Marion County commissioners approve behavioral health center remodel, new local speed limit and wastewater equipment purchases; consent items pass

Marion County commissioners on Wednesday approved a public improvement agreement to remodel the county's Behavioral Health Crisis Center, an order establishing a 30 mph speed limit on part of Sunset Hills Drive southeast of Turner, and an early-work amendment that adds $2,479,768 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for long-lead wastewater-equipment purchases for the North Santiam Canyon Sewer Project. The board also approved several consent-calendar items including a contract amendment for jail pharmacy services and two county appointments.

The approvals matter because the Behavioral Health Crisis Center (BHCC) provides round-the-clock crisis response and outreach in Marion County, the speed-limit action expands local control for low-volume roads under recent state law, and the ARPA amendment secures equipment with long fabrication lead times so the county can meet federal expenditure deadlines.

Ryan Matthews, Marion County Health and Human Services administrator, told the board the BHCC is a "safety net for our community" that offers crisis screenings, crisis assessments, community outreach teams and mobile crisis response regardless of insurance. "This is a 24/7 crisis center," Matthews said, describing plans to consolidate staff now scattered across multiple locations into the county's newly acquired Commercial Street building. The…