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County staff summarizes multiple bills, seeks commissioner sign-off on support letters and in-person testimony
Summary
County staff reviewed several legislative priorities including TLT, assessor funding, fair funding, public land survey corner fee changes and public health modernization funding; staff requested commissioner feedback and approvals for letters and urged timely review of emailed materials with several imminent testimony deadlines.
County Manager Don Boone and county legislative staff briefed the Clatsop County Board of Commissioners on several bills and asked the board to review and approve letters of support and consider in-person testimony.
Staff highlighted H.B. 3556, a transient lodging tax (TLT) bill the League of Oregon Cities and other local groups have pursued; staff said the bill is tentatively scheduled for a public hearing and work session in mid‑March and that the board may want to send a commissioner or provide testimony. "That's HB 3,556," Amanda (staff member) said when reviewing the county's priority list.
Amanda also described the bill led by the Oregon Association of County Tax Collectors (H.B. 3518) to fund assessment and taxation services; county assessment staff will attend the public hearing in support. The county's assessor and assessment/taxation director were identified as participating: "Heidi will be going down, our assessment and taxation director, to provide support," Amanda said.
Other measures discussed included H.B. 3175 (removing the cap on fees relating to public land survey corners, on track for third reading), fair-funding bills such as H.B. 2304 and H.B. 2145 that would redirect or fully fund 1% of lottery funds to county fairs (staff noted a written testimony deadline with Friday at 8 a.m. identified), and public health–related proposals including H.B. 2954 (prevention services funding, staff said $25,000,000 per biennium was being sought) and the OHA budget H.B. 5025 (staff noted an increase of $50,000,000 for public health modernization in the OHA budget request). Staff asked commissioners to review two draft letters: one in support of H.B. 2224 (deadline for written testimony stated as tomorrow at 3 p.m.) and a second for S.B. 916 (staff-listed deadline noted as tomorrow at 8 a.m.).
Commissioners suggested personal attendance for some hearings. Commissioner Banks asked whether the county fair board might also submit a coordinating letter; staff said they would follow up with the fair board and with Kyle, who is assisting with content. Commissioner Thompson urged colleagues to read and support letters that seek county representation on coordinated care organizations and increased transparency in forest trust lands, referencing recent testimony he and others provided.
Staff did not present any motions or call for board votes during the work session; instead they requested timely written approvals so staff could meet external hearing deadlines and said they would circulate draft letters for commissioner review.
