County signs deal for restaurant inspections

Oct. 6—Baker County commissioners have approved a new intergovernmental agreement to have Malheur County continue to do restaurant inspections in Baker County.

Malheur County, through its environmental health office, also does required health inspections for bed and breakfasts, RV parks, swimming pools and other licensed facilities.

The owners of the facilities pay the fees, but Baker County is responsible for contracting with an inspector. Baker County doesn't have its own inspection program.

During commissioners' meeting Wednesday morning, Oct. 5 at the courthouse, commissioners Mark Bennett said Malheur County officials notified Baker County about three months ago that they "could no longer provide environmental health services for the county."

Bennett said Baker County officials considered alternatives, including setting up a local inspection program.

But he said there is a shortage of environmental health workers, and that it would have cost the county an estimated $200,000 to set up a program, and even then the county would have only one licensed inspector.

"We tried talking to people to contract. Likewise, it was just another piece that didn't come together," Bennett said. "The biggest thing, quite frankly, is that they have to have this ongoing training where the person has to go off to their ongoing professional training."

Hiring a state agency is another option, but state fees are higher than what Malheur County charges, Bennett said. The same was true for Umatilla County, the only other county that expressed an interest.

Bennett told the two other commissioners, Bill Harvey and Bruce Nichols, that Malheur County, due to its proximity, has also been able to accommodate requests such as inspections for a short-term food service business.

Bennett said the new agreement with Malheur County includes an annual 2% increase in fees.

Road department purchases

During Wednesday's meeting, commissioners approved several purchases for the road department.

—Buying hot mix asphalt for repaving on section of Sawmill Gulch Road just south of Sumpter.

Roadmaster Noodle Perkins told commissioners that the asphalt is available from High Desert Aggregate at a "highly discounted rate" since the company has been repaving the Sumpter-Granite Highway in Grant County.

The company's temporary asphalt plant is at the county's rock pit in Sumpter Valley, which is 2.8 miles from the Sawmill Gulch Road project, Perkins wrote in a report to commissioners.

He estimates that the asphalt from High Desert Aggregate will cost the county about $20 less per ton than the price from Roger's Asphalt of La Grande, the county's sole source provider. The set price from Roger's Asphalt is $85 per ton.

Perkins told commissioners the Sawmill Gulch Road project will use no more than 500 tons of asphalt.

Money for the asphalt is in the road department's budget for the current fiscal year.

—Buying fog sealing oil from Idaho Asphalt Inc. for $22,200.

Perkins told commissioners the county will apply the oil to sections of two county roads in Baker Valley — Neil-Peck Lane and Haines Cemetery Lane — to help solidify the asphalt grindings from Interstate 84 that the county spread on those roads this year.

Perkins said the county has a sole source provider contract with Albina Asphalt, but that company's oil doesn't solidify as rapidly, during cooler fall weather, as the oil that Idaho Asphalt Inc. sells.

—Buying a 2018 Caterpillar drum roller for $88,662 from Western States Equipment, the lowest of three bids.

Ryan Davilla, the road department's shop foreman and fleet manager, told commissioners that the road department is renting a roller for $2,200 per week. The county needs a roller for at least three more weeks for fall paving work because the engine on the county's 1993 roller failed last week.

"The new roller would update our fleet substantially with its ultra-low emission engine," Davilla wrote in a report to commissioners. "The Road Department does anticipate to auction our old roller next year."

Money for the new roller is available in the road department's budget for the current fiscal year.

—Buying a Scotchman Ironworker for $20,000 from Judy Welding of Baker City, the lowest of four bids.

"It's a big machine that shears metal, notches metal, so you can cut out lots of pieces really fast," Davilla told commissioners.

In his report to commissioners, Davilla described the machine as "an essential addition to our metal fabrication shop."

He wrote that to comply with state earthquake requirements, many bridges in the county will need to be reinforced by welding steel gussets "by the hundreds" to each bridge. The new machine would make it easier for county workers to cut the metal pieces, a less expensive option than paying a contractor to do the work.

Side-by-side purchase

Commissioners approved a purchase of a side-by-side vehicle from Cliff's Saws and Cycles in Baker City for $27,895. The vehicle will be used in search and rescue operations, and can accommodate a patient on a litter more easily than current vehicles, Sheriff Travis Ash said.

The county received a $30,387 grant from the state for the vehicle.

Opioid settlement money

County counsel Kim Mosier told commissioners that the county will be receiving annual payments of $30,000 to $35,000 from a settlement the state reached in 2021 with four drug companies over their role in the opioid crisis.

Oregon will receive about $333 million over 18 years, starting in 2022.

Mosier said the county can use the money for a variety of purposes related to opioid abuse treatment and education. County departments that could benefit from the money include the health department, sheriff's office and jail.

County officials will decide later how to allocate the dollars.

Federal money

Bennett talked about the $6.5 million the county will receive over the next two years from the federal government.

The county can use the money for almost any purpose. Bennett said the focus will be on infrastructure rather than personnel. He noted that hiring employees and paying them with one-time influxes of money can result in the county having to layoff workers when the money runs out.

Bennett said commissioners will have discussions during future meetings about potential uses for the money.