Harney County approves administrative cost policy; court fills fair-board, NRAC vacancies

The Harney County Court approved an administrative cost policy for fiscal year 2025–26 and appointed two members to local boards during its April 15 meeting in Burns.

The administrative-cost policy, first adopted in 2019, applies an administrative charge to certain funds and departments outside the general fund to recover county administrative and human-resources costs. The policy passed after a lengthy discussion during the budget-review portion of the meeting. One court member expressed strong opposition, saying charging internal administrative fees ‘‘artificially inflates’’ departmental costs and complicates budgeting; the treasurer and other supporters argued the approach is a common practice used by other Oregon counties and helps the general fund cover administrative work that serves non‑general-fund departments.

Commissioners and staff discussed examples and effects: the court noted a negotiated flat fee of $25,000 for the fair event center; the road department’s administrative fee in the proposed budget was cited as approximately $128,000; and county staff said the policy’s graduated rates are tied to certain expenditure categories and were developed after benchmarking with other counties. Supporters said the fees flow into general operations and can be used for contingency or to fund administrative positions as needed; opponents argued the amounts may overstate the actual marginal administrative workload.

On appointments, the court accepted the Fair Board’s recommendation and appointed Caitlin White to fill the remainder of a vacated fair-board term of about two years. The court also appointed Lisa Grant to a full three-year term on the Natural Resource Advisory Committee; Grant described her range-management and public-lands experience and said she intends to contribute to NRAC deliberations.

Motion and vote details: the court moved and seconded approval of the Harney County administrative cost policy for fiscal year 2025–26 and the motions carried on voice votes. The court also moved and seconded the appointments of Caitlin White to the fair board and Lisa Grant to NRAC; both appointments carried on voice votes.

Several court members said the administrative policy should be revisited and refined during the coming year, including consideration of an internal service fund or alternative accounting methods. A court member urged staff to assemble comparative information from other counties so the court can consider whether changes or a new fund structure would be appropriate before the next budget cycle.