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Board reviews water‑consortium IGA draft; staff propose county/port board and up to $60,000 contributions
Summary
County staff presented a draft intergovernmental agreement and bylaws for a proposed water consortium focused on delivering clean drinking water and addressing local nitrate issues; proposal envisions a board composed of county and port representatives, an advisory committee including cities, county staffing and up to $60,000 contribution per major board member for start‑up consulting and grant work.
County staff presented a draft intergovernmental agreement (IGA) and sample bylaws for a regional water consortium intended to coordinate grant seeking and clean drinking water solutions within Morrow County.
Staff described a governance approach that would reserve voting board seats to two representatives each from the county and the port, while allowing the board to appoint an advisory committee that would include city representatives and other stakeholders. The county would act as fiscal agent and provide staffing support, with county staff serving as managing director and administrative support provided by existing staff (SEG 2145–2192).
The draft contemplates up to a $60,000 contribution from each main board member (county and port) to support consulting, grant writing and initial program activities (SEG 2181–2183). Staff emphasized the consortium’s initial focus is on delivering safe drinking water to local residents and addressing nitrate impacts in the aquifer, not immediate large‑scale recharge projects (SEG 2208–2216).
Commissioners and staff discussed aligning meeting frequency language between the IGA and bylaws and clarified that each appointing entity should be able to remove its own representatives. Justin Nelson (participating) said bylaws and IGA language should match and encouraged further internal review. No formal action was taken; staff will continue edits and return the documents for subsequent board consideration and parallel review by the Port.
