Polk County treasurer delivers first on-record monthly financial statement; public commenters accuse dereliction

Polk County Treasurer Steve Milligan presented the county's first on‑record monthly financial statement during the Polk County Board of Commissioners meeting on Jan. 29, 2025, a report the board said is required under ORS 208.09.

The presentation drew sharply critical public comments. Resident Chris Batuan said Milligan “did exactly 0 of those duties” during his first four years in office, accused him of seeking higher pay and better office space, and said a lawsuit and related costs had burdened taxpayers. Batuan estimated the county has paid “nearly $49,000” to date and suggested a total cost “over $80,000,” saying he expected a detailed analysis given the elapsed time.

Another public commenter, Robert Greenway, criticized the board and county officials during the public‑comment period. The chair of the board responded that Greenway's grievances had been addressed in writing and in a meeting with the board chair and said the board would not take up private grievances unless new events put them within the board's purview.

Milligan told commissioners he had prepared and would continue to present a monthly statement in the same format commissioners had received by email in the past. “I will present this report monthly to you. I will email it prior to the meeting so that you can see it so that if there are any questions that you have regarding the report, I can answer them,” Milligan said. He also said he compiled the spreadsheet from the county's MIP system and that, until he is part of day‑to‑day operations, he could not speak to how totals were produced.

Commissioners noted the statutory requirement in ORS 208.09 that “the county treasurer of each county shall, on or before the tenth day of each calendar month, file with the county court a statement in writing showing as of the first of the then calendar month” specified cash‑position details. One commissioner suggested posting the monthly statement on the county website for public access.

No formal action or vote on the report was recorded; commissioners accepted the report and moved on to the next agenda item. Milligan's presentation and the public comments took place during the regular meeting and included references to a pending lawsuit and an appeal that Milligan and public commenters mentioned but did not resolve in the meeting.

Clarifying details from the meeting: the ordinance/resolution number cited regarding prior reporting was referenced as “resolution 16 03” (as spoken in the meeting) but no text of that resolution was read into the record; MIP was identified by Milligan as the source system for the county's financial reports; commenters gave cost estimates for legal matters as described above but those figures were presented as commenters' assertions, not as audited amounts.

The board proceeded to other business after Milligan's report, including the first reading of an ordinance to create the county accountant position.