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Votes at a glance: Baker County commissioners approve drone purchase, grant writing contracts, equipment purchases, appointments and financial reports
Summary
The board approved multiple purchases, grant applications and appointments: a SKIDEO drone ($14,081.20), two grant-writing contracts (one up to $25,000), a sheriff’s side-by-side trailer ($19,391.48), USFS/Title II/bear-funds grant applications, a $74,440 EMPG agreement, and a $20,500 DataFi contract.
The Baker County Board of Commissioners took a sequence of formal actions during its meeting, spanning contract purchases, grant agreements, vendor contracts, equipment buys and a set of administrative appointments. The board held those votes during the Contract Review Board and regular session; motions and outcomes are summarized below.
Votes at a glance
- Drone purchase: Approved purchase of a SKIDEO X10 (accessories and starter kit) for $14,081.20. Motion carried (voice vote; three "aye").
- Grant-writing contracts: Approved two contract awards in the Contract Review Board: SK Consulting for transit grant-writing up to $25,000 and Early Bird Grant Writing Services LLC for general grant-writing and research, subject to contract negotiation and clarified hourly / billing terms. Motion carried (voice vote; three "aye").
- Sheriff search-and-rescue trailer: Approved purchase of a side-by-side trailer from Ben Trailers for $19,391.48 to support search-and-rescue operations. Motion carried (voice vote; three "aye").
- OHA weed-control grant: Approved application for an Oregon Hunters Association / Pleasant Valley weed-control grant requesting $12,500 for the county weed department. Motion carried (voice vote; three "aye").
- US Forest Service / Title II and bear funds: Approved submission of an application package that included $10,000 in bear-funds (USFS) for Beaver Mountain and approximately $25,488 in Title II funds; motion carried (voice vote; three "aye").
- Emergency Management (EMPG) agreement: Authorized signature on agreement 24-500 E.M.P.G. Baker County grant for $74,440 (amendment/claim signature). Motion carried (voice vote; three "aye").
- FMA/Hazard Mitigation: Commissioners gave staff direction/consensus to proceed with FMA and HMGP pre-applications (Huntington fuels project; Huntington well generator; trailer-mounted generators and related proposals) and to pursue matching funds and interagency assurances. This was recorded as direction to staff rather than a contested roll-call vote.
- Data/marketing contract: Approved a one‑year contract with DataFi for advanced analytics and geofencing-based visitor data at $20,500 with signature authorized out of session. Motion carried (voice vote; three "aye").
- Appointments and orders: The board approved multiple routine orders and appointments by vote (motion/second and unanimous or majority voice votes): - Order 2025-102: Appointed Commissioner Michelle Kaesberg as budget officer (fiscal year 2025–26). Motion carried. - Order 2025-103: Reappointed Steve Shower to the Baker County Compensation Board (term to 12/31/2028). Motion carried. - Order 2025-104: Reappointed Pat Sullivan to the Baker County Budget Board (term to 01/01/2028). Motion carried. - Order 2025-105: Appointed Kate (Janie) Sites to the Baker County Wolf Depredation Compensation Committee (term to 09/01/2027). Motion carried. - Order 2025-106: Appointed Michelle Casper to the Northeast Oregon Economic Development District Board. Motion carried.
- Financial reports and claims: The board ratified payroll and accounts payable batches (multiple PRC/APC/C items listed in the staff packet); one commissioner declared a conflict of interest and abstained on AP report C92 (child-owned business payment) and abstained as recorded; the remainder of the financials were approved (motion carried).
Procedural notes and next steps
- Several approvals were subject to contract negotiation and standard procurement clarifications (for example, Early Bird grant-writing terms and billing structure will be clarified in contract language). - For HMGP/FMA items staff were directed to return with finalized subapplications, match letters and any municipal agreements or maintenance assurances required by funders.
The meeting record contains motions, seconds and voice votes for each item listed. Where a motion lacked named movers or roll-call tallies in the transcript, the article records the procedural outcome as stated on the record.
