(Shared by Umatilla County Commissioner George Murdock.)
Attention: I will be tied up with the Association of Oregon Counties next Monday and Tuesday so next week’s edition of the Update will come out sometime on Wednesday.
To: Public Officials
From: George Murdock
Subject: Weekly Public Officials Update – Providing Information, Advocacy and Commentary
Date: June 8, 2021 – Volume 59
Total Cases – 8,468
Deaths – 86
Recent Counts:
Week 1 – 333
Week 2 – 237
Week 3 – 155
Week 4 – 96
————————————
Week 23 – 435 – (including 170 at EOCI & TRCI)
Week 24 – 466 (including 198 at EOCI & TRCI
Week 25 – 456 (including 154 at EOCI & TRCI)
———————————–
Week 40 – 52 (including one from DOC)
Week 41 – 98 (including one at DOC)
Week 42 – 92
Week 43 – 73 (including 1 from DOC)
Week 44 — 68
Vaccinations Last Week – estimate – 943*
*The system verifying vaccinations went down. There were 743 by Friday with an estimate of 200 on the weekend
Medical Report
Cases last week were down slightly from the week before at 68 versus 73. We hope this is a trend that will continue.
We continue to be reluctant to get too deep into masking regulations since they are confusing and continue to change. We do know that 48 of the 50 states have decided against vaccination passports. Oregon is still considering the idea.
One thing we do know is that we continue to lobby against having front-line employees in restaurants, bars, and small businesses being forced into having to confront customers about masking. They are there to wait on and welcome customers, not take on policing roles and we continue to hear tales of employees being dressed down by the public for asking about masks and vaccinations.
In other news, State Epidemiologist Dean Sidelinger reported that between March 1 and May 31, 98% of COVID-19 cases and 94% of COVID-19 associated deaths were among those not fully vaccinated. These numbers echo what our contact tracers have been learning with regard to local cases.
Vaccination Numbers
We were notified on Wednesday that 2,6oo names have been added to the vaccination roster – primarily individuals who were vaccinated in Washington. Currently, among those who are being counted, Umatilla County has now exceeded 40 percent.
A community rewards program has been adopted by the Public Health Department to encourage local areas to individually surpass the 60 percent vaccination level. The effort is divided by zip code and is funded at almost $450,000 with money provided by the state to encourage vaccinations. Any local club, community, or similar organization that takes an active part in accomplishing the local goal will receive funds.
The funds are being divided by zip code according to population with a base of $10,000. The grants would range from $10,910 in Area Code 97859 which is Meacham, and Zip Code 97835 which is Helix to $117,039 in Zip Code 97801 which is Pendleton and $147,383 in Hermiston which is Zip Code 97838.
Others on the list include Adams, $13,034; Athena, $16,069; Echo, $13,034; Milton-Freewater, $69,356; Pilot Rock, $16,069; Stanfield, $22,139; Ukiah, $11,001; Umatilla, $43,437; and Weston, $16,069.
While rules are still being developed, the communities that do achieve the goal will be able share in the remaining proceeds.
Opening Oregon
Governor Kate Brown has announced Steps to Lift COVID-19 Restrictions, Fully Reopen the Oregon Economy — When Oregon reaches 70% first dose vaccination rate for adults, most county and individual health and safety restrictions will lift.
Brown, on Friday, announced the steps the state will take to lift COVID-19 health and safety restrictions and fully reopen the economy after 70% of all Oregonians 18 and older have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Because vaccines are very effective at protecting against COVID-19, after reaching the 70% threshold, Oregon will lift most state restrictions and move away from a state-led emergency COVID-19 response effort, shifting focus to pandemic recovery and supporting local public health and health care providers with resources, she said.
As of June 3, Oregon had achieved a 66.2% vaccination rate for individuals 18 and older, with 127,308 more people needing to receive a first dose to reach 70%.
“I want to be very clear that we are able to reopen like this because of the efficacy of the vaccines. For those of you who are vaccinated, you’ve helped us reach this point — and you are protected from this virus,” said Governor Brown. “However, there are still Oregonians who need to take extra precautions to feel and stay safe. People battling cancer and immunocompromised Oregonians, to name a couple. There are also many Oregon kids who are not yet eligible for a vaccine.
Budget Adoption
At their meeting last week, Umatilla County adopted its budget for 2021-22. The new budget includes a fairly significant increase from the current year based upon a growth in tax revenues in excess of 4% and the need to include millions of dollars in stimulus funding. However, in order to spend the federal money, it needs to be incorporated into the budget.
The total adopted budget is in the amount of $123,715,835. This compares with the current budget of $102,646,667. The general fund budget for 2021-22 is $36,469,398 compared with the current budget of $34,936,911.
This year the county is budgeted for 178.52 general fund FTE’s and 148,85 special revenue FTE’s for a total of 327.37. The new budget calls for 330.74 FTE’s including 183.41 in the general fund and 147.33 in special revenue accounts. Special revenue accounts are primarily state grant-funded positions.
There are several new positions which were actually approved for the current budget but which were tabled in the preparation of the current budget due to concerns about funding losses from COVID. Those included a planning position necessitated by growth and two Dispatch positions with funding help from 911 and partner communities. In addition, a new security position was also added to the budget as well as a new position in Public Works.
ARA Funding
Commissioners have also been in the process of beginning to define the use of the ARA stimulus funds that will eventually total over $15 million. The money will come in two installments and the commissioners have made the decision not to define plans for the second half of the money until a later date. The first half definition has taken place after the funds were in the bank.
The major share of stimulus funding will be inclusion of $7.5 million from the first half of the ARA allocation. Umatilla County is using that funding for one-time expenditures – primarily focused on capital including maintenance projects designed to reduce the level of deferred demands, investment in the water project in the West County designed to bring water from the Columbia River for agriculture and to recharge the aquifer and preserve critical groundwater, and to restore lost revenues in Public Works.
The Public Works Department was hit hard by the loss of gasoline tax funds due to COVID. In addition, that department was charged with repairing damages incurred by two floods. Some of the flood damage money may eventually come from FEMA, but that is a long process and the repairs needed to be done on an emergency basis.
While the commissioners have not yet begun planning for the second half of the money, the same philosophy will be in play which is to recognize the funds as a one-time allocation and something of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to address capital needs.
The second half of the funding is expected to come in about a year.
Rep. Bentz Visit
Rep. Cliff Bentz, who covers all of Umatilla County, was in Pendleton yesterday and held a variety of meetings.
Rep. Bentz was newly-elected to the House after a distinguished career as a state senator. He is an attorney, cattle rancher, and long-time public servant.
In the House, Congressman Bentz is on the Natural Resources and Judiciary Committees. He was named the ranking member on the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on water, oceans, and wildlife. On behalf of Eastern Oregon, he is front and center on matters concerning America’s water resources, federal irrigation projects, hydroelectric power, interstate water issues, and fisheries management.
One of his major projects is trying to provide relief for embattled farmers and ranchers in the Klamath Basin who are being left high and dry. There are 1,400 families impacted by the water shortage.
Joint Meeting
Last Thursday, the Umatilla and Morrow County Boards of Commissioners held a joint meeting at the Stafford Hansell Government Center in Hermiston.
The agenda included a discussion of workforce concerns throughout the area and hosting commissioners and judges for an event prior to the Eastern Oregon Economic Summit. An effort is being made to get commissioners from the West Side to participate in the Summit on August 19 and 20 in order to familiarize them with differences in economic activity between the two sides of the state.
Also on the docket were concerns about the continued issuance of emergency orders when the emergency nature of COVID has clearly passed. Another issue was concern about the fact state leaders have continually talked about equity programs although there hasn’t been an visible engagement of Eastern Oregon in the process. It was noted that both Morrow and Umatilla Counties are among the five most diverse counties in the state, but that they are primarily Hispanic and much of the equity efforts in Oregon have been limited with respect to our growing Hispanic population.
A final item was a discussion of mental health crisis responses and how the two counties can come together to perhaps jointly solve the issue—perhaps even creating a center in either Hermiston or Boardman.
We also met with the Walla Walla County Board of Commissioners and are setting up a meeting with the Benton-Franklin Board of Commissioners since we share borders and often have mutual issues that can benefit from our conversations.
The thought occurred to me that some of our border cities might also have issues we could share at these sessions.
Wildfires
(A wildfire has consumed 4,000 acres in the Joseph Canyon and yesterday it was reported as 0% under control)
After the Labor Day fires that devastated a million acres in Oregon last year, the subject of wildfires continues to be addressed in the Oregon Legislature. In fact, it is one of the three topics which Republicans are trying to keep as the defining measures on the agenda. By keep, we mean items they would likely stay around to address.
Last year Umatilla County had dozens of fires but they paled in comparison with Western Oregon and totaled about 13,000 acres. This year, the county is under a drought declaration and both the forests and pastures are tinder dry.
According to Capitol Insider, a statewide swath of lightning strikes is the “trigger event” that most worries state officials planning for what could be a second consecutive severe fire season.
Lightning strikes are “a typical event that we have on an annual basis that gives me most concern,” said Doug Grafe, the Oregon Department of Forestry Fire Chief. Grafe and other state fire, emergency, environmental and health officials held a press call last Thursday to lay out strategies to try to keep 2021 from looking like 2020.
Firefighters plan for the worst and hope for the best. Sometimes they get a nightmare like the Labor Day 2020 fires that destroyed thousands of homes and left 11 dead.
Those fires also sent billows of ash that filled the Willamette Valley. Winds drove the toxic flow eastward that for a few days made the air quality in Sisters and Pendleton the worst in the world. Oregon is still digging out from those fires that broke out amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Improvements and warnings.
On the Thursday press call, leading emergency, fire and health officials talked about improvements since last year: Better warning systems. An initial wave of 30 aircraft, some with better instrumentation to see flame through smoke. Pre-positioned fire crews that can move fast to contain small fires. Oregon will again pair with California and Washington to share resources if one state’s fires flare earlier than the others. Oregon emergency officials can also tap into a network of state agencies around the nation who can offer help.
Some Federal Emergency Management Agency and other federal assets are in Oregon because they never went home last year. An air quality blog will give faster readings on where smoke is becoming hazardous. More materials will be produced in Spanish language to reach communities that may not be plugged into the existing fire warning systems.
An effort is being made to include more non-digital warnings for those who don’t have cell phones or internet. One of the positive results to come out of the fires last year is that they are fresh in the minds of officials and residents. Evacuation plans can be used again and the devastation likely makes residents more likely to heed warnings.
In light of extreme drought conditions in Umatilla County, the commissioners are weighing the merits of an emergency burn ban. Normally such a ban is put into place on July 1. A special meeting of the Board is slated for 9 a.m. this morning to consider expediting the ban.
