Eli Caudell presented a proposal to the Gilliam County Court for a weatherization/insulation pilot in Arlington, asking for county seed funding of up to $30,000 to test retrofits on a small number of income‑qualified houses and produce a case study of energy bill savings.

Caudell said he met with Leah Shannon of Pioneer CDC, which indicated willingness to receive and administer funds and to develop participation agreements. He told the court some local homes were weatherized about 20 years ago, which may reduce the pool of eligible houses, but that there remain single‑family homes with heat pumps that could benefit. Caudell suggested that Energy Trust of Oregon and other programs might provide additional funding and that Oregon Department of Energy funding could become available in 2026.

Court members discussed potential county funding sources (economic enhancement, housing funds, general development funds), contractor availability in the region and the value of using a local contractor network where possible. The court directed staff to draft an agreement with Pioneer CDC and return a formal action item for the court; Caudell said he would be available to assist with development of a case study and implementation plan.

No formal appropriation was adopted at the Sept. 17 meeting; the court agreed to pursue drafting an intergovernmental or service agreement and to try to bring an agreement forward for formal action at a future meeting.