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Gilliam County urges residents to review Oregon Department of Forestry wildfire hazard maps; appeal deadline March 10
Summary
Commissioners reviewed the state's wildfire hazard mapping and appeals process, encouraged residents to submit appeals by March 10 without hiring an attorney, and asked staff to post appeal forms and a press notice to the county website and local paper.
County officials discussed the recently issued Oregon Department of Forestry wildfire hazard maps and the state's appeals process at the Feb. 19 meeting, urging residents who received notices to review and, if appropriate, file an appeal by the March 10 deadline.
A county official summarized an Eastern Oregon Counties Association press release that said the maps were created with good intentions but had led to property devaluation, higher insurance costs and additional restrictions for some property owners. The court noted anecdotal reports that homeowners' insurance premiums in some cases rose after the maps were released; one participant cited a report of an increase of about $1,500 tied to mapping changes.
Commissioners stressed that property owners do not need an attorney to file an appeal and said the county would post the one-page appeal form on its website, publish a short notice in the local paper and use social media to inform residents. The court asked staff to make the appeal form easily available and to include language that no attorney is required to file.
No formal county appeal will be filed by the court on behalf of property owners at this meeting; the court's action was to provide outreach and information to residents and to coordinate local dissemination of appeal materials.
