According to the State of Oregon, “…counties provide a wide range of public services including: public health, mental health, community corrections, juvenile services, criminal prosecution, hospitals, nursing homes, airports, parks, libraries, land-use planning, building regulations, refuse disposal, elections, air-pollution control, veterans services, economic development, urban renewal, public housing, vector control, county fairs, museums, animal control, civil defense, and senior services”. Delivering these services and maintaining a healthy infrastructure are critical to commerce, economic development and establishing a stable economy.
Coos County basically abdicated its role in economic development to SCDC (South Coast Development Council) more than a decade ago. Neither SCDC nor its cohort the Port of Coos Bay have succeeded in enticing new industries to the area that do not also expect additional taxpayer investment. ORC is the perfect example of a company that writes a business plan fully anticipating taxpayer investments in the form of tax breaks. Unfortunately, organizations like SCDC don’t track whether or not the taxpayer ever sees a positive return.
This inability to track success or failure means the collaborating agencies are never held accountable but it shouldn’t be this way. The US Economic Development Administrations establishes necessary investment criteria and explains …”projects are evaluated to determine if they advance global competitiveness, create jobs, leverage public and private resources, can demonstrate readiness and ability to use funds quickly and effectively, and link to specific and measureable outcomes“. As detailed in The JOB Messiahs, for too long county leaders have wildly risked public assets on so many failed ventures that if they were private investment brokers they would be fired, sued or in jail.
The same leaders who promoted a disastrous $51 million pipeline promising 2,900 new jobs now want the county to bailout ORC (Oregon Resources) from its own failure to correctly judge the global market. The same leaders who pushed for $50 million airport expansion that now forces most of us to drive to Eugene or Portland to catch a reliable flight, want the county to sign a lease with a company that conventional institutional lenders and investors will not touch. They use the same old argument and promise they always have, we need the jobs… but at what cost?
Tomorrow evening the board will hear comments regarding the twenty three page lease and, unfortunately, probably a lot of emotional comments that have nothing to do with the lease. It will be important to have the board explain its risk assessment criteria and find out if there is any real math behind their thinking or if they are simply operating from the gut or returning political favors. The citizens must be able to hold them accountable if the lease becomes a part of a trustee’s sale.
Please contact the commissioners and insist they change the clause that allows the company to assign its rights under the lease to unnamed entities to make them non transferable. (See clause below)
10.3 Assignments. Lessee may transfer, assign or sublease any or all of its interest in
this Lease only upon the County’s prior written consent, which shall not be unreasonably
withheld or delayed. It is specifically understood and agreed that the rights granted to Lessee
pursuant to this Lease are personal and that conduct of operations by Lessee under this Lease is
the essence of this Lease; therefore, it is agreed that Lessee’s right to transfer, assign or sublease
any or all of its interest in this Lease, including the right to conduct operations on the Property,
shall be limited to assignee(s) with the qualifications, skills, and financial resources reasonably
comparable to Lessee. Any consent does not imply a consent to any future assignment or
sublease. The County shall, without charge, and from time to time, within ten (10) days after
request by Lessee, certify by written instrument, duly executed and acknowledged, and delivered
to Lessee or any other party or parties designated by Lessee: (a) whether this Lease is in full
force and effect; (b) whether Lessee is in default under this Lease; and (c) such other reasonable
assurances and information as Lessee may request.
The County may freely assign all or part of its rights and privileges under this Lease,
subject to Lessee’s rights under this Lease, but Lessee shall have no obligation to make payments
under this Lease to more than one party. No change in ownership of the County’s interest shall
be binding on Lessee until after Lessee has been given notice consisting of certified copies of
recorded instruments or documents necessary to establish a complete chain of title from the
County. No other type of notice, whether actual or constructive, shall be binding on Lessee, and
Lessee may continue to make payments as if no change had occurred. No present or future
division of the County’s ownership as to all or any part of said lands shall enlarge the obligations
or diminish the rights of Lessee.
Bob Main
(541) 396-3121 ext 770
Fred Messerle
(541) 396-3121 ext 247
Cam Parry
(541) 396-3121 ext 281
No. I’m talking about building it in the first place. How many non-construction jobs did it create?
I’m comparing it to the pipeline, the airport, and other infrastructure. My point is that all of these things make our region’s economic picture better, but they are each individually difficult to assess in terms of actual jobs created.
It is incorrect to lump ORC in with infrastructure projects.
Only two of those specific things are infrastructure, however you are completely correct in not knowing if any of them have created a net plus of jobs, or ever will. I find it fascinating how you manage to bounce from one radical wall to the other. From that view you might consider yourself a centrist as you cross the middle line so often.
Hi Tony.
“From that view you might consider yourself a centrist as you cross the middle line so often.”
That is so perfect!
Yeah! And what about that crazy McCullough Bridge? What a waste. Exactly how many jobs did that monstrosity create, huh?
Are you suggesting the McCullough Bridge restoration is in any way comparable to ORC extracting Coos County’s minerals without just compensation to its citizens? Providing a job to 30 – 60 people is not doing Coos County a favor if the county it self is not being justly compensated. ORC needs to make Coos County a partner. Instead they are treating her as some whore they can hit in the poop shoot while pretending to be king of their castle.