[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6574120,"mediaKeyId","3113891-089e090261e03d38ae14389248cabf94","parentId",3113891,"title","Umatilla County human services director highlights veteran-claim gains, developmental-disability workload and Medicaid risk","audioSeconds",1773,"startMs",525000,"endMs",2298000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3113891-089e090261e03d38ae14389248cabf94&start=525&end=2298","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3113891-089e090261e03d38ae14389248cabf94/thumbnail_525000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6574120/Umatilla-County/Oregon/Umatilla-County-human-services-director-highlights-veteran-claim-gains-developmental-disability-workload-and-Medicaid-risk","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6574120-b76aa4d4c66be276fe50f0b278e28227/orig.mp4?Expires=1776945066&Signature=I9lMB94fGTE5O~KzwjsPomgfUKtiOtXAAlz-FMlmX~WUDxYTTjDem-M9ybuiDbeZ5Y2NsZh2x8QBlcEHd5xYYgf9ebT4VH1lFDTOhiOheEXFetFnKSYtLIAUXm-TVMVynJNFnC4qriQnUJR5-cAIsrjnjnUjXPsST~g-TrtF35YeILXPxdJKlQcxkm5-Ktb4PmIbcVL0loFQEQknYUQhKZz8ALFU4vLpSxh0BB2DZKuKNZzeeNpcSGNoSoXV0vQkeXwWXLCkJx6ghzoBLkZn3DJ5qEPmRQ-EMmdzZ0QOo5EPLZdZxZoaKBJEi6I-uclW3tBHzyABnkkaoiABWWRpfA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Umatilla County","date","2025-04-24T21:36:51.173Z","article","Kim Beck, director of human services, briefed the Umatilla County Board of Commissioners on veteran services and the county developmental-disabilities (DD) program during the budget hearing.

Beck told the board the county's veteran-services staff have stabilized at three positions and are fielding more than 1,100 calls per year; the office already facilitated about $500,000 in veteran benefit payments to local residents this year. She said staff completed about 370 claims in the prior year and that, year-to-date, the office is roughly one-third ahead of last year's pace.

\"We are the front door,\" Beck said of the county DD office, describing the department as the eligibility and intake hub for people seeking paid supports in the community. She noted the county's DD program has grown substantially in 10 years: over the most recent 20-month span, providers and services supporting people with developmental disabilities used roughly $55 million in payments in Umatilla County. Beck said roughly $28 million of that sum flowed directly to businesses and providers operating in the county.

Beck described the county's role as case-management, licensing and abuse-investigation duties for adults who qualify for state DD services, and she urged caution because funding to deliver paid services is heavily Medicaid-dependent. She warned that any state or federal changes to Medicaid reimbursement or to Office of Developmental Disabilities Services formulas could quickly reduce the services available and shift costs locally.

Beck outlined program capacity and partners: Horizon Projects Inc. and RISE provide residential and supported-living services; the county runs the eligibility and paperwork functions and contracts for many direct-support providers (including some brokered services through Eastern Oregon Support Services Brokerage).

On outreach, Beck reported success with a regional \"stand-down\" event for veterans, coordinated with the Confederated Tribes veterans service office and the VA; the event increased attendance over prior years and county staff increased gas-card and gift-card assistance to remove travel barriers to services.

Beck and commissioners also discussed several line items in the department budget — training and dues, cell-phone allocations, and use of emergency preparedness (ARPA) grants — and confirmed staff would work with finance on fine-grained line-item placement. Beck asked commissioners to accept that many program dollars are forecast by state algorithms and not at the direct control of county managers.

The commissioners did not alter the department's requested program levels but directed staff to correct an inaccurately carried FTE in veterans services that would otherwise affect future grant forecasting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Umatilla County Budget Meeting 04/24/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Human Services Director Kim Beck told commissioners veterans services helped bring $500,000 into the county year-to-date and that over the last 20 months county developmental-disability supports represented about $55 million in services; she warned potential Medicaid cuts would have large downstream impacts.","taxTitle","Umatilla County, Oregon","taxId",54126,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6574124,"Umatilla County district attorney asks commissioners to fund a courthouse comfort dog; $15,000 added to budget",229,9226000,9455000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3113891-089e090261e03d38ae14389248cabf94&start=9226&end=9455","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3113891-089e090261e03d38ae14389248cabf94/thumbnail_9226000.jpg","/articles/6574124/Umatilla-County/Oregon/Umatilla-County-district-attorney-asks-commissioners-to-fund-a-courthouse-comfort-dog-15000-added-to-budget","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6574124-03f54876ad11e9a67686b2eb832fb1e0/orig.mp4?Expires=1776945066&Signature=nKqu0dwjhahkmnRuhmxi~TSsHgQKpdVjQCFfndl2NXBearGBGc1VHzPfeavtWvQswhBSw9-32FUAWnqRUPqm~qc4iU0Y9Y0u-tonNTuaSJwtu6T-fC1~8KCKFw7TN5mzeLyGbFDZmFwyuCXO99m86xHFY17GSDGRQo0Pys6IloCjtwSx2236dycwLf9eFIG60ipiFTJlSZcXBtvjl6-v5pW21sypfqgg-GYIHAXS~SpRzc90-owmHucia0~vT0T4~l-nB8uK6KBVRTZjRLGhhmIfTlL-zEHoAxD1vYOhjYazofu9DXO6pbvOSzxw~AMtc6DxzTJiE8sWAoDjiyBADQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Umatilla County District Attorney urged commissioners to add a funded pilot that would place a trained comfort dog in the DA's office and courtroom settings, telling the board the animal could help victims and staff during traumatic interviews and court proceedings.

District Attorney Neil (first name used in the meeting) described a training program operated at the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution (EOCI) that raises and trains facility dogs from inmates. He said the program offers both rehabilitative opportunities for incarcerated trainers and would provide county victims with a nonclinical calming resource during case work and interviews. \"These animals have helped him by himself,\" the DA said of an inmate trainer he met; he framed the dog as a way to offer compassion to victims while providing a restorative connection to the training AICs at EOCI.

The DA asked commissioners to fund the first-year pilot at about $15,000 to cover acquisition and training through the EOCI program and initial operational support; meeting documents show the board recorded a $15,000 program-specific allocation in the adopted budget.

The district attorney also briefed the board on changes in the victim-advocate operation: a full-time advocate who is Spanish-speaking has been hired to replace a vacated, grant-funded cultural-specific role. The DA said the office will not re-fill a part-time advocate in Hermiston and instead will absorb those duties within the existing staff because federal grant streams remain uncertain this year.

In addition to the comfort-dog proposal, the DA summarized ongoing costs for the annual Eastern Oregon child-abuse training conference the office runs. He said the conference has become largely self-sustaining through sponsorships and holds statewide, national and international presenters; the office expects to retain a conference reserve fund for future speakers and training costs.

Commissioners approved the county budget that included the DA's $15,000 allocation. County staff will publish the details of the pilot and report back to the board on implementation plans, including rooming/kennel arrangements and operational policies for courthouse use.","The district attorney asked the board to approve a pilot comfort/companion dog trained at an eastern Oregon corrections facility; the board approved a $15,000 program allocation in the adopted budget.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6574129,"Umatilla County commissioners adopt $200.7 million budget, set property tax rate at $2.8487 per $1,000",203,11344000,11547000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3113891-089e090261e03d38ae14389248cabf94&start=11344&end=11547","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3113891-089e090261e03d38ae14389248cabf94/thumbnail_11344000.jpg","/articles/6574129/Umatilla-County/Oregon/Umatilla-County-commissioners-adopt-2007-million-budget-set-property-tax-rate-at-28487-per-1000","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6574129-92104a9fa332ebc4ff8467816f30677f/orig.mp4?Expires=1776945066&Signature=UtxyA8NITYy-Qi1v1x8BIDska-wee0Pa9MslRzERy8jj9ibQ~4veooD2zakkps3HTlPkPpF1jJOxfa~OfpSdf58qGjNId3Km1LLAcKbIJZ6M7msAPL-qakFv8LnVOswJlZWyLfNiIuIrFyo9OMi2a9NYkWCzz244RTVu35rZUPn-MVRqfkKTO9ufwmog3NymQ1ydSVLk2bG1j7rvPgYqbhhHIybm-wV-yHwxySGfhqUR3q4umN-Htm7Ad8pHxUye0hhFWL4PckHfTRIyxUtTBdyaR~d7xT8H~QUcWFDl5pVZ01fyXpkNMPKvowz2bvit2yZdyKm0338rVIQ8D3Rhhw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Umatilla County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday adopted the county's fiscal plan for the coming biennium, approving a $200,713,599 budget and setting the county's permanent property tax rate at $2.8487 per $1,000 of assessed value.

The adopted budget totals $200.7 million and includes appropriations of roughly $192.3 million. Commissioners also approved the compensation committee recommendations but retained a 10% pay separation between the sheriff and the undersheriff rather than a larger increase.

County Administrator Robert (first name used in meeting) reviewed a set of special funds and reserves during the hearing, including stimulus and public-health reserve accounts created during the pandemic and a personnel/PERS reserve that currently holds just over $9 million. Commissioners authorized a planned transfer from that reserve to help cover anticipated personnel and insurance costs next fiscal year.

Commission discussion touched on a small number of directed additions to the proposed appropriation package: a $15,000 program-specific allocation inserted to support a pilot project requested by the district attorney's office, and a cleanup to remove an inadvertent FTE carried in the veterans services budget so that the department's future grant forecasting is not adversely affected.

The board took three recorded actions in the meeting:
- Approval of the compensation committee recommendations, with the sheriff/undersheriff pay separation set at 10 percent. The motion passed without recorded opposition.
- Adoption of the permanent property tax rate at $2.8487 per $1,000 of assessed value. The board approved the rate as presented.
- Adoption of the budget and appropriations, including the two adjustments noted above. The motion carried and the budget was adopted.

Chair Commissioner George (first name only in transcript) and the other commissioners voted in favor of each motion; no negative votes were recorded during the public meeting.

County staff noted the budget remains sensitive to state and federal grant decisions (particularly Medicaid-related funding that affects several county departments) and to volatility in personnel and insurance costs, which is why reserves were maintained.

The board's adoption sets the county tax rate at the long-standing permanent rate and authorizes county departments to begin operating under the adopted appropriation levels for the next biennium.","The Umatilla County Board of Commissioners voted to adopt the 2025–27 proposed budget, set the permanent property tax rate and approve compensation recommendations with a 10% pay separation for the sheriff's post.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Umatilla County human services director highlights veteran-claim gains, developmental-disability workload and Medicaid risk

Umatilla County district attorney asks commissioners to fund a courthouse comfort dog; $15,000 added to budget

Umatilla County commissioners adopt $200.7 million budget, set property tax rate at $2.8487 per $1,000