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Eastern Oregon officials and lawmakers urge state support for county fairgrounds in disasters
Summary
County leaders and lawmakers told the House Emergency Management Committee that county fairgrounds have become de facto emergency shelters and service hubs and asked the Legislature to pass House Bill 2,136 to provide funding and capacity support.
Paul Andres, a Union County commissioner, told the House Committee on Emergency Management, General Government and Veterans on Feb. 6 that he supports House Bill 2,136 and that county fairgrounds across Oregon are already serving as emergency shelters and service hubs.
"I am in full support of House Bill 2,136 as presented by Representative Sharp," Commissioner Paul Andres said. "Fairgrounds across the state are a logical choice to continue to serve as the emergency shelters." He listed uses that have already occurred in Eastern Oregon including mass COVID testing, sheltering displaced livestock and housing evacuees from wildfires.
Sarah Satimo, chief of staff for Sen. Jeff Golden, read testimony for the senator describing how Jackson County Fairgrounds became an overnight shelter and long‑running services hub after the 2020 Almeda Fire. "In a matter of hours, the Jackson County Fairgrounds turned into an emergency shelter and critical services hub for many of those people," Satimo said. She said fairgrounds often provided weeks of sheltering, food and support without dedicated resources.
Jefferson County speaker Kelly Selig told the panel that some counties already shoulder the costs of using fairgrounds for emergency response and that the current state support is limited. "We currently only receive about $53,000 a year," Selig said, and described a school lockdown that required moving 600 students to the fairgrounds where heating and lighting were inadequate.
Why it matters: Testimony framed House Bill 2,136 as a request for predictable state funding to help fairgrounds build and maintain the capacity to serve as evacuation centers, emergency staging areas and temporary shelters. Proponents said fairground staff and volunteers have been improvising in recent disasters but that inflation and ongoing costs have strained local budgets.
What HB 2,136 would do: The witnesses characterized the bill as providing targeted funds for fairgrounds to be better prepared to provide services during emergencies and natural disasters. The committee held a public hearing; no formal action on HB 2,136 was taken during the Feb. 6 meeting.
Other details: Committee members did not vote on HB 2,136 in this session. Testimony emphasized examples from Jackson, Jefferson and Union counties and urged lawmakers to consider the costs counties currently absorb when fairgrounds operate as emergency shelters.
Closing note: Testimony closed after committee members had no follow-up questions; supporters asked the committee to advance the bill so the state can provide steady support for fairground emergency functions.
