Crook County commissioners approve donations, contracts and procedural items in routine business

The Crook County Board of Commissioners approved multiple routine requests and contracts during its February session, including funding for community cleanups, a hall donation, road-department purchases and a lease with the state.

Votes at a glance - Approve $200 in landfill tipping fees for the biannual Ochoco Creek cleanup (motion approved by voice vote). - Approve donation of Carrie Foster Hall rental fees for the Humane Society’s casino night (motion approved by voice vote). - Approve road department invoices and contracts related to relife and repairs on a 1999 Caterpillar 140H road grader and related vehicles: • Invoice for water tank and truck: $223,222.84 — approved. • Invoice for circle rebuild: $16,793.40 — approved. • Invoice for full blade rebuild: $206,430.60 — approved. • Sourcewell contract (solicitation RFP011723) providing a 5-year certified warranty on the relife — approved. - Approve lease agreement with the State of Oregon Department of State Lands for the Hilltop Mining Site (lease no. 41864-UQ) — approved. - Approve Amendment 2 to the Transportation System Plan (TSP) contract (adds two public open-house presentations and wrap-up scope); motion authorized to sign the contract out of court and schedule meetings — approved. - Designate the county manager (Will) to make emergency-closure decisions (weather/emergency closures) as described in the employee handbook — approved. - Authorize Commissioner Crawford and County Manager John Eisler to draft and sign a letter to the Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) and Eastern Oregon counties regarding state wildfire mapping and to prepare a Crook County-specific letter of objection — motions approved.

Details and context Carol Van Closkey requested continued county support — $200 in tipping fees — for the biannual Ochoco Creek cleanup; Republic Services will donate a dumpster and hauling. The board approved the tipping-fee support by voice vote.

Shanda Wallace, executive director of the local humane society, asked that Carrie Foster Hall rental fees be waived for the organization’s March 29 casino-night fundraiser; commissioners approved that request.

Brad Haines, road superintendent, presented the relife and repair items for a 1999 140H road grader. He said rebuilting the grader (a “relife”) was substantially less expensive than buying new and had been budgeted as a relife. The board approved multiple invoices and a Sourcewell contract that provides certification and a five-year warranty on the relife.

Haines also presented a lease agreement with the State of Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL) for the Hilltop Mining Site; the board approved and signed the lease (no. 41864-UQ).

John Eisler described Amendment 2 to the Transportation System Plan contract (extension and additional public open houses focused on Juniper Canyon and Pal Butte options). Commissioners instructed staff to schedule two presentation-style open houses (separate meetings for different communities) and authorized the manager to sign the amended contract out of court once final documents are returned from the consultant.

County manager Will asked to be formally designated to make emergency-closure decisions (bad-weather closures) under language from the employee handbook; the board designated the county manager to make those decisions and to develop an implementation plan for notifying staff and the public.

Finally, commissioners approved two related motions to prepare and sign letters objecting to the state wildfire-hazard mapping process: a multi-county letter to the Association of Oregon Counties and Eastern Oregon counties (authorized to be circulated broadly) and a Crook County-specific letter; Commissioner Crawford and John Eisler were authorized to draft and sign the letters out of court.

All items listed above were approved by voice vote or unanimous aye; when dollar amounts were presented they matched the invoices in the meeting packet.