[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-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",[32,75,87,99],{"_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",6528110,"mediaKeyId","3431472-b28c05b934bb284509c885a4c3bb307a","parentId",3431472,"title","Votes at a glance: consent agenda, three fire-district annexations and county-shop lighting approval","audioSeconds",245,"startMs",3308000,"endMs",3553000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3431472-b28c05b934bb284509c885a4c3bb307a&start=3308&end=3553","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3431472-b28c05b934bb284509c885a4c3bb307a/thumbnail_3308000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6528110/Curry-County/Oregon/Votes-at-a-glance-consent-agenda-three-fire-district-annexations-and-county-shop-lighting-approval","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6528110-bd0d751135e64e4a229b68ba3ecc0618/orig.mp4?Expires=1771155193&Signature=RG1vaexFpFxnbs33IzrrkdJUe8PhrLmLGfbom91yLOQA-xh9vkZwLIvNQBpvSmveQ-OBd0rlarCSTQwxUOn1U3ow80X5tXUFakM0nCUVRa1B2yDYu4Ym-tP9y4ez2m37Roc-cub5YLqfKL5SDvhlpqEw0Ujfo1IYyvMHwSxWtO3b8JmVNi~02yN-reHYv1upvhgQeF0cOJe~Q7dQKDOMbTg2ku8qB2N8PAQRrDNcLaVVzncNYFwFkF0omx80U~ous5tH5WTc1yFld8Jg7Fm7rJSx2ZeOgE5ZbnNP9C8c070-0vyYJti9fTzaKuhcpsBy-DI5isxhURkp1egAHuKpUA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Curry County","date","2025-05-20T00:00:00Z","article","At the May 20 Curry County Board of Commissioners meeting the board took several formal actions during the consent and discussion portions of the agenda.

Key outcomes

- Consent agenda: The board approved the consent agenda as amended (motion made and seconded). Vote recorded as unanimous in favor. Details on individual consent items were not all read aloud at the meeting; one consent item added ductless heat pumps and units for the sheriff’s office and another added CAPA grant approval for the assessor’s office.

- Annexations: The board opened a public hearing under ORS 198.857 on three owner-petition annexations into rural fire-protection districts and approved all three petitions. The hearing opened at 6:55 p.m. and closed at 6:57 p.m. (Each motion carried unanimously.) The annexations recorded in the hearing were described in the record with the following identifiers (as read into the record):
• BOC annexation number 25-0X (owner: Stanford) into the Gold Beach/Wedderburn Rural Fire Protection District — approved by motion.
• BOC annexation number 25-07 (owner: Roe) into the Ophir (spelled in transcript as Ofer) Rural Fire Protection District — approved by motion.
• BOC annexation number 25-08 (owner: \"Ro twin\" in transcript) into the Upper Checo Rural Fire Protection District — approved by motion.

- County shop lighting: The board approved a motion to proceed with a lighting project for the county shop with a “not to exceed” limit of $17,000 contingent on receiving three confirmed bids. Motion carried unanimously.

Votes and procedure notes: The meeting record shows unanimous aye votes by the commissioners present for the motions listed above. Where roll-call named commissioners, the transcript recorded affirmative votes from Commissioner Coker and Commissioner Hollinger and the third commissioner announced assent. Where motion makers were not identified by name in the transcript, the minutes show motions were made, seconded and carried.

No ordinances or resolutions were adopted in this part of the meeting beyond the recorded motions to approve annexations and the lighting authorization.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Curry County Board of Commissioners Business Meeting May 20, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The board approved the amended agenda, accepted the consent agenda, approved three owner-petition annexations into rural fire-protection districts and authorized a lighting project at the county shop not-to-exceed $17,000 conditional on three confirmed bids.","taxTitle","Curry County, Oregon","taxId",61735,"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},6528115,"Commissioners agree to seek bids for independent financial audit after staff report on past treasury irregularities",426,3128000,3554000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3431472-b28c05b934bb284509c885a4c3bb307a&start=3128&end=3554","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3431472-b28c05b934bb284509c885a4c3bb307a/thumbnail_3128000.jpg","/articles/6528115/Curry-County/Oregon/Commissioners-agree-to-seek-bids-for-independent-financial-audit-after-staff-report-on-past-treasury-irregularities","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6528115-7c35be3bc51703378cf06c8bb9806760/orig.mp4?Expires=1771155193&Signature=KEQtWaKQsYB1KfoUHWnqraLkPUV~i5695kb31abeqQoJVLBOQ1I~P1ie78G02MqGbg34QWyXZzQ105xbLD1m08QGnorQl-j7zCFeobJS0uuPx1Ptq3zhwxDwWbMHqzD5iURvXckn6MPfJNiLKdYAwd1bFNj2KVBHXVdWFoN9mNvP-M2iZ1FRsO~4DIeEQOdOqfJFYPQ8KysioUC~zNwBJorHN82myp6btJLPlgKPe04Tup8WVY-nWSzYtiyHKOQcuknullViF6OdaWFFdPvBVL0tqjlN4bqdBIfmXsftAybPWGrpbM3eA2JQVcFUb8BBsCy9vkkCsmR3JIBaMVwA~A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","County staff reported findings on May 20 that raised concerns about Treasury and accounting practices during prior years and prompted commissioners to direct staff to solicit bids for an independent audit.

Director Fitzgerald, the county’s director of operations, read a summary of the department’s review of American Rescue Plan (ARP) receipts and other treasury transactions. He stated that the narrative circulating that ARP funds were “missing” is inaccurate and that the ARP reporting issue had been corrected and resubmitted to the U.S. Treasury. “In fact, all funds were spent legally and accounted for in our county financial system,” Fitzgerald told the board while presenting a narrower operational summary of ARP reporting steps.

At the same time, Fitzgerald and other staff described a broader set of concerns discovered in a preliminary review of prior transactions after the county’s treasurer changed. Findings listed in the meeting included transfers recorded in the county ledger that were not completed in the bank; bank fees that were not recorded for months; deposits recorded late or not at all in departmental records; outstanding returned items; and a pattern of misapplied or misdirected distributions to several districts. Examples cited in the discussion included a $143,249.48 misapplied distribution to one school district in 2021, $241,110.58 sent to the wrong school district in 2022 and a manufactured-dwelling-park distribution in 2022–23 that required a $379,907.46 return after being held for a year.

Commissioners said the volume of bank adjustments since 2021—cited in staff materials as on the order of tens of millions of dollars in reconciliations—warrants a deeper, formal financial audit. Commissioners discussed the appropriate scope and timeline and recommended a forensic- or transaction-level audit that would at minimum cover fiscal years 2020 through 2024. The board directed staff to draft a request for proposals (RFP) or scope of work and solicit bids; commissioners said findings would be public unless litigation required otherwise.

Commissioners and staff said current county staff and the current treasurer, Nick Buccino, were working to reconcile accounts and rectify discovered issues. The board agreed to return the audit procurement to a future agenda for formal selection after bids are received.

No formal contract award was made at the meeting; the board authorized moving forward with soliciting bids once the scope is finalized.","County staff reported multiple accounting and distribution problems from 2021–2023 tied to the former treasurer’s tenure. Commissioners directed staff to draft a scope and solicit bids for a deeper independent financial audit covering 2020–2024.",{"_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},6528119,"Commissioners cite Oregon State Sheriffs Association guidance in ongoing dispute with county sheriff",1055,3561000,4616000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3431472-b28c05b934bb284509c885a4c3bb307a&start=3561&end=4616","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3431472-b28c05b934bb284509c885a4c3bb307a/thumbnail_3561000.jpg","/articles/6528119/Curry-County/Oregon/Commissioners-cite-Oregon-State-Sheriffs-Association-guidance-in-ongoing-dispute-with-county-sheriff","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6528119-272d2f17916c07beb947f219ba640d17/orig.mp4?Expires=1771155193&Signature=aMzUhCLl1HlldQBOS4Gz4EhPXyVg-gsj23bMFfe-L8vnVzD0GAcCEC2Vt9UPiquxRMkArIIa3oeyBSDaK9RRch0D~Cj6zAAn8SrgdtR0vwbjvKauknAr1yFIvtklZ8N08b4PM3i5S3ns1Eya9dh8uUKsp0s3zOESxOIC4enRQ93tVzhoRKECkew~xcpI41SbPQsLd76QVqpfY54LCmq2QT7m8wxTVh~LUX3wg1NFsSw3BlXwr~ZKDq8K5HPKD7lZ5UL0XOM75D~VMYhB1ljG43DNeuQ~dC48cAzq-MbUhdJ7LYe1NzyGj8hlW-drMs5QSOstBxYxTMlvJ7JEpvY27A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Members of the Curry County Board of Commissioners discussed a question-and-answer session with Tim Svensson, executive director of the Oregon State Sheriffs Association (OSSA), that a commissioner attended at Association of Oregon Counties’ County College. The attending commissioner recounted that Svensson said relationships between commissioners and sheriffs are primary and that contracts that bind the county should be reviewed by county counsel and the board.

Svensson, the board reported, told attendees that while sheriffs oversee law enforcement priorities, the county controls the dollars and that contracts that bind the county should normally be signed in partnership with the board. “Relationships are primary. Everything else is secondary,” Svensson said, according to the commissioner’s recitation of the recorded Q&A.

The session touched on statutory authority and case law. Commissioners and their counsel discussed ORS provisions that govern county contracts and sheriff duties, and referenced prior case law on the budget-setting role of commissioners. A county official summarized that the county’s pending declaratory-judgment filing asks a court to clarify whether the sheriff must obtain board approval to enter contracts that bind county funds and whether the sheriff must attend county meetings upon request. The board characterized the declaratory-judgment action as seeking a judicial statement of the legal duties already set out in ORS and prior appellate decisions.

Commissioners said they welcomed Svensson’s candor and that OSSA’s presented guidance aligns with the board’s position. Several commissioners described the dispute as damaging to local governance and urged a reset. One commissioner urged forming a three-way meeting of the sheriff’s office, the board and OSSA to identify where communications broke down and to restore routine cooperation.

No new ordinance or formal change to staffing was adopted at the meeting. Commissioners said the declaratory-judgment case could set precedent for how counties and sheriffs coordinate across Oregon and stressed the need for improved communication and for county-commissioner oversight of how county money is spent.

A county attorney or court decision will be required to resolve questions that commissioners said the disputing parties have been unable to settle internally.","A presentation and Q&A with the Oregon State Sheriffs Association (OSSA) executive director underlined commissioners' legal interpretation that county commissioners must be involved in contracts and oversight of sheriff budgets; commissioners said the association's answers align with a county declaratory-judgment action.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6528122,"Retired machinist pitches ‘Curry County Coastal CNC Academy’ to commissioners",1081,269000,1350000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3431472-b28c05b934bb284509c885a4c3bb307a&start=269&end=1350","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3431472-b28c05b934bb284509c885a4c3bb307a/thumbnail_269000.jpg","/articles/6528122/Curry-County/Oregon/Retired-machinist-pitches-Curry-County-Coastal-CNC-Academy-to-commissioners","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6528122-0e7e2db3908e8d550bfce0c4d0cc7426/orig.mp4?Expires=1771155193&Signature=JlZYUqxD3bRy5qH9ABV1kvwVKA6g5I4uoUqU8pBzXU8ToRaLNVn~nqPbZfBEKz2NwrnBcBjFaz~jxUWkBU51XOpYE903o4UIydw4Cqj0kBrHet7qd8UPgEs6WnlQSPm3vOpydMYKqiym1F81Hlw5KHxC68t5FForh6yDzsy8NLCzp90FjSXEuQ5yJpcXVIDkxOG74Nrd3AxBo5TiF81TYFuAPZHLKTYt3tedw~1spqAhQOyb04xtXlUqlXkVTU8ibxcBYTFKIRfE0mm0viG~0~mwoZASMuIO1WDnk-hqRzyOzrQMlcIfHhu6K4EcqotS7WeCfdJHwnKcQ7kKx2cbUA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Jeff Lage, who identified himself as the founder of the Curry County Coastal CNC Academy, told the Curry County Board of Commissioners on May 20 that he is seeking county support to launch a nonprofit advanced-manufacturing training center he calls “Curry County Coastal CNC Academy.” Lage described the project as a training-to-employment pipeline that would teach CNC machining and related advanced-manufacturing skills and operate an incubator to help local makers and small manufacturers commercialize products.

Lage said the academy would start with middle- and high-school outreach, partner with the community college for certification and apprenticeships, and aim to incubate small manufacturing businesses that could provide living-wage jobs locally. “The whole idea is to create a sustainable living-wage career opportunities right here,” Lage said.

Commissioners and other attendees praised the concept and raised practical questions about facilities, workforce housing and partnerships. One commissioner noted the county’s housing shortage and urged coordination so that any future hires could be housed locally. Lage acknowledged housing limits but said higher wages and apprenticeships could help attract and retain workers. He also said he’d begun applying for grants, mentioned potential Department of Defense research funding, and asked the board for letters of support and help identifying property, including land at the county airport.

Officials from Southwestern Oregon Community College (SWOC) and local employers were referenced as potential partners. A college representative told the meeting the college’s five-year plan includes developing flexible career-and-technical education space and that small-scale manufactured parts would not require the large logistics footprint of heavy industry. Lage described conversations with local manufacturers—including a longtime maker of machine tools—and said local firms have aging workforces and will need trained replacements.

Lage said he had set up a nonprofit and has created a Facebook page for the project. He left flyers for commissioners and invited retired machinists and tradespeople to volunteer as instructors or mentors. Commissioners agreed to help connect him with local partners and noted county staff and other community leaders had already introduced him to relevant college and port stakeholders.

The presentation concluded with commissioners offering to follow up and with requests for more detail on specific site options, potential grants and an early implementation plan.

Additional context: the presenter tied his proposal to county economic-development concerns, including out-migration of young people since the local mill closure and the seasonality of tourism jobs.","Jeff Lage presented a plan for a nonprofit advanced manufacturing training and incubator in Curry County, seeking property, grant support and letters of recommendation from the county to launch apprenticeships, CTE connections and a manufacturing incubator.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: consent agenda, three fire-district annexations and county-shop lighting approval

Commissioners agree to seek bids for independent financial audit after staff report on past treasury irregularities

Commissioners cite Oregon State Sheriffs Association guidance in ongoing dispute with county sheriff

Retired machinist pitches ‘Curry County Coastal CNC Academy’ to commissioners