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Klamath County corrections director warns HB 3069 could consolidate grants, strain rural counties
Summary
Aaron Hartman, Klamath County community corrections director, told commissioners he is concerned House Bill 3069 (Oregon Public Safety Coordination Grant Program) would combine multiple specialty grant streams, reduce administrative fees from about 10% to 3%, and create administrative burdens that could disadvantage small, rural counties.
Aaron Hartman, Klamath County community corrections director, briefed the Board of Commissioners on May 7 about House Bill 3069, the Oregon Public Safety Coordination Grant Program, and urged the board to communicate concerns to legislative contacts and the Association of Oregon Counties (AOC).
Hartman said HB 3069 would consolidate multiple grant streams '1RP/JRP, specialty treatment courts, marijuana-related grant funds, and deflection programs '1into a single coordinated grant program and that consolidation risks reducing program-specific oversight and expert review committees. He said the bill would reduce grant administrative fees from about 10% to 3%, which he called problematic for small and rural counties that currently rely on the higher percentage to pay staff time for grant administration.
Hartman warned the consolidation would create more reporting and coordination responsibilities across multiple agencies and could create competition that favors larger counties. He also noted the bill includes a wellness grant named for the late Marion County sheriff Jason Myers but initially omitted jail deputies and parole and probation officers from eligibility; Hartman said he has been told amendments (dash-2) should address that omission but urged caution until the language appears in print.
Hartman described other open questions in the drafts he reviewed: whether existing funding protections for programs such as JRP would be preserved; how key performance indicators would be defined and measured; and whether some parts of the bill are intended to take effect immediately (emergency clauses) or on later dates cited for 2026 or 2027. He said the draft bill is roughly 68 pages with dash-2 amendments of about 14 pages.
Hartman asked the board to flag concerns with the AOC and legislators; commissioners discussed coordinating testimony. One commissioner offered to raise the issue at an upcoming AOC steering committee meeting and to help coordinate Hartman's testimony.
No formal board action was taken at the meeting; Hartman sought to make the board aware and request assistance in communicating county concerns to the legislature.
