The mid-valley hasn’t seen significant rainfall for more than two months and temperatures have been above normal – hitting triple digits several times – prompting Linn County Commissioners Roger Nyquist and Will Tucker at their Tuesday, Aug. 24, meeting to ask that Oregon Gov. Kate Brown declare a drought state of emergency for Linn County.
Commissioner Sherrie Spren-ger was not present.
The resolution, prepared by new county emergency manager Ric Lentz, notes that current “snowpack and rainfall are insufficient to fully support Linn County farm and ranch operations” and have also negatively impacted crop yields as well as the health and welfare of livestock.
Declaration of a drought emergency would also help the city of Sodaville receive financial aid from the Oregon Water Resources Department to pay for hauling potable water for residential use.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the entire western portion of the United States is experiencing unprecedented drought. It is being driven by a combination of lack of rainfall plus unusually high temperatures. Affected states include Oregon, Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Washington.
According to Drought.gov, July was Oregon’s sixth driest month in the past 127 years, down .76 inches of rainfall over normal. July was also the state’s 13th driest year, down 9.59 inches from normal.
Last month, Brown issued an executive order that directed state agencies to stop watering lawns and washing office windows.
In other business the commissioners:
n Approved an agreement to manage six U.S. Forest Service campgrounds east of Sweet Home through Dec. 31, 2022. Parks Director Brian Carroll said the program has worked well since it began in 2011, and the Forest Service plans to advertise a new prospectus for operating its campgrounds next spring. Carroll anticipates the contracts’ length will likely be expanded from 5 to 25 years or more.
n Approved an application for a $1.7 4 million Justice Reinvestment Grant presented by Tony Howell, manager of the county’s alcohol and drug program.
Funds are used to finance work-release and transitional leave programs, reducing recidivism and specialty courts. Ten percent of funds must be spent on community-based victim services.
n Approved an agreement to provide 35 beds at the Linn County Jail for the Department of Corrections at a rate of $93.81 per day. The agreement will run through June 30, 2022.
n Learned that the Juvenile Department received 21 referrals in July, and there are 173 young people on probation. Of those, 59 are considered high-risk.
n Approved an intergovernmental agreement with the Oregon Youth Authority for $649,884. The funds help pay for a probation officer, a part-timer Victim Assistant and psychological evaluations, plus a probation officer to supervise the juvenile sex offender caseload.
n Approved moving $1 million in American Recovery Program funds into materials and services.
n Approved adjusting the Veterans Services budget by adding $12,773, reflecting increased funds from the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs.
n Appointed Alyssa Boles as interim Planning Director until a replacement for the retired Robert Wheeldon is found.
– Alex Paul, Linn County Communications Officer