Commissioners' report

The commissioners received an update from Steve Ogden, Assistant Regional Manager for the Department of Natural Resources. Ogden provided the commissioners with an overview of expected timber sales and a revenue forecast for the county over the next two years. “We’re working with him to get some small parcels cut to bring in a little extra income… our revenue has been kinda flat, but the cost of doing business has not been flat.” Said County Commissioner Lee Tischer.

County Auditor Nicci Bergseng presented an amendment to the MoreAware Agreement with More Power, which will provide the county with IT support following the recent layoff of IT Director Joshua Holt and the resulting loss of internal IT support. The amendment would update service levels to meet the needs of the county staff and ensure that appropriate levels of support are being provided.

The commissioners invited the public to attend a public town hall meeting where they can learn more and ask questions about the creation of the Upper Grays River Community Forest. The Upper Grays River Community Forest focuses on conserving timberlands, generating revenue, and providing public access to these areas. Through a partnership with Pacific County and the Columbia Land Trust, this community forest will be located in the Upper Grays River watershed spanning across both counties. “This has been a long time coming; we’ve been working on this for a long time.” Said County Commissioner Dan Cothren.

The group has been working on this deal for the past year, creating a six-member board comprised of two representatives from each county and two from the Columbia Land Trust, which serves as the governing board. With this governing board established and other foundational steps on the way to being completed, the partnership will be eligible to obtain the necessary grants to purchase land. This land acquisition presents an opportunity to generate timber revenue, conserve habitat, increase public access, and provide recreational opportunities to the community.

The public town hall meeting will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 6 p.m. at Johnson Park in Rosburg.