000 in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) were ineligible for the Business Oregon Grant. They were unaware that some businesses only received that much. Hamsher said they have continued to push through these calls. He heard yesterday that in the next round of funding that will not be a requirement. The people that just got the $1,000 and very minimal help will still be-able to put in for some of the small business grants. Hamsher would like to remind the businesses that may have been told no because of this to make sure and get their applications in. There will be more money coming available. He attended the bi-weekly meetings with State Senators, Representatives, & County Commissioners and a state meeting with the Wolf Deprivation Oregon Department of Forestry to figure out new ways dealing with the Wolf Deprivation Grant. He attended a Farm Bureau meeting, Whitehouse briefing call, and a briefing call with Association of Oregon Counties (AOC), and another meeting via phone with the League of Oregon Cities. Hamsher also found out that before on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) money previously required a 25/75% match and the CARES Act money that was received does count as the 25% match, so if we go anyway with FEMA we already have it. He also attended the Blues Intergovernmental Council Meeting (BIC).

MINUTES. MSP: Myers/Hamsher– to approve the minutes as presented.

ROAD DEPARTMENT. Alan Hickerson, Roadmaster, requested approval from the court to purchase a pair of robo flaggers or Automated Flagger Assistant Devices (AFAD’s). In an effort to improve safety for road work zone crews and motorists O.D.O.T. uses robo flaggers in some work zones at several locations. The automated flagger assistance device, often referred to as a robo flagger, is a small traffic signal with a crossing arm that drops down to block traffic when the lane is closed. These traffic control units are more visible than human flaggers and motorists tend to see them from a greater distance away. The robo flaggers are typically controlled by staff located a safe distance from moving traffic. Highway construction operations can be extremely hazardous, especially when motorists aren’t paying attention or are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. He feels it would be a very wise investment for the Road Department as sometimes they face difficulties hiring flaggers for one reason or another and these might mitigate that issue. The robo flaggers will be purchased from Traffic Safety Supply for $27,960 and will come out of the Capital Outlay-Road & Shop Equipment Account # 5-40-0002.MSP: Hamsher/Myers –to approve the purchase of ROBO Flaggers in the amount of $27,960. Hickerson discussed with the court the purchase of a two cordless electrostatic sprayers. Following the Covid-19 pandemic, electrostatic spraying is prudent to consider in the facilities and common areas. Electrostatic spraying works by breaking disinfecting agent down into droplets, then adding an electric charge. The charge attracts the droplets to surfaces, so if you are spraying down a railing, the droplets will adhere to the underside of the rail. Regular trigger-spritzer bottles and foggers tend to miss areas or cover them unevenly. Electrostatic spraying evenly distributes a cleaning agent around and across surfaces, from the main area to more difficult-to-reach sections. By cleaning electrostatically, you can reach the inside of fans and vents, the underside of desks and the entirety of any furniture. It only takes one infected person to spread Covid-19 throughout an entire facility infecting numerous others. This is why we must be proactive with an ongoing disinfecting program to prevent the spread of any asymptomatic and active Covid-19, other viral, bacterial, germs, and pathogens. Electrostatic spray disinfecting is not only an effective method of disinfecting but also one of the most efficient methods taking only 1 to 5 minutes to kill 99.99% of all pathogens providing piece of mind for all occupants. MSP: Palmer/Myers –to approve the purchase of two Electrostatic Sprayers for the Road Department for a total amount of $1498.00 and to use the Covid-19 funds when they come through.

SHERIFF’S OFFICE. Wade Waddel, Corrections Sergeant, discussed with the court the need to replace their computer server. The current server was installed in 2014, the system is running Server 2008R2. This operating system is no longer supported by Microsoft, there are also no more security patches available to protect this operating system. Another issue is that it is running out of storage space for the jail operating files. The server is a domain controller for the entire agency, which means it is responsible for the network security and access, as well as storage of important files for the entire facility. With the new system it will increase the storage space as well as update the security capabilities. For the reasons mentioned above, and the importance of avoiding a security breach in the facility, they are asking that the Court allow the purchase of the new 2016 server that contains the most recent updates. They would use funds previously discussed with the Treasurer, as she is where they received the budget line number from. The quote from Educational Service District (ESD) is in the amount of $3,025.34. ESD has agreed to do the installation at no additional charge. MSP: Hamsher/Palmer –to approve purchase of the new server.

AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY SERVICE. Steve Fletcher, Grant County ARES Emergency Coordinator, discussed the repeater sites. Fletcher said that over the past three years he has gained some understanding of the state of our communications infrastructure in Grant County. Internet, wireline phone services and cell phone service works most of the time. Public safety radio is somewhat fragile. Amateur radio coverage, though intended to be a backup system for emergency use, is still not adequate. He said that he was before the court to address that weakness. 1. He requested we normalize the existing agreement for the ARR (Amateur Radio Repeater) on Eagle Peak through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that is equivalent to the MOU signed in 2019 for Fall Mountain. 2. Dixie Butte – Before the snow of last year we place an APRS “digipeater” (digital repeater) on Dixie Butte to assist the county with monitoring data on the status of the batteries for the County Roads and County Fire repeaters. ARES is willing to leave this equipment running if they agree to an MOU similar to the Fall Mountain MOU. 3. Dixie Butte – ARES would like to place a voice repeater on Dixie Butte but they do not want to add to the load on the current system until it is upgraded. They would like to sign an MOU for this subject to the improvement of the power situation (which is in progress). The MOU would be similar to the Fall Mountain MOU but would add a requirement for approval by the County Roads before the initial installation. 4. Monument Mountain – ARES would like to place equipment on Monument Mountain subject to the completion of work in progress. This equipment would be co-located in the shipping container that the county will place on the site and on the tower that the county is planning to install, once it has been completed. The MOU would be similar to the Fall Mountain MOU but will stipulate the conditions stated here. Fletcher said he hopes the County Court can see the benefit in approval of these requests. MSP: Myers/Hamsher –to pre-approve pending review from legal counsel.

David Thunnel entered 9:49, Laurie Wright entered 9:52, Glenn Palmer entered 10:07

Judge Myers recited the State Attorney General’s Sample Script to Announce the Start of Executive Session. The court entered executive session at 9:58am.

EXECUTIVE SESSION. 9:58 am – Executive Session pursuant to ORS 192.660(2)(h) to consult with counsel concerning the legal rights and duties of a public body with regard to current litigation or litigation likely to be filed. Judge Myers recited the State Attorney General’s Sample Script to Announce the Start of Executive Session. Present were Judge Myers, Commissioner Hamsher, Commissioner Palmer, Administrative Assistant Kim Puckett, Human Resources Manager Laurie Wright, Assessor David Thunnel, Sheriff Glenn Palmer, Attorney Dominic Carollo (via phone), Reporter Steven Mitchell, Reporter Logan Bagett. The court left executive session at 10:43–am. The court returned to regular session at 10:43am. MSP: Myers / Palmer –to instruct Dominic Carollo to seek outside counsel in relation to the Tax Foreclosure issue, but encouraging Dominic to stay engaged in the class action piece.

FAIR. The court reviewed the lease agreement between Grant County Fair Board and Elkhorn Media. MSP: Myers/ Hamsher –to approve and sign the lease agreement.

911 EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS. The court reviewed and discussed declaring 911 Dispatchers in Grant County First Responders after being reviewed from legal counsel. MSP: Myers/Hamsher –to approve and sign Resolution declaring Grant County’s 911 Emergency Responders as First Responders.

NATURAL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN. The court reviewed the plan and Resolution #20-23 awaiting approval from legal counsel. MSP: Myers/Palmer –to approve and sign Resolution #20-23 Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan.

CLERK’S OFFICE. The court discussed the purchase of a new Ballot Machine. MSP: Myers/Hamsher –to approve the purchase of a new Ballot Machine for the Clerk’s Office.

VOLUNTEER COMMITTEE MEMBERS. Volunteer applications were reviewed by the court.

Natural Resources Advisory Committee (NRAC): Thom Seal requested appointment to this board. MSP: Myers/Palmer –to appoint Thom Seal with a term to expire December 31, 2021.

TREASURER. The court reviewed Resolution#20-24. MSP: Myers/Palmer –to approve and sign Resolution#20-24 in the matter of making Intrafund Transfers Airport Reserve Fund $41,562.The court reviewed budget Resolution # 20-25. MSP: Myers/Hamsher–to approve and sign resolution #20-25 in the matter of making budgeted transfers, general & special funds. From: General To: Unemployment Reserve $9,111. From: Road To: Unemployment Reserve $17,800. From: Fair To: Unemployment Reserve $200. From: Community Corrections To: Unemployment Reserve $300. From: Airport To: Unemployment Reserve $200. From: Seniors To: Unemployment Reserve $200. The court reviewed Resolution # 20-26. MSP: Myers/Hamsher –to approve and sign Resolution #20-26 in the matter of appropriating specific purpose grant funds Economic Development. Economic Development Revenue – Covid 19 Assist $70,000, Expense Covid 19 Assist $70,000.

EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER (EOC). The court reviewed an EOC Covid-19 claim over $200.00 for the Airport rent. MSP: Hamsher/Palmer –to approve and sign the claim for EOC Covid-19 – Airport Rent $5,042.14.

10:44 am — Adjourned

Respectfully Submitted,

Kim Puckett

Administrative Assistant

**** Please note the court minutes are a summary of the court proceedings. An audio recording of each court session is available, after approval of the minutes, by contacting Kim Puckett at 541-575-0059 or puckettk@grantcounty-or.gov *