Hopefully, by now most of the county is aware that interim commissioner, Fred Messerle, unilaterally and arbitrarily reduced fees at the planning department driving the department into the red. Messerle may not have disclosed this fact to the budget committee which based its final budget recommendations on the higher fees to enable the department to maintain an impressed balance of $88,000 to begin the new fiscal year. Failure to disclose the fee reduction of $15 per hour may even be illegal but it must certainly be regarded as either unethical, incompetent or both.
The taxpayer has now picked up the tab for a shortfall of $20,760 that should have been paid by applicants to the planning department which include Messerle’s own company. Messerle contends that every taxpayer benefits from having a planning department and should, therefore, help pick up the tab because planning is a state mandated public service. Apparently, Messerle is of the opinion that the $15 per hour research fee lays the entire burden of the $88,000 on the too few applicants and interim commissioner, Cam Parry, came up with a bizarre argument to support this. “if you only have two applicants in a year,” said Parry, “and you say you’ve got to balance that holdover fund between the two applicants they get billed $44,000 a piece”. Parry never explains how $15 per hour for research done on your boundary line adjustment translates to $44,000 but the department historically just reduces staffing levels to accommodate the workload.
Last year, Messerle’s company moved a fish bearing stream without obtaining the proper permits requiring Oregon Department of State Lands to levy penalties and order restoration, so it was ironic when Messerle argued that everyone benefits from being protected by inappropriate land use and should share the burden.
Messerle should have brought up this matter of “fairness” during the budget hearings rather than ramrodding it through and deciding to stiff the taxpayer without first telling them he was going to do it. Not sharing the fee reduction makes it look like he was hiding something and he also tried to deflect blame upon the planning director for doing as she was told. He has effectively swept the matter under the carpet by paying the shortfall out of the general fund 9900 account “contract services”.
That Messerle benefited from the fee reduction clearly falls under the purview of the Oregon Government Ethics Commission which handles conflicts of interest.
Forcing taxpayers to shoulder the costs of planning isn’t the only thing this commission is trying to ramrod through as quickly as possible. Beginning August 1, the county will hold two hearings required by law to enact a new ordinance or place it on the November ballot.
At its regular meeting on July 10, 2012, a majority of the Coos County Board of Commissioners voted to direct Commissioner Cam Parry to work in conjunction with Interim County Counsel Josh Soper to draft an ordinance that would, if enacted, make several changes to the current County governance structure. Those changes are based on the recommendations two citizen advisory committees developed over the course of the past year, and include: expanding the Board of Commissioners from three members to five, elected at large; providing each Commissioner with a stipend of $1,000 per month in lieu of current salary and benefits; and hiring a County Administrator to oversee the day-to-day operations of the County.
Parry and Soper have since been working to prepare a draft ordinance, which will be completed by July 25, 2012. At that time, the draft ordinance will be posted to the County website and copies will be made available to anyone who requests one from the Commissioners’ Office in the Coos County Courthouse, located at 250 N. Baxter, Coquille, OR 97423, or by phone at 541-396-3121 ext. 225.
The Board scheduled two hearings to consider the ordinance, as required by law, at its regular meeting on July 17, 2012. The first will be held on August 1, 2012 beginning at 1:30 p.m. in Salmon Room West at The Mill Casino, 3201 Tremont Ave., North Bend, Oregon, 97459. During that hearing, the Commissioners will discuss the draft ordinance and take comments from the public, and may also make amendments to the ordinance.
On August 15, 2012, the Commissioners will hold a final hearing on the ordinance beginning at 9:00 a.m. in the Conference Room at the Owen Building, 201 N. Adams, Coquille, OR 97423. During the final hearing, the Commissioners will again discuss the ordinance and take comments from the public, and may also make further amendments to the ordinance. At the conclusion of the final hearing, the Commissioners will vote on the issues of adopting the ordinance and referring it to a vote of the electors of Coos County in November.
The first meeting at the The Mill Casino follows the weekly chamber luncheon and the timing will prohibit most citizens from attending. The same is true of the second meeting in Coquille held at 9:00 AM. Most of the county’s citizens will not be able to attend.
Messerle has come out publicly saying he will not vote to put the ordinance on the ballot but will vote to simply adopt the governance change. Parry has claimed he is insistent that it must be put before the people. Main will only support putting it on the ballot if the commission also agrees to put a proposed county charter initiative on the ballot as well. So unless two commissioners either agree to vote in favor of a November vote or if Parry flips and agrees with Messerle to simply vote it in… nothing will happen.
One doesn’t have to be drinking to find charlatans hawking their self serving agenda under the guise of cost saving efficiencies and doing good works objectionable. In fact, it is quite sobering
Ricky – I’ve attended a number of Chamber luncheons and I can’t recall a single one at which cards were dealt and alcohol served at my table. However, having attended a few BOC meetings I would argue that BOC meetings and alcohol do not mix.
At Charleston, Cam’s proposal was to have the ordinance become effective 2014 (if memory serves) but there is no mention in the release above. We will have to pay close attention to the draft when it is posted on Wednesday
Gambling and alchol do not mix with official goverment bussiness.
Maybe an audit of Messerle projects would be appropriate considering he cut corners on a fish bearing stream. If he did it once more than likely it has been done several times. I would also venture to say the majority of this work associated with the water board is paid for with public funds AKA grants… Wonder how much money in disaster relief this parasite has consumed?
Everyone under 18 may walk through the casino as long as they don’t tarry on the way to the Salmon Room but it is still a lousy choice for a public hearing
Will access be granted to any coos county citizen who have been trespasad from the mill if not then the meeting must be held somewhere else an why not in the evening. The North Bend community bulding would be more appropriate. If this is truely about public input hold it there and hold it in the evening
Coquille is centrally located to all citizens in the county but AGAIN who can attend at 1:30 in the afternoon or 9 in the morning? Almost no one. These are not public hearings
Most people can’t attend the meetings in Coquille either – or don’t want to. Why not give some other folks a chance to hear from their Commissioners? Coquille shouldn’t have a monopoly on BOC meetings.
PUblic hearings next to drinking and alcohol is one thing, holding the meeting at 1:30 when the average citizen cannot attend is another
Mr. Wiley, conducting a county meeting within a “domestic dependent nation” (a sovereign nation) (the Coquille Tribe property) may be wrong but it’s not illegal or “a violation”. With proper meeting notifications, with proper access to citizens, it’s as legal as if Messerle scheduled the meeting on the moon. I presume that use of the room is free. If not, it would be nice for the county to hire a room from an entity that pays tax to the county not just throws a few crumbs from the casino intake back into the community annually. Perhaps the Coos County Commissioner dream team candidate and present tribe lawyer and lobbyist would comment for you. I suspect that Mr. Messerle scheduled the meeting where he will be assured of an audience that supports an administrator. It’s the loud supportive voices before the camera that he needs. It is unlikely that he will have an audience that wants to support the Parry motion to place the administrator matter on the ballot. The chamber knows that a majority of citizens do not want an administrator. Mr. Messerle will argue that support of an administrator by a few vocal folks is tantamount to support of the citizens and he must respond to the people by appointing an administrator. Mr. Messerle is driving people to voting yes on the Herne / Bell proposed charter change.
I know. He is still one of my favorite villains… forgive me Whiplash
Using Sniedly Whiplash’s photo as the illustratuion on this topic is an insult. To Snidely Whiplash.
Is this a violation . Holding a Coos County
Meeting outside our county and outside the United States of America is wrong
So Frick and Frack may soon be Flip and Flop? Conveniently scheduled meetings. The first being sheduled when the room will be full of Messerle supporters. We may experience Bob Arnold repeat. The wording above, if it is the official recording of Parry’s motion that was seconded by Messerle and approved by both, is different than the official (quoted) wording appearing in the daily paper. The paper reported it a done deal with agreement to place the measure on the ballot in November. If Mr. Parry can take time preparing for his radio show, and Mr. Messerle can take time to run the farm, why can’t they give back a couple evenings for meetings when the citizens can attend?