House Bill 3328 allows county to use forest reserves for patrols

CANYON CITY — Grant County Commissioner Jim Hamsher has requested a bill that would give Grant County more financial flexibility in paying its patrol deputies.

Rep. Mark Owens, R-Crane, sponsored House Bill 3328 at the request of Hamsher to add Grant County to a list of counties that can use road fund money from federal forest reserves to pay for patrols on country roads as outlined in Oregon Revised Statute 368.706. Coos, Curry, Douglas, Josephine, Klamath, Linn and Lane Counties already are authorized to use their road funds in this way.

The bill states that money in a county’s road fund that is expended for patrolling may be used for both direct and indirect costs associated with patrolling.  The bill lists direct costs as, but not limited to salaries, travel, equipment and supplies directly related to patrolling by county law enforcement officials.

The bill classifies indirect costs as including, but not limited to, the costs of maintaining facilities, depreciation, administrative expenses and dispatch.

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek signed the bill into law on May 7. Hamsher said he would only use this strategy for funding police patrols if secure rural schools funding is restored.

“It is not my intention to dip into road funds,” Hamsher said.

Hamsher said HB 3328 would free up county general fund money used to pay deputies while also relieving cities of their $100,000 contributions to patrol efforts.  “Talking to the cities, they don’t have those funds in their general accounts,” Hamsher said.

In addition to funding deputies, Hamsher has proposed that any funds left over be used in a way similar to the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Small City Allotment (SCA) program. Communities in Grant County would submit capital road project proposals to the Grant County Court that would be evaluated and ranked. The winning proposal would be funded through the use of left over secure rural schools funds.

John Day City Manager Melissa Bethel said the city was getting $174,000 annually in Secure Rural Schools Funding when the program was being funded. “That is enough to sustain our street department without doing any special projects,” she said.

The loss of those secure rural schools funds leaves John Day in a position to possibly submit much costlier projects than other cities to the county should it move forward with the SCA type assistance format. Bethel also expressed concern that the competition for the funds between cities could turn into a political battle.

“It’s a county decision and we will abide by whatever they decide,” she said.

Grant County Sheriff Todd McKinley said the use of those funds to cover patrols will be left up to the county court.

“My understanding is that they can fully fund our entire department on the patrol side out of that fund,” he said.

McKinley said the house bill would not allow funding of the jail with road funds but could free up general fund dollars that would be used to cover sheriff patrols. MckInley said he thinks HB 3328 along with ORS 368.706 would need to go through a legal review before road funds are utilized for patrols.

“I’m excited for the future of the county because it could help save general fund dollars for other things and to just not just be solely expended by the sheriff’s office, but will the county do that?” He asked.

“They have the ability to do that,” he said. “I hope they do, but I have no idea if they actually will.”