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County staff seek delegated signing authority as replacement courthouse nears occupancy; state funding detail still unresolved
Summary
Clackamas County staff asked the board to delegate signing authority for several state funding and lease documents related to the replacement county courthouse and reported a near-term milestone payment could be affected by a still-unsettled disagreement with the state over which project elements it will fund.
Nancy Bush, the county operating officer, briefed the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners on April 15 about a resolution to give either the board chair or the county administrator authority to sign documents tied to the replacement county courthouse.
Bush said the request covers seven items related to the state master funding agreement and associated amendments, a phase-3 amendment, several leases and a transfer of furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E). She told commissioners the project is approaching occupancy: the county expected a temporary occupancy inspection to be cleared the following day and staff are awaiting final FF&E cost figures from the project company.
Bush requested that the resolution be placed on the board’s consent agenda for final action on April 17 so staff can execute documents quickly as they arrive. “We’re asking the commission to agree to the resolution so that as these things come in, we can get them quickly processed and back to the state,” she said.
Commissioners pressed for details on the project’s financing. Commissioner Savas asked whether the state’s recent communications resolve an earlier question about which project elements are eligible for the state’s 50% share; Bush said language in the documents has clarified several items and staff believed they were “very close” to full resolution. When Savas raised the parking-lot item, Bush said the parking project is about $6 million and that a 50% state share would be roughly $3 million. County Administrator Gary Schmidt said there remains “a disagreement, an misunderstanding with the state of what they would pay half the cost for” that could affect a milestone payment due in roughly three weeks, but he said staff believe they have closed much of the gap.
County staff noted that the state releases funds to the county and the county then makes the payment to the contractor. The commissioners agreed, by consensus, to move the resolution to the consent agenda for the April 17 business meeting so staff can complete necessary documents while the funding conversation continues.
Bush and project staff (Amanda Keller was identified as working with state attorneys) will return with final documents and any further updates on the state payment questions. If the state-gap remains unresolved, Commissioners asked staff to alert the board immediately so it can consider next steps.
