County administrator reports signing four contracts during holiday recess under code authority

County Administrator Gary Schmidt reported on Jan. 9 that, under Clackamas County Code allowing the county administrator to sign contracts when the board is in recess for at least two consecutive weeks, he executed four agreements on the board’s behalf during the Dec. 19–Jan. 6 recess.

Schmidt read the contracts into the record to provide transparency. The signed items included an amendment with Canopy Well-being for employee assistance program services (amendment $360,000 for three years; total $779,970 for seven years; funding from fees paid by county departments, retirees and COBRA beneficiaries, and a small portion of budgeted county general funds). Schmidt also signed three labor agreements that the board had explicitly authorized the county administrator to sign on Dec. 17: a 2024–2026 agreement with AFSCME representing Clackamas County Communications Center employees (total including benefits $2,125,569; funding from emergency communication tax funds, dispatch user fees and approximately $492,883 county general funds); a 2024–2028 agreement with AFSCME representing Water Environment Services employees (total including benefits $8,819,635; funded by ratepayer and sewer charges, surface water charges and system development charges; no county general funds); and a 2024–2028 agreement with AFSCME representing Department of Transportation and Development employees (total including benefits $24,356,353; funding through state and federal funds, fees and fines and approximately $824,242 county general funds).

Schmidt said the board had previously authorized him to sign the three collective bargaining contracts on Dec. 17. He noted the signed documents are posted online and that no separate ratification vote was required by the board under the cited county code.

No board member asked the administrator to rescind or revisit the signatures during the Jan. 9 meeting.