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Klamath County advisory committee urges single-department oversight for Spence Mountain
Summary
At a Jan. 29 work session, the Spence Mountain Maintenance Advisory Committee urged the Board of Commissioners to assign one county department to manage the property to improve emergency response, grant implementation and long-term stewardship.
The Klamath County Board of Commissioners heard a presentation Jan. 29 from the Spence Mountain Maintenance Advisory Committee urging the county to assign a single department to oversee Spence Mountain, a county-owned recreational and timber asset.
The advisory committee’s representative, Drew Hansel, told the board the group recommends a single county department be officially charged with oversight because the committee lacks formal authority and current responsibilities are fragmented among finance, property management and public works. "We are have a recommendation for the commissioners today to appoint kind of a single county department to oversee Spence Mountain," Hansel said.
The committee cited several reasons the change matters: the property was appraised at more than $6,000,000 when acquired two years ago; it receives roughly 92,100 recreation visits a year, with visitors accounting for almost $900,000 in local spending; recent grants require timely project implementation; and there is no clear single point of contact for emergencies such as search-and-rescue or forest fire response.
Hansel told commissioners that because the advisory panel meets only quarterly and has no formal management authority, routine tasks and grant implementation can fall into a "bottleneck" and risk being missed when individuals rotate off the committee. He also said the committee has a narrow window — "from April to June, the middle of June" — to complete some grant-funded forest-thinning and road repairs ahead of fire season.
Commissioners discussed options. One commissioner proposed assigning the oversight function to Public Works in the short term, "barring different thoughts from the two of you," citing Public Works' equipment, roads expertise and capacity to help with weeds and road repairs. The board chair volunteered to participate in staff-level conversations. Another commissioner said they would explore creating a part-time recreation coordinator funded from tourism dollars to support Spence Mountain and other county recreation assets.
The board did not take formal action but directed staff and committee representatives to develop options and return the item to a regular agenda in about two weeks. Specifically, commissioners asked staff to consult with Public Works staff and county finance representatives and to bring a sample job description for a potential recreation coordinator back to the board.
Background and options noted by the advisory committee included using a county forestry department (as done in Coos, Hood River and Josephine counties) or placing oversight under Public Works or parks. The committee said future grants and sustainable funding remain priorities and that clearer departmental assignment would reduce risk during staff or committee transitions.
The board plans to place the item on a future agenda for further direction after staff follow-up and consultation with involved departments.
