[{"_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",6655048,"mediaKeyId","5422906-17c70277f305330f55dca2776c9c8876","parentId",5422906,"title","Elections office reviews May special election turnout, drop-box locations and OCVR vendor change","audioSeconds",188,"startMs",7080000,"endMs",7268000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5422906-17c70277f305330f55dca2776c9c8876&start=7080&end=7268","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5422906-17c70277f305330f55dca2776c9c8876/thumbnail_7080000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6655048/Benton-County/Oregon/Elections-office-reviews-May-special-election-turnout-drop-box-locations-and-OCVR-vendor-change","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6655048-ddf78e37d34badc43021dbb08e5f20fb/orig.mp4?Expires=1775211504&Signature=W8aiCAyYJxuwBxRajeq82tL5KZ9YgMRMNoQH9bakDVQDMfPGCHbee1yjYcd4C~iycyR0rUnr2G0Zy7PUgQFJ-QsOpVuyD~vdW8pvWhTGsyi4WpVKr9o8pu1ck3UXwSV9e7~saXfNAFT9IpNE8ELIv-B0Ooy2uvZ4KzMzPFVlMaGFcqmQjwNY6xdPJYN0sJYkrhDy6Xg4lmD~DDVlzxtL94liyI403pmKAQznyIunZ9M0wgCcCu6J4oJ1KIP2e~8yoENTej6TFhImX~luLpZvY-iFvpgpYTbNMFA1x1Gb9WajzKZ4AV4-iSm53PF-i3Jl81y7csa7XMrCGbxDHpoGHw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Benton County, OR","date","2025-07-17T12:36:53.437Z","article","Elections staff told the Board of Commissioners on July 16 that turnout for the May 20 special election was 30.25% countywide (roughly 20,000'24,000 ballots), and that staff are evaluating underused ballot-drop boxes for consolidation to reduce operational cost and simplify pickup routes.

Staff said one drop box at the public library has low use and suffers trash being thrown into it; commissioners and staff discussed removing that station while keeping strategically used sites such as courthouse-area boxes, North Albany and Timberhill. The elections office said it maintains 16 outside drop boxes countywide and will find alternate, high-use locations where appropriate.

Vendor and system updates: Elections staff said the Secretary of State has ended the contract with a vendor working on a replacement for OCVR, the statewide voter registration and election-management system, and that resources will revert to maintaining the current OCVR system. Staff said this allows statewide officials to focus resources on bug fixes and stability for the existing platform.

Other items: The elections office reported the city of Philomath has certified a November 4 ballot measure on psilocybin; the August 15 deadline is the county's cut-off for local districts to submit measures for the November ballot. Staff also described lower passport-processing volumes than expected after a recent spike and noted marriage-ceremony services in the county clerk's office have resumed.

What's next: Elections staff will continue reviewing drop-box locations and coordinate with commissioners and local partners on any changes. The office will also monitor the statewide OCVR maintenance effort and schedule for any future replacement initiatives.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Board of Commissioners Department Head Meeting with Administrative Services","oneSentenceSummary","Elections staff reported a 30.25% turnout in the May 20 special election, proposed removing an underused library drop box, described the Secretary of State's decision to end a statewide replacement contract for OCVR, and announced a November 4 psilocybin measure in Philomath.","taxTitle","Benton County, Oregon","taxId",8787,"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},6655053,"Assessor: Benton County live on OrCats July 1; dual-entry, certification timelines set for October",303,3245000,3548000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5422906-17c70277f305330f55dca2776c9c8876&start=3245&end=3548","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5422906-17c70277f305330f55dca2776c9c8876/thumbnail_3245000.jpg","/articles/6655053/Benton-County/Oregon/Assessor-Benton-County-live-on-OrCats-July-1-dual-entry-certification-timelines-set-for-October","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6655053-705dbeffcf253a7b2aa637e261a428f1/orig.mp4?Expires=1775211504&Signature=BVCzYtaVgJRd4hmslWPf8QC3bI8vuAh-beFo7kD48EOSYRpNvmzgGc1ym8WnQenVcE45K9iy12nAT-TzOwTzmEBZSNnhk51LKrKqIZZdAM6nKlbuecNm~qES3kYIMvdF7QFACrYNM1N1j3ghrnmLD7sntwOVtKzRvJINM5kIhUhw03OsunSp9HH4m8k91QM0wlcaoKuSCsAY1Ul6uoqptppXDJ8odu3GbWj3Xypyr6rrLFQ3OSqI763h1BjP8th4aQbv3wuDFSGA0enYiiwPn3GESEQzinsWkeVvkXAyMqgaRuMjBQgnGWEa68WQTIO7ObTfStDcjS6bFhsq-F2pFw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Benton County assessment staff reported they went live on OrCats (the county's new assessment and records back end) on July 1 and are currently running a dual-entry process into the legacy Ascend system to verify data as they work toward tax-roll certification.

The assessment office said early testing showed differences between a three-day turnover export and the legacy results, and the vendor Helion has been actively on-site addressing issues. Assessment staff said they will continue dual entry until the county finalizes the certified tax roll and will not renew the Ascend maintenance contract when it comes due in September; doing so will remove a maintenance expense that staff estimated at roughly $185,000'$200,000 annually.

Why it matters: The conversion affects tax certification deadlines, appraisal workflows and interoperation with valuation software. Staff said appraisal values will be completed early this year (values expected finished by July 31) so the county can begin testing levies and roll production earlier and complete certification on the statutory schedule (values certified by Sept. 25; certified roll targeted for Oct. 1).

Details and technical steps: Assessment staff said Orchats now pulls deed and ownership data from the records system and that the county will run two tax rolls this year during the transition to ensure parity. Because the county's valuation engine (ProVal) currently needs Ascend/ProVal-format extracts, staff said they are working with consultants to extract daily data from OrCats into ProVal until a full integration is in place.

Cloud and longer-term plans: Staff discussed moving Helion (the records/tax system) to a cloud-hosted, vendor-managed environment. Assessment staff said an annual cloud-hosting estimate starting around $17,000 would reduce local-server maintenance and enable more online public access to recorded documents, but board approval and budgeting will be required.

What's next: Assessment staff will proceed with testing and dual-entry checks, complete value audits by July 31, and prepare for Oct. 1 tax-roll certification while working with IT and consultants on data-extraction links to ProVal and on the timing of Ascend contract termination.","County assessment staff reported going live with OrCats on July 1, dual-entering data into the legacy system until certification, and planning to cease the Ascend contract after the October tax roll; the change will reduce maintenance fees but requires continued data extraction for valuation tools.",{"_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},6655057,"Benton County to carve out pharmacy benefit; staff estimate roughly $655,000 first-year savings",60,1974000,2034000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5422906-17c70277f305330f55dca2776c9c8876&start=1974&end=2034","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5422906-17c70277f305330f55dca2776c9c8876/thumbnail_1974000.jpg","/articles/6655057/Benton-County/Oregon/Benton-County-to-carve-out-pharmacy-benefit-staff-estimate-roughly-655000-first-year-savings","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6655057-3bf42b774a1d59b6f0806215f588380f/orig.mp4?Expires=1775211504&Signature=VOX--y09swjt8ehS~bvxyTNN7NXfqZBGt~SJxHymv3fvVZ4RpLib1HwR1AqXEEGcpowOCM1jAqzkvDG7dY~i~qa6aQH-RJ3Q9hZX6afHWQVnW8kJedk0pUG0rUtckkVyuUQBfr13NQFx-qt8OU-TzQb63ZNxeQGmbSIm26aWHGKgeUrkSv5FtR4boXZ3sxAO5kGhL~DGyuPGVOUEFaht2zBZIRtOCV1wHTJ2TBGB0Ym66GY9mW6xEY~fQE1ax7KsbMEb0B2D17qwFCKa0Ewt4HJfHR5HB5SVAMYmFnL-KqNWDRtoifHwL3RYrm~9VRDNnJ~CAKCm1TVaMraRU1Wt4g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Benton County staff said on July 16 they have identified and will implement a carved-out pharmacy benefit manager for the county's employee health plan, a change they expect will lower prescription costs and reduce the county's overall health claims exposure.

County staff described National Cooperative RX as the chosen pharmacy benefit manager and said the arrangement links the county to a consortium of public entities with purchasing power. Staff estimated roughly $655,000 in savings for the county in the first year after the transition and said the change will also add employee-facing services such as a pharmacy concierge that staff expect will improve access and claim management.

Why it matters: County staff said the savings will reduce required reserves for the health plan and will be considered when setting rates for fiscal year 2026'7. Staff also said the cash savings for the first year are expected to phase in over 2026 as claims on the old pharmacy benefit run out.

Details and limitations: Staff described the change as a contractual restructuring of the pharmacy portion of the county's health plan (a pharmacy benefit manager, or PBM, separate from the main carrier), not a change in the health plan's overall medical carrier. Staff said the first-year savings estimate is preliminary and will be subject to typical claims-runout effects. Staff also said the new arrangement may expand formulary options so some employees will be able to access lower-cost generic alternatives previously unavailable to them.

Implementation timeline: County staff said the pharmacy carve-out will not immediately affect plan-year 2025 premium-setting; the main impact is expected in 2026 as the new PBM takes full effect. The county intends to use savings in future rate-setting and to reduce reserve pressures for the health plan.

What's next: HR and finance staff will include the pharmacy-savings estimate in next fiscal-year rate-setting discussions and report back to commissioners as the implementation schedule and claims-runout figures become available.","County staff told commissioners they plan to switch the county's pharmacy benefit to a separate pharmacy benefit manager and expect roughly $655,000 in annual savings while adding services for employees.",{"_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},6655063,"Benton County officials report faster hiring, plan AFSCME market study as vacancy work continues",2355,112000,2467000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5422906-17c70277f305330f55dca2776c9c8876&start=112&end=2467","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5422906-17c70277f305330f55dca2776c9c8876/thumbnail_112000.jpg","/articles/6655063/Benton-County/Oregon/Benton-County-officials-report-faster-hiring-plan-AFSCME-market-study-as-vacancy-work-continues","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6655063-6a7ce37a9ba677fbadbb323067358368/orig.mp4?Expires=1775211504&Signature=MGg3AOyxojxQBSNUYdQJaC1POE72b7orknmy7SJgAMCn8HIyZchNkhWFolahl~leSLIDj~ILjKekL01yjbEjpFijn4cQxYXQ6r7XARHFiiyk49dyfdSdB0S7hIVeBIGJptx~8h3XM8QLjOPq5N~t0BcA6ODu61QYwCFBmjayCdNHLx5r2eyZZsZhVgzwPs6kaRRirmGSCIk~CkzKvoQYrHAglCDvGpzDmFW852McFADH6DZSo6KEdIBhFKhkl2HCBA7oKqFGTvJdA4NMqTcOi7toli8ubf99L1RbdmrzFuZWrZquiv83BxgWGOqKR44MMroDQrKwlE6nI8EJyD8IQw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Benton County human resources staff told the Board of Commissioners on July 16 that the county's average time from job posting to employee start date has fallen 16% to 55 days, and that managers and budget analysts will begin closer coordination to reduce vacancy-related costs.

The update came as HR staff outlined a two-part effort: tighter requisition and budget review early in the hiring queue, and a market study required by the county's collective-bargaining agreement with AFSCME. HR staff said the market-study RFP must begin early enough to meet contract timing; \"the market study needs to start, you know, earlier than November and no later than March,\" county HR staff reported, with any resulting pay changes intended to take effect at the start of the next fiscal year.

Why it matters: Commissioners have repeatedly raised the \"vacancy factor\" as a budget pressure. County staff said a substantial portion of the savings attributed to vacancy factors is procedural (time lost during recruiting and onboarding) and that more precise, department-by-department vacancy accounting will follow. County finance staff used HR's numbers to estimate that recruitment-processing inefficiencies alone could correspond to millions in annual budget impact, and HR leadership said it will expand vacancy reporting and department-level tracking.

Details: HR noted recruiting is trending down because the county is doing less recruiting overall, but that time-to-hire improvements have been significant. HR said certain roles'notably deputy district attorney and law-enforcement positions'are harder to fill and still show longer times to hire. Staff also described candidate-source data showing most applicants arrive via organizational or career pages rather than major job boards.

Labor relations: HR and labor relations staff reported multiple grievances and arbitration activity involving AFSCME. County staff said two grievances are currently set for arbitration (one alleged involuntary termination and one related to a February weather closure), and two additional weather-closure grievances recently completed step three and may proceed to arbitration, for a potential total of four arbitration matters. Staff also reported an MOU change to expand the county's bilingual differential beyond Spanish to any qualifying language, including American Sign Language and Arabic.

Meeting action: The board approved the minutes of the county's Feb. 20 administrative services meeting as amended, by voice vote.

What's next: HR said it will issue the market-study RFP to meet the contract timeline and will meet with AFSCME leadership to verify benchmark positions before vendor selection. HR also said it will expand vacancy-factor reports and work with budget analysts to start early conversations about whether and when requisitions should proceed.","Human resources staff told Benton County commissioners the county's average time-to-hire fell to 55 days and outlined plans to quantify vacancy-factor impacts and launch a market-study RFP tied to the AFSCME contract; labor grievances and arbitration also remain active.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Elections office reviews May special election turnout, drop-box locations and OCVR vendor change

Assessor: Benton County live on OrCats July 1; dual-entry, certification timelines set for October

Benton County to carve out pharmacy benefit; staff estimate roughly $655,000 first-year savings

Benton County officials report faster hiring, plan AFSCME market study as vacancy work continues