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Morrow County planning staff report 50% permit growth in 2024, highlights renewables and water work
Summary
Planning staff told commissioners that permit activity rose roughly 50% in 2024 while staff turnover was also high; staff reviewed renewable-energy inspections, the Morrow County Heritage Trail outreach and drinking-water roadmap work.
Tamara Mavitt of the county planning department told the Board of Commissioners that the department issued about 50% more permits in calendar year 2024 versus prior years while also experiencing roughly 50% staff turnover.
“For example,” Mavitt said, “we grew by close to 50% in permits that we issued in 2024. And we also had a 50% turnover in staff.” She told commissioners the department’s data are calendar-year based and that the workload had been unusually high in 2024 because of data center and renewable-energy project applications.
Mavitt briefed commissioners on renewable-energy activity, saying Pinegate Renewable has signaled interest in the county’s agricultural mitigation program and that the county’s compliance planner accompanied state staff on a state compliance inspection of the Wheat Ridge Wind Energy Project. She also described public outreach for the Morrow County Heritage Trail: staff set a table at the Sage Center in Boardman and counted about 35 people who stopped by, and she said the survey for the trail is available in Spanish and English.
On water planning, Mavitt said county staff are preparing to implement measures recommended in the county-adopted resolution and final report; she and Commissioner Peterson met with representatives of the Northeast Oregon Water Association to discuss regional water planning and support for connecting domestic-exempt wells to public systems. Mavitt said the bi-county Drinking Water Roadmap steering committee met with approximately 25 attendees on Zoom and that city representatives raised both technical opportunities and constraints for subsidizing connections.
Mavitt closed by noting work on a countywide transportation-system plan update and upcoming public-advisory meetings for the Tower Road interchange area management plan. Commissioners thanked her and had no further questions.
