“Two Days Online Commissioner Forum” Series, Day 1 – Incumbent Lindsay Berschauer

By Rebecca Wallis
YAMHILL COUNTY, OR – October 9, 2024

Below are the 15 complex questions asked of Commissioner Chair Berschauer on a variety of multi-layered subjects. Our editorial team did not throw softballs. We threw hardballs. Our complex questions are relevant, provocative, and essential to understanding the person who is running for Yamhill County Commissioner.  All answers provided by this candidate have been printed in their entirety, without editing, exactly as provided.

The Questions:

• Budget Management and Fiscal Responsibility: “Yamhill County residents are concerned about balancing the budget without overburdening taxpayers. How will you ensure responsible management of county funds, and are there specific areas where spending can be adjusted to avoid tax increases?”

I was sworn into office when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and our local economy was immediately impacted.  Small businesses were fighting to stay alive, workers were losing jobs, and inflation started ramping up. I knew my limited government values would be critical to manage county functions while remembering that the health and stability of our families comes first. Never did we consider going to taxpayers to ask for more.Since serving on the Yamhill County Budget Committee from 2019-2020, and ultimately serving as County Commissioner for the past four years, I’ve seen labor costs, healthcare premiums, insurance costs and goods and services costs increase exponentially.  The county’s tax revenue has increased modestly, but certainly not at pace with increasing expenses. During the pandemic, we had a huge influx of Federal and State grant money (American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars) that temporarily bolstered our budgets. I ensured that those funds be sent right back out into our communities, or reserved for one-time expenditures, rather than growing the size of government only to see funds evaporate later and have to make cuts.  We didn’t want a “boom and bust” scenario after the pandemic ended, so we kept county government focused on our highest priorities and sent the rest of the money directly into the community.With 5 public employee unions and collective bargaining agreements, it is tricky to be able to predict future budgets.  Fortunately, our contract agreements tend to be multi-year agreements, and we spend quite a bit of time forecasting future revenue versus expenses to ensure that our services to the public are funded. We work closely with the County Assessor to make sure that our tax rolls are up-to-date and equitable so we can maximize our revenue with existing rates and ultimately provide greater value for our cities and taxing districts.Unfortunately, my opponent is campaigning not only on bringing forward a new tax called the Transient Lodging Tax, but he also supports Urban Renewal taxing schemes that siphon off money from fire districts and schools to give big developers tax breaks. I have testified many times at city councils across Yamhill County, warning them about the perils of Urban Renewal schemes and how they have extraordinarily little if any return on investment in exchange for millions of dollars lost to public safety budgets, schools, and city service needs. It’s sad to see my opponent support these Portland-style taxing districts.

The Transient Lodging Tax or TLT that my opponent is promoting claims to be a “tax on visitors”.  However, he cannot articulate what new tax rate he would apply, nor how it would impact our cities.  The unincorporated parts of Yamhill County don’t have hotels, so one would presume that my opponent wants to overlay a new TLT onto all of our cities as well.  In Newberg for instance, the city has already imposed a 9% TLT for overnight stays at hotels. If the county were to implement a similar tax, it suddenly becomes extremely expensive to stay overnight in Newberg, potentially driving away visitors. TLTs are the burden of these small businesses to charge, track, report and pay to the taxing authority. Currently our Assessor’s office has no mechanism to apply a countywide TLT, therefore additional county funds would have to be allocated to stand up that function and thereby growing the size of county government. No details from him on how he would fund expansion of the Assessor’s team, especially after we had to internally shift General Fund dollars in this last budget cycle to cover existing positions in Tax & Assessment. My opponent is also unaware that TLTs are very controversial and there is almost always a fight during the legislative session to pull more of the funds away from promoting tourism and into the government’s coffers.  It seems Bubba didn’t do his homework on this tax.

It’s one thing to SAY you will work to keep government limited…what matters is DOING that. In past budget cycles, we made tough choices to ensure county services were protected and no additional burdens were placed on taxpayers.  And we’ve declined commissioner pay increases every year, sending as much money as possible into frontline services and boosting our workforce.  My strong track record over the past 4 years speaks for itself and I’m proud to uphold limited government principles in Yamhill County.

• Second Amendment and Community Safety: “Many citizens value their Second Amendment rights, while others are concerned about public safety. How would you approach balancing gun rights with the need to ensure safety and prevent violence in Yamhill County?”

As a sexual assault survivor, protecting the rights of law-abiding Yamhill County residents to purchase, own, carry and use firearms has been my priority.  I didn’t grow up with guns in my home, but I quickly learned after being a victim of a horrific crime, that my safety and the safety of my family was ultimately up to me.  I purchased my first firearm when I became a single parent, trained myself to use it appropriately and safely, and I maintain my right to lawfully carry in numerous states.Over the past decade, I have watched politicians in Salem attack and erode the rights of LAW-ABIDING gun owners and carriers for the sake of “doing something” to address gun violence. They never seek to address the root causes of violence…poverty, mental illness, drug and alcohol addiction…because it’s easier to draw lines around public buildings, schools, airports and parks and tell us that we are safer because guns are no longer allowed or to pick an arbitrary number of bullets and claim that Oregonians are safer if magazines carry less than 10 of them. We all know this is a farce. Meanwhile, politicians in this state continue to defund public safety and demonize law enforcement officials.In 2021, Yamhill County joined 16 other counties across Oregon in passing a Second Amendment Sanctuary Ordinance (SASO).  The ordinance was a clear statement from the Board of Commissioners that we will seek to protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding firearm owners and carriers from the unconstitutional overreach of the Oregon Legislature and from out-of-state, anti-gun groups that fund ballot measures to restrict rights. At the time, Columbia County had a similar SASO passed by its voters. Oregon’s Attorney General, an anti-gun leftist, decided to file a politically motivated legal challenge to the SASOs in Yamhill and Columbia counties. Yamhill County Judge Ladd Wiles went along with it, asking no questions of either side during the hearing, and overturned the SASO. Instead of filing an appeal, we chose to explore implementing a Second Amendment Preservation Ordinance (SAPO) instead of continuing to fight against a politically charged legal system with endless resources at their disposal.In 2022, Ballot Measure 114 was set to go into effect which would’ve restricted permits to purchase a firearm to a resident’s direct law enforcement agency of jurisdiction (i.e. if you live in the City of McMinnville, you would have had to go to McMinnville PD to get a permit despite McMinnville PD never issuing permits before).   Not only was this part of the measure designed to halt issuance of purchase permits, but it also banned the purchase and possession of firearm magazines holding over 10 rounds outside of the confines of your personal property.  My personal handgun I carry for protection would have made me a felon because it *can* hold over 10 rounds in the magazine.  Most firearms *can* hold over 10 rounds in the mag, so this measure effectively would have banned obtaining, carrying or traveling with most firearms.  Thankfully, the measure was immediately challenged in court and is still on hold.

My opponent believes that county commissioners have nothing to do with protection of the Second Amendment, yet you can clearly see how intertwined we are with state policy, and we directly push back as a county and as a collective body of 36 counties against unconstitutional laws that target law-abiding citizens.  Our voice is so strong that in 2021, when our statewide organization took a stand against SB 554 (letting any district declare a gun-free zone in Oregon…potentially creating over 900 pockets of zones and making almost every CHL holder a felon), Multnomah County had a meltdown and threatened to leave our statewide organization.

Additionally, while the State sets the fees for licenses, we as a County have the ability to balance fee increases with benefits for our residents.  When the State recently increased CHL fees (also SB 554), I immediately asked the Sheriff to investigate whether or not we could offer a rebate to offset those increases.  When it became clear that we did not have that option, we opted for offering safety training classes to CHL holders to provide a benefit of value in return.

When it comes to balancing safety and gun rights, the County has invested heavily in our mental health and wellness programs, suicide prevention services, and safe storage efforts. County Public Health offers free lock boxes for safe storage, and we continue to fund that effort on an annual basis. We have expanded our Mobile Crisis Teams to provide 24/7 coverage in the county for individuals experiencing mental health challenges. We have worked to integrate these teams into our law enforcement response to provide the best care we can to prevent violence.

Yamhill County is also heavily involved with Measure 110 drug reform and is one of only ten counties in the State that implemented a Deflection Program on September 1^st. We are working hard to tackle the intersection of drug and alcohol addiction, mental illness and criminality so that we can rehabilitate individuals rather than simply incarcerate them.

Our drug and alcohol abuse programs and mental health counseling extend into our schools so we can support school districts and reduce violence among youth. Our robust programs keep gun violence to a minimum in our County.

• Government Regulation and Local Control: “There is often concern about the impact of state and federal regulations on local governance. How do you plan to ensure that Yamhill County maintains control over local matters while effectively working within broader regulatory frameworks?”

At no point in recent history has this issue become more critical than during the COVID-19 pandemic. We watched the former Governor Kate Brown issue a statewide emergency declaration effectively locking us all down and completely eliminating local control and direct decision-making.  I hope we never have to experience that again. Elected officials on the local level should maintain the ability to make decisions for the residents they represent, otherwise accountability goes out the window and no one takes responsibility for failure. The State sure didn’t, but we all suffered.We pushed back using every avenue possible during COVID to fight for our small businesses that were on the verge of closing, our school kids that were suffering in isolation while their grades plummeted, and we personally guaranteed that no county employee would lose their job for a personal, medical choice.  In hindsight, everything we did was right, despite being ridiculed at the time for it. This is the essence of leadership…knowing your core values and being willing to fight to defend them in the face of constant headwinds.Since the COVID pandemic ended, I’ve seen efforts to erode local control in pervasive but consistent ways.  State grants seem to be the way that strings are attached that erode local policy making and tie our hands while they dangle money in front of us.  This is why we scrutinize every grant request and read the fine print. If the requirements are policies or procedures that we don’t believe the majority of Yamhill County residents would support, we don’t sign it.Recently, I helped develop the county’s Deflection Plan in partnership with our Sheriff, DA, HHS, Community Justice, and Judicial teams. The plan for grant funds was developed locally and in conjunction with our capabilities and needs. I then met with other county commissioners and our state legislative delegation to discuss what successful deflection could look like here. After that, we took our plan to Representative Andrea Salinas and discussed how the federal government could help partner with us. This is how public policy should be developed, but you wouldn’t believe how tough it was to get House Bill 4002 passed, let alone how much work had to be done by county commissioners to educate state legislators on how counties operate.

Yamhill County works through our statewide organization AOC (Association of Oregon Counties) to be in constant communication with statewide leaders, our congressional delegation, and the Governor’s staff to discuss areas of need for the county. If a policy will impact us on a county level, we know about it, and we respond to provide the best representation for you.

• Supporting Law Enforcement and Addressing Crime: “Public safety is a top priority for Yamhill County residents. How would you support local law enforcement and ensure they have the resources to address challenges like drug-related crime while staying within budget constraints?”

The Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office covers not only the unincorporated parts of the county, but also contracts with five different cities for law enforcement coverage. This is a sizable portion of the county and is why I have always prioritized their budgetary needs.  As we see an influx of homelessness and vagrancy from Portland, and the cartels moving drugs up and down I5…bleeding into our county with illegal marijuana grow operations and sex trafficking…it becomes noticeably clear why the Yamhill County Commissioners seek to fully fund our law enforcement team.On a basic level, the attitude of the Board of Commissioners towards their law enforcement teams is critical for the success of the county. I have witnessed the degradation of communities in other counties when the local elected officials choose to undermine, underfund, and demonize the good men and women serving in law enforcement. We can’t have safe communities without them. I have been very vocal in my support of our YCSO and have taken tough votes to keep them fully funded and respond to departmental needs. Because of this level of respect, we are attracting talent from surrounding counties, and we welcome them with open arms.The Sheriff’s Department and Health & Human Services are our two largest departments, but unlike HHS that is funded predominantly by grant funds, our YCSO relies heavily upon the county’s general fund.  In addition, we have sought partnerships and grants through entities like ODOT to create added positions that serve our needs in DUII enforcement and busting illegal marijuana operations. We invested in new equipment including body cams that keep our deputies safe and improve service in our communities. We have also found ways to supplement the Sheriff’s budget to cover needs like dog control, with a recent contract approval that reduced our costs by almost 40%.With the rise in addiction rates and mental health challenges, incredible strain has been placed on our law enforcement teams to deal with issues that they weren’t necessarily trained to address.  In response, we have boosted our behavioral health crisis response teams to aid deputies on calls that involve drug or mental health related crimes. And Sheriff Sam Elliott has been at the table since day one with us, developing a response to HB 4002 (recriminalization of hard drugs), that allows all facets of county services to work together for success.

We have so much to be thankful for here in YC. Our law enforcement officers, either the YCSO or our city officers, are top notch!

• Approach to Homelessness: “Homelessness is an increasing issue across the county. What is your approach to addressing homelessness in a way that balances providing support for those in need with encouraging self-sufficiency and long-term solutions?”

Homelessness in Oregon has become a significant problem because of failed leadership at the state level. Current Governor Tina Kotek declared a “homelessness state of emergency” on her first day in office and has pumped hundreds of millions of tax dollars into trying to clean up Portland, with truly little to show for it. Major employers are still vacating the city due to open-air drug use, tent encampments, and rising crime. Real estate values in Portland have taken a massive hit, with entire complexes sitting vacant for years. Clearly, declaring an emergency and throwing massive amounts of money at this hasn’t worked but changing the true, root causes of this behavior go against the political platforms of those elected officials, so they will keep trying with more taxpayer subsidies. I have seen too many politicians willing to claim they are doing something towards a solution, only to deny responsibility for the failure of those policies and claim “it is out of their hands”.In Yamhill County, and specifically at the county level of policy and funding, we have made accountability non-negotiable. We watched hundreds of millions of dollars go out the door with no control measures to gauge success of the programs. In fact, a statewide audit of the Oregon Housing organization revealed that “the agency has no way of knowing how much of the $426 million went to eligible Oregon recipients and how much was sent to landlords, renters and non-eligible recipients in error”. Stunning, isn’t it? Without local accountability around homelessness funding, our law enforcement officers will continue to answer 911 calls to administer Narcan and bring people back from the dead, only to repeat it again and again…and there will be a revolving door of individuals who take advantage of services meant for our most vulnerable populations because they don’t have personal accountability.When it comes to statewide funding for homelessness, we were not willing to give up local control for the sake of money. The mayor of McMinnville asked us to declare a countywide “homelessness state of emergency” so that we could get state funds for a low barrier shelter. When we told her we weren’t willing to give up local control, she figured out how to get the money anyway without an emergency declaration.  Imagine that. It was never needed in the first place and was only threatened so the State could take control.Newberg had a low-barrier shelter (you can be high or drunk to enter) that recently closed, and the local vagrancy and crime rates decreased as that population disbursed to McMinnville or beyond where they can continue to receive services. Many of those folks were not interested in stable housing or addiction recovery. And local homeowners were negatively impacted by criminal acts against themselves or their property.

In McMinnville, the current mayor has been aggressive in allowing the houseless population to congregate and sleep in public spaces, impacting local businesses and the quality of life in the city. I’ve watched the local community form safety taskforces to help businesses deal with homeless individuals defecating on their front doors, screaming at patrons, and openly using drugs on the streets.  These citizen-led groups have effectively fought back with no-trespassing orders and forcing safety zones around schools, so our kids don’t have to step over needles to walk to school.  All while the current Mayor Remy Drabkin claims that there’s “nothing she can do” to help alleviate the problems. I’ve recently sat in townhall meetings where female business owners along 3^rd Street in McMinnville say they fear being attacked at work and cornered in their businesses with no way out while vagrants who are high or drunk and belligerent roam the streets.  I hosted a meet and greet in Sheridan with residents who fled McMinnville for these very reasons and do not want those issues to impact rural Yamhill County. My opponent is endorsed by Mayor Remy Drabkin, so expect more of the same if he gets elected.

So, what has Yamhill County done to fund programs that are successful? We fund non-profits and organizations with histories of success.  We work closely with the Housing Authority of Yamhill County to house individuals with mental health needs and get them into permanent housing. We’ve given them county-foreclosed properties (homes) to serve as shelters or permanent housing for those in need.  We collaborate with our residents who are on the verge of foreclosure to connect them to resources and keep them out of the process, especially seniors.  We sent ARPA money to Stratus Village that will have dedicated units for our clients with behavioral health needs. We work with NW Seniors and Disability Services to provide financial aid and solve food insecurity needs for our most vulnerable. Yamhill County has housing support programs for our veterans and funds YCAP’s transitional housing units. We support organizations like Yamhill County’s Gospel Rescue Mission that cares for families in need and provides emergency shelter with common sense expectations of their clients…you have to be sober, and you have to contribute to helping others.  It’s an amazing program.

My opponent will claim that we haven’t “done enough” and that we should prioritize funding for homeless individuals at the expense of local control and the overall safety of the community.  But the rights of the guy who is walking 3^rd Street in Mac threatening young women, high as a kite, will never take precedence over my protection of those women from being assaulted or worse. Many politicians have thrown common sense out the window, in favor of being “PC”.  I simply want a safe community. Yamhill County invests in programs with accountability because we don’t want to turn into Portland.

• Land Use and Property Rights: “Development pressures and zoning regulations can create tension between growth and preserving property rights. How would you approach land use decisions to ensure a balance between the needs of development and the protection of individual property owners’ rights?”

I have supported common sense growth in Yamhill County. Our residents don’t want to become the METRO-model.  We don’t want stack and pack housing with no parking accommodations and cracker-jack box homes where you can’t raise a family let alone have a yard for your pet.Oregon’s land use laws don’t favor growth, they prioritize farm and forest land and are designed to keep the majority of the population within a tight boundary.   In fact, we (humans) live on only about 3% of the total land mass of the state. Growth of a city is a tedious and often litigious process with expansion of an Urban Growth Boundary taking years if not decades.This creates (by design) a limited supply of land from which to build on, fewer homes overall, and as time goes on an increased demand for homes with population growth. Home prices stay artificially high because we simply don’t have enough of them.On a county level, we have embraced common sense growth policies. We supported legislation that allows cities to fast-track UGB expansions, so they don’t have to wait decades and waste taxpayer money to accommodate new housing.

We updated our county zoning codes to allow Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in resource zones (zones directly surrounding cities) to allow for units that can house an aging parent or children that are struggling to find housing.

We have balanced strong protections of private property rights in our agricultural zones by supporting vertical integration of farming practices and upholding the right to farm legal crops in this state…from hazelnuts to grass seed to wine grapes to marijuana to psilocybin. If it’s a legal farm crop in the State of Oregon, we support your right to farm, produce and process it.

My defense of private property rights was put to the test when I was first elected, with the Yamhelas Westsider Trail.  We ultimately withdrew the application for the trail because the county did not do the work to alleviate negative economic impacts to the surrounding farmers, thereby violating state land use laws.  We decided to pull the plug on the wasteful spending and stop the future light rail plan that would have cost taxpayers millions, and we stood up for our farmers.

• Non-Partisanship in Local Government: “Yamhill County Commissioner is a non-partisan position, yet voters often wonder how a candidate’s personal or party affiliations might influence their decisions. What does being ‘non-partisan’ mean to you, and how will you ensure that your decisions represent the interests of all constituents, regardless of political affiliation?”

Yamhill County Commissioners are “non-partisan” as a function of how we are elected. In other words, we don’t run as a major party candidate…our positions are outside of the party process.  It’s a functional term describing the process of how we are elected.That doesn’t mean we don’t hold strong views individually, and in my opinion, voters deserve to know the truth about our personally held convictions and how those values will influence our votes, prior to you voting for us.My opponent has tried to fool voters into thinking he’s “non-partisan” and will represent “all values”, when in fact he is supported and endorsed by the Democratic Party, Progressive Yamhill, Save Yamhill County and other progressive leftist groups who have worked to vilify conservative leaders in our county for years.  They’ve wasted tens of thousands of dollars running failed recalls to try and unseat duly elected commissioners who were very honest with voters about their values during the elections.My opponent’s campaign manager was caught during the primary posting on a community Facebook page that she’s running Bubba King’s campaign and that leftist candidates just need to pretend to be centrist during the elections, and then the veil can be lifted afterwards, and they can vote according to their progressive views.  It was a shocking admittance of the effort being applied to fool Yamhill County voters into thinking he is “non-partisan”.  His progressive endorsements and campaign funding tell the true story, that he believes Yamhill County needs to go a “different direction” than the path we are on. He has admitted on his campaign page that he will defer to unelected bureaucrats and public employee unions to help him make decisions…removing direct accountability to our taxpayers.

I’m proud of my fiscally conservative values, based on limited government principles that don’t treat you like a piggybank and that focus county revenue on core services that the public relies on.  Common sense, priority-based budgeting and efficient spending.  That’s the path we are on and it’s the right path.

• Efficient Government Operations: “Maintaining an efficient government is essential to providing services without unnecessary expansion. What steps would you take to ensure that Yamhill County’s government operates efficiently while continuing to meet the needs of its residents?”

We are already doing this work. We’ve made difficult decisions over the past four years to focus limited revenue on our highest priorities and in some cases, shift funds internally to cover needs.  In the last budget discussion, we had to find money to cover positions in the Assessor’s office, our Sheriff’s department and needs in our Clerk’s office. Some of the needs our Clerk had were to cover costs for elections officials for this election. These were needs that the Board decided were priorities and we needed to sharpen our pencil over. One of our largest departments is HHS and they are predominantly funded by grants…to the tune of over $76 Million.  Yamhill County is one of very few counties that additionally sends general fund revenue to HHS to supplement their budget. This year, we removed funding from HHS that was covering vacant positions…positions that had been vacant since before COVID. We shifted those funds internally to our Sheriff’s Dept, Clerk and County Assessor to cover needs. The total shift constituted less than 1% of HHS’ budget and no one lost their job and no services were cut.  Sometimes leadership requires tough decisions.In every budget deliberation since I served on the budget committee in 2019, our county administrator has made sure that we do not drop below a significant reserve in the general fund…typically $1M in reserves. There is constant pressure from the largest union to push the limits on our contingency funds, but to do so would be irresponsible and reckless. Yamhill County has been able to weather economic ups and downs because of our responsible budgeting and we will continue that practice.I think the most frustrating part of this campaign was when my opponent decided to not attend the most important week in a commissioner’s job…budget week.  When Commissioner Kit Johnston was running for his position, he attended every day of budget week…sitting through hours of discussions, meeting with department heads, asking commissioners questions about priorities, taking notes, forming his own opinions on budget priorities…it was reassuring to see that he was taking the race seriously.  My opponent Bubba King never bothered to show up. I think that speaks volumes.

• Economic Growth and Business Development: “Supporting local businesses is vital to the county’s economy. How would you encourage economic growth and job creation in Yamhill County, and what role should the county government play in reducing barriers for small businesses?”

For starters, KEEP METRO OUT OF YAMHILL COUNTY. I moved my business out of Clackamas County years ago in part because of Metro’s punitive tax policies on small businesses. There isn’t a pot of money that Metro doesn’t have its fingers in.  So, holding the line against those types of policies is key.As commissioners, we push for common sense economic policies on a statewide level in every legislative session. We stand with our small business and chamber organizations to advocate for policies that make sense for us and oppose ones that will harm us. We also advocate for better business practices on the city level, recently supporting the City of Newberg’s decision to eliminate SDC fees (System Development Charges) for new or expanding childcare facilities.During COVID, it became evident that the county had no representation for main street businesses.  Our contract with the regional SEDCOR group was focused on the traded-sector industry and often resulted in a focus on Marion County businesses more so than Yamhill County. Since we were spending over $13,000 per month on that contract, and feeling like a regional group wasn’t providing us with enough hands-on economic support for Yamhill County, we decided to hire our own economic development director.  A former chamber director, Gioia has her finger on the pulse of not only major industry but main street as well, and has served as the warm, recognizable hand of the county that we were seeking. She has been instrumental in establishing county grants to small businesses, tackling our rural broadband development, and bringing childcare programs forward in McMinnville, Newberg and Lafayette that we chose to invest in and expand for our workforce.We have sought to be good partners with our largest industries…adopting policies like the Strategic Investment Program (SIP) with Hampton Lumber.  Hampton is investing over $150M into a new lumber mill in Willamina and we negotiated a 15-year tax deal that protects tax revenue for our districts and allows for a special West Valley revitalization fund. It’s a win-win for both the county and Hampton and we couldn’t be more thrilled to see that community-oriented company deepen its roots here.

We tried to pass the Rural Industrial Tax Program that would allow businesses to grow with a short-term tax incentive that didn’t involve county funds.  However, when I placed the program on the agenda, my opponent’s campaign manager filed ethics complaints against us, falsely alleging that we stood to personally gain from the program. We were shocked. For someone who claims to want to be pro-business, Bubba King has sure aligned himself with people who can’t stand to see current commissioners support pro-business policies.  The complaints were dismissed of course. I’ll be reintroducing that program in my next term.

• Balancing Growth with Rural Heritage: “As Yamhill County grows, how would you balance the need for economic development and new housing with preserving the county’s agricultural roots and rural character?”

I touched on these policies in the land use question above, but I think so far, we’ve done a great job of balancing the two interests with the underlying priority of protecting private property rights.My concern going forward is more on the ability of small cities to facilitate and manage growth with failing infrastructure.  We have seen our smaller towns struggle with aging water and sewer systems, roads, bridges and overall ability to service more people.  Grants and funding to fix and update those systems are hard to come by. During COVID when we received a large amount of ARPA money, we set aside funding for our smaller communities and their water/sewer infrastructure needs because we know how dire they are. Lafayette has battled water needs for years, Willamina has had to make major investments recently and the City of Yamhill is struggling with availability of water to the point where they are in an emergency situation.I think the role of county commissioners into the future will be helping our cities upgrade critical infrastructure knowing that their existing residents are limited on how to pay for them. Cities can’t grow if there is no water, and the sewer system is maxed out.  We can serve in a supporting role to focus dollars from the state, via groups like Business Oregon, to encourage investment in regional projects.

• Workforce Development and Education: “A strong local workforce is key to the economic health of Yamhill County. How would you collaborate with local schools, colleges, and businesses to ensure that residents have access to the training and educational opportunities needed for the jobs of the future?”

We love this topic! We have invested a substantial amount of money into CTEC programs in our county to help create the pipeline needed to move students from high school into high-paying, highly skilled jobs. Using ARPA funding, we sent $1.4M to Sheridan’s CTEC program to help boost investment into our students in the West Valley. We also relied on Chemeketa Community College to help develop fast-track programs for early childhood education to fill gaps needed by our local childcare providers. They were able to create a one-year program, with apprenticeships, to alleviate some of those workforce needs. Yamhill County has invested directly into local childcare providers to assist with workforce stabilization and recruitment of talent.  We also funded expansion of after-school programs in Newberg and Lafayette, and notably funded an additional two years of the Campfire Kids program in McMinnville for low-income families.One of the most important partnerships we have is with Willamette Workforce Partnership. This regional group works with Marion, Polk and Yamhill counties to fund and promote workforce training, education, small business support, and tracks the needs of local industries to meet those demands.  I have served on the WWP Board for years and it’s one of the most rewarding groups to serve on.

• Public Health and Emergency Preparedness: “Public health concerns, from pandemics to natural disasters, have been increasingly at the forefront. How would you ensure that Yamhill County is prepared to respond effectively to public health crises and emergencies, while coordinating with state and federal agencies?”

Before I was sworn in, Yamhill County was in the midst of dealing with the Labor Day fires of 2020 and we learned a lot about our emergency preparedness through that process.  We were staged at the fairgrounds for days, helping to triage evacuated families, pets and livestock from all over the region.  We learned the hard way that not all expenses are covered by FEMA or the state, and we worked to find money in the county budget to cover expenses so no family in need ever received a bill. It speaks to the strong community and character of Yamhill County.After that event, we started analyzing how we can better prepare for emergencies. Our emergency manager Sergeant Brian Young is in constant communication with state and federal agencies to plan for the worst and make sure we can respond. He conducts regular disaster trainings and meets with regional directors to coordinate best practices. With the “big one” (earthquake) presumably in our future, Yamhill County is preparing by working with the Governor’s Regional Solutions coordinator to obtain grants for emergency shipping containers staged at schools in each city.  We presume that most bridges and roadways will be impassible, therefore emergency supplies will need to be staged appropriately. We are also upgrading our emergency radio system to be prepared for these disasters.  We are blessed to have amazing citizen volunteer groups like CERT, SAR and ARIES helping make this county safer.Right after I was sworn in, we faced COVID lockdowns and a loss of local control to oversee the pandemic response.  Every week, we pushed for a release of the emergency order so our county public health department could manage the needs of OUR communities locally, not being controlled by arbitrary statewide numbers that made no sense.During the pandemic, we accepted state grants to boost funding for our Behavioral Health department and pandemic related needs…offering our county staff $10-15K bonuses for retention and recruitment during a challenging time in the healthcare industry. I was instrumental in the decision to not claw back money from these bonuses if county staff decided they needed to leave employment for whatever reason. Most stayed with the county, and we are grateful for their hard work during Covid.

As I stated earlier, HHS has a $76 Million budget, by far our largest department at the county. We made sure they had every resource they needed to manage the pandemic safely and ensure our community had access to the supplies needed.

Going forward, we continue to supplement funding with state grants that focus dollars on emergency preparedness and behavioral health needs. Recently, we applied for an additional $5 Million in funding for addiction treatment, mental health services and community health needs.  My opponent continues to say that HHS is underfunded, but clearly, he missed the budget discussion that prioritized more funding for Public Health. The ongoing misinformation campaign is unfortunate.

• Infrastructure and Public Services: “As the county grows, so does the demand on infrastructure and public services like roads, water, and sanitation. What are your priorities for improving or maintaining these essential services, and how would you fund these improvements?”

I spoke about water and sewer services in an earlier question, but I can certainly speak to our roads and bridges.Counties constitute the majority of non-federal road miles in the state, constituting 62% of the share.  Despite that, we receive only 30% of the State Highway Fund, with 50% going to the state and 20% going to cities. For over 100 years, many counties have relied on forest revenue to fund their roads. These payments have significantly declined to approximately 38 percent of what was received in the early1990’s. The last “Secure Rural Schools” payment was received this year, and we don’t know if there will be a renewal of that program. With declining gas tax revenue, and a grossly mismanaged ODOT, counties will be fighting to protect our 30% share in the upcoming legislative session. We were told that ODOT is running a $1.7 BILLION annual deficit and if they had to make that up with gas tax, it would require you to pay $1 more per gallon just to cover the debt.Every year, county commissioners from District 6 (Yamhill, Polk and Marion counties) meet to discuss transportation and infrastructure needs.  We produce a “County Road Needs” study through our statewide association that details the needs of each county as it relates to investment, repair and planning for the future.  You can find that report on www.oregoncounties.org.

Obviously, it is less expensive to aggressively maintain existing roads than it is to completely rebuild them, yet county road departments across the state are anticipating a 59% annual shortfall in funds to do so.  Most of the grants available for roads come from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) grants but it is a highly competitive process to receive funding and Yamhill County has to jockey with 35 other counties across the state.

Recently, Yamhill County has had success in securing funding for the Newberg-Dundee Bypass project from the State Legislature as well as commitments from the county, local cities and the Grand Ronde Tribe.  However, there are additional phases of the project that have yet to be funded.

In terms of county road maintenance, our Public Works Director does an excellent job forecasting a five-year plan to do maintenance projects starting with the most critical areas. The condition of our bridges is also a concern, with a majority of the bridges in the Western region of Oregon rated as “fair”.  We have had to get creative with reusing and recycling bridge components to meet some of those needs, without compromising the larger plan or costing our taxpayers more money.

The federal government has committed hundreds of millions of dollars to states for road infrastructure and mass transit projects…the problem in Oregon is that ODOT is prioritizing that money on replacing the I5 bridge over the Columbia River with massively expensive light rail (passenger rail), a focus on Portland’s Rose Quarter project, and millions on electric charging stations across the State.

Our job as commissioners in the coming years will be to lobby for common sense when it comes to investment of these funds and to pressure the legislature to meet the needs of counties and cover the estimated $834 Million per year needed to meet these needs.

• Affordable Housing and Community Development: “Many Yamhill County residents struggle with the rising cost of housing. How would you work with local governments and developers to promote affordable housing options while ensuring responsible community development?”

Most of that work falls within the work of cities directly, but if my opponent’s public statements so far are any indication of where he stands, his consistent promotion of “smart growth” policies are an endorsement of the conditions we find ourselves in currently.  It’s “smart growth” that is driving the nonsensical stack and pack housing and allowing government bureaucrats to micromanage development plans for cities even when those plans make no financial or strategic sense.  Example: “smart growth” policies called for “workforce housing” to be built in the parking lot of the Fred Meyer store in Wilsonville with an assumption that workers at Fred Meyer would live in the parking lot and walk to work. The problem of course occurred when those “parking lot lofts” cost 3x the monthly income of a Fred Meyer employee.   There are countless examples of the failures of “smart growth” policies and knowing that my opponent endorses these policies should be a red flag for Yamhill County residents.I think we need ALL forms of housing and what is affordable and livable to me and my family may not be affordable and livable for the next family.  As I stated before, our state’s land use policies drive up the cost of housing by drawing an imaginary line around cities and restricting growth to within the lines. Changes to those laws would have to be tackled at the state level.In the county, we have been flexible with our resource zones (directly around cities) to allow ADUs that increase housing options, and we have a history of providing county-foreclosed properties to non-profits that seek to house low-income families.  We have invested in affordable housing units and projects across the county that provide more options, and we support transitional housing programs that seek to find stable options for families in need.

• Civic Engagement and Transparency: “Community involvement and transparency are key to effective governance. What specific measures would you take to increase civic engagement and ensure that county government decisions are transparent and accessible to all residents?”

We do an excellent job of communicating our values and decisions to the public. All three of us are very engaged and present in our communities and have open door policies, with active engagement on social media channels. We also attend city council meetings, special district meetings, and attend weeknight and weekend community events with regularity. Being hands on in the community was my goal after hearing criticism of my predecessor’s absence during his term, so I’ve made it a priority.All of our county meeting agendas, videos and minutes are online for the public to access.  We allow all forms of public comment, and I have never limited a constituent to “3 minutes” of public testimony. My view is that you pay our salaries, and if you want to come and talk to us for 10 minutes you are perfectly fine to do so. I’ve always hated attending city council meetings with strict 3-minute cut offs.  We work for you, not the other way around.One of the areas I recognized for improvement was the absence of a county Public Information Officer (PIO). With our size…managing $190 Million budget and overseeing 108,000 residents…not having a PIO doesn’t make sense.  We can’t rely on the local news media to effectively communicate county plans and priorities, especially since their readership is dwindling with the age of online and social media.  I’m happy to report that we prioritized this position in the last budget cycle and are actively interviewing for this position.  The PIO will be responsible for setting a communication plan that reaches the highest number of county residents possible through various forms of communication.The county has various citizen-led advisory boards that help inform our policy decisions and we are blessed to have some talented individuals serving…from our Parks Board to our Planning Commission…we have residents that are so dedicated to public service, and we couldn’t be more thankful for that.

Our budget process (arguably one of the most important functions of the job) includes a three-person citizen budget committee that helps us oversee the budget discussion, deliberations and sets the compensation for elected officials.  We have appointed private sector, non-government people to serve on that committee so that we have a fresh perspective on how the county can function effectively and efficiently through an outsider lens. It has proven to be a vital role for us and is a notable example of civic engagement and transparency.

 

Yamhill County News would like to thank Commissioner Chair Lindsay Berschauer for providing answers to our questions.

Tomorrow we will feature Commissioner Berschauer’s opponent, David “Bubba” King’s answers to our questions in their entirety.

Photo Credit: Yamhill County News File