Klamath County commissioners approve bids, franchise fee pass-through and multiple intergovernmental agreements

Klamath County commissioners on Aug. 19 approved a series of contracts, grant awards and intergovernmental agreements, including the acceptance of a construction bid for a Community Corrections parking lot, a franchise agreement amendment with Waste Management of Oregon that passes a disposal-rate increase through to ratepayers, and an intergovernmental agreement with Oregon State University for extension services.

The actions, taken during a business meeting that began at 1:00 p.m., were routine votes by the three commissioners in attendance. County staff presented each item, commissioners moved and seconded the motions, and votes were taken by voice with the chair voting in the affirmative; motions passed as recorded on the meeting audio.

Why it matters: the items approved affect county operations, budgets and services. The Waste Management amendment will change disposal rates charged to customers in the unincorporated area and generate modest additional franchise-fee revenue for county programs. The OSU extension agreement creates an ongoing annual expenditure in the Extension Service District budget that funds county agricultural and community education programs. The drainage master‑plan extension preserves consultant work needed to update stormwater policies affecting future development.

Most important actions

- Community Corrections parking lot expansion: County maintenance staff reported two bids for a parking lot expansion at 3203 Vandenberg Road, Klamath Falls, Oregon 97603. Bogota Construction bid $429,554 and Rocky Mountain Construction bid $249,995. The board accepted the lower bid from Rocky Mountain Construction; the fiscal impact was recorded as none at the time of award.

- Waste Management franchise agreement amendment No. 8: The board approved amendment No. 8 to the county's franchise agreement with Waste Management of Oregon to allow a disposal-rate pass-through increase, effective Sept. 1, 2025. County staff estimated the change will yield an additional $12,787 in annual franchise-fee revenue to the county recycling budget and $8,525 annually to support code enforcement in the unincorporated tax rate area.

- Transient Room Tax distribution for second quarter: The county tax collector reported second-quarter transient room tax collections of $1,147,284.29 and the board approved the order authorizing distribution of those funds according to Klamath County Code chapter 603. The tax collector noted an 18% year-over-year increase for the quarter.

- Intergovernmental/contract actions and grants: The board approved (a) an updated consulting IGA with the Oregon Secretary of State for the Oregon Records Management Services program (no charge to the county as presented); (b) a Domestic Well Financial Assistance grant agreement for $37,292.25 to a recipient listed as Scott McIntyre (expenditure from the Commissioners' Miscellaneous Grant Fund); (c) an amendment extending the schedule for SHN Consulting Engineers and Geologists to finish the urban drainage district master plan (time-only extension; new completion date 02/06/2026, with a 100% deliverable milestone noted around Oct. 24); and (d) an intergovernmental agreement between the Klamath County Extension Service District and Oregon State University for extension programs, with an approximate annual expenditure of $850,000 from the Extension Service District operating budget.

Votes at a glance

- Accept bid for Community Corrections parking lot expansion (Rocky Mountain Construction, $249,995): approved; vote recorded by voice, motion passed. - Approve transient room tax second-quarter distribution ($1,147,284.29): approved; vote recorded by voice, motion passed. - Approve amendment No. 8 to Waste Management franchise agreement (disposal-rate pass-through, effective 09/01/2025; estimated additional franchise fees: $12,787 recycle budget, $8,525 code enforcement): approved; vote recorded by voice, motion passed. - Approve IGA with Oregon Secretary of State for ORMS consulting services (no fiscal impact reported): approved; vote recorded by voice, motion passed. - Approve Domestic Well Financial Assistance grant to Scott McIntyre ($37,292.25): approved; vote recorded by voice, motion passed. - Approve amendment No. 2 with SHN Consulting (time-only extension to complete urban drainage master plan; new deadline 02/06/2026): approved; vote recorded by voice, motion passed. - Approve intergovernmental agreement with Oregon State University (Extension Service District; ~ $850,000 annual expenditure): approved; vote recorded by voice, motion passed.

Details and context

Glenn Gregory, maintenance director, presented the bids for the Community Corrections parking lot expansion and identified the two responsive bidders and their amounts; the board voted to accept the lower bid from Rocky Mountain Construction. Rick Long, Klamath County tax collector, presented the transient room tax report and the second-quarter total of $1,147,284.29 to be distributed under county code chapter 603. County staff described the Waste Management amendment as a contractor-allowed disposal-rate increase to be passed through to ratepayers in the unincorporated county rate area, with the additional franchise fees earmarked for recycling and code enforcement budgets.

Karen Hartman presented the IGA with the Oregon Secretary of State for the statewide Oregon Records Management Services (ORMS) program and said there is no charge to the county under the updated terms. The domestic well assistance grant award and the extension of the SHN Consulting timeline were presented as time-sensitive administrative items to complete previously authorized programs and studies.

The Extension Service District IGA with Oregon State University was approved by motion; county staff stated the agreement funds OSU extension educational programs and listed the approximate annual district expenditure of $850,000.

What the board did not do

No items were tabled or postponed for additional public hearings. The meeting record shows the board approved the presented motions; there were no roll-call vote sheets attached to the audio transcript and votes were taken by voice.

Next steps

Several items will proceed to implementation by county staff and contract administrators: procurement and contracting with the selected parking-lot contractor; the Sept. 1, 2025 Waste Management rate pass-through; distribution of second-quarter transient room tax receipts; execution of the extension and IGAs; and consultant completion tasks on the drainage master plan ahead of the fall public review period.