Chair Ludlow State of the County remarks 2014
It is my pleasure to present to you Clackamas County’s 2014 State of the County presentation.
On behalf of my colleagues, Commissioners Jim Bernard, Paul Savas, Martha Schrader and Tootie Smith, it is my honor to share with you the County’s accomplishments during the past year and our vision for the future.
As I’ve said before, we don’t always agree on every issue – nor should we. But each County Commissioner is totally committed to doing the right thing for the people of Clackamas County and for everyone who benefits from the many services this County provides.
I would like to recognize County Administrator Don Krupp who was hired last September. He just finished heading up his first budget process and is doing an outstanding job. Unfortunately Don is not with us tonight but I wanted to extend my thanks to Don for his leadership.
We just viewed an informative video highlighting some of the many accomplishments of our County over the past year. I am proud of the work our County employees do every day to benefit our citizens and the public. They are the backbone of this County.
Credit for those accomplishments must be shared with you, the public we serve. For without you, there would be no reason for Clackamas County government.
If I had to choose one word to represent my view on the current State of our County, the word would be “optimistic.”
Our local economy is trending upward.
Our County is gradually regaining strength in its recovery from the recession. The rate of unemployment has dropped to near pre-recession levels. New businesses are springing up and public confidence is rising.
So how can we build on this growing momentum?
We can do so by clearly laying out a series of goals or objectives that provide a path to prosperity for our citizens and setting a course to accomplish these goals through a transparent and accountable process.
Earlier this year Commissioners settled on five key areas of focus as part of a comprehensive strategic plan for Clackamas County for the next 5 years.
These goals are:
- Growing a vibrant economy. Our future prosperity will be built on well-paying jobs that support families, the establishment of affordable housing and promoting capital improvements to grow our workforce.
- Building a strong infrastructure focused on investment in roads, knowing that investment in this infrastructure will both service existing needs and stimulate business growth.
- Ensuring safe, healthy and secure communities focused on the well-being of your families and communities.
- Honoring, utilizing, promoting and investing in our natural resources to promote and preserve the extraordinary economic and recreational opportunities these assets provide.
- Building public trust through good government.
For each of these areas of focus there are specific, strategic and measureable outcomes. The County’s budget will be tied to these strategic goals. A course toward achieving these objectives will be plotted over the next several years.
You will be able to assess and measure these goals through transparent performance measures and online access to our progress.
As we get started on these strategic goals, let’s take a look at how we are doing so far.
Our economy is more vibrant today following the completion of the Clackamas Broadband Express which has provided access to high-speed, low cost broadband connections to public entities and to private businesses.The loop created by this “dark fiber” touches far reaching parts of our county. This project will enable Clackamas County businesses to develop new markets in the United States and abroad.
Through the diligence of our Economic Development staff and our cooperative partnerships we have added tens of millions of dollars in private sector investment, and added many new businesses to our County.
We are working closely with Metro, Oregon City, the State of Oregon and the new property owner on a plan to explore future development possibilities for the former Blue Heron site which will bring jobs, recreation and many more opportunities to the region.
We now have in place an online searchable database and a system for prioritizing employment lands based on the level of their developmental readiness. This is aimed at linking potential developers and businesses to shovel ready sites.
We are on our way toward reaching our five year infrastructure goals through projects like the Sunrise System Project, a comprehensive effort, in partnership with the state, to build a new state highway that will enhance and improve transportation connections near the Clackamas Industrial Area, one of the busiest and most critical freight distribution centers in Oregon.
Looking to the future, we are aggressively pushing for expansion of I-205. At times there is almost total gridlock on I-205 between Oregon City and Stafford. That is the only section of the 37 mile freeway that is two lanes in each direction. The viability and accessibilityof the I-5/I-205 corridor provides a vital lifeline to industry in the region.
We are also setting as a key goal, the improvement of 120 miles of County roads from “good” to “excellent” status. Approximately 54% of our County roads are rated by industry measure as “fair or poor.”
Perhaps there is no issue facing Clackamas County today that is more important than finding a way to pay for future road maintenance of our 1,400 miles of paved roads. No other county in Oregon is responsible for more road miles than Clackamas County.
Property taxes, by law, cannot be used for road maintenance. And the existing sources of road maintenance revenue the County does receive are insufficient to meet our present and future needs.
As a result there is an annual gap of approximately $17 million and it’s growing. During the recently completed budgeting process, the County budget committee allocated $500,000 in precious discretionary dollars to other transportation purposes in order to free up the road fund to use its allocated dollars directly for road maintenance projects.
The County is presently involved in a major effort to educate and engage the public about this important issue. We have work to do. A recent poll of registered voters in Clackamas County indicated that the public is somewhat aware of our road maintenance needs. But a majority of our Citizens do not yet support new revenue sources needed to solve this problem.
Finding a long-term solution to this problem will continue to be a Commission priority over the next year.
We have a strategic goalto ensure safe, healthy and secure communities.
An important step toward this goal was the opening of A Safe Place on the County’s Red Soils campus in Oregon City.
Working in collaboration with the Sheriff’s office, A Safe Place consolidates services and support for victims and families affected by domestic violence. We are also seeking to attain full utilization of our County clinics. The County has taken measures to ensure that these clinics, which provide needed medical, dental and mental health services, remain viable.
Targeted goals have also been set to reduce the rate of violent crime, property crimes and to reduce the adult recidivism rate.
Our progress was measured last year by the successful accreditation of the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office. This accreditation took years to complete and confirms the high standard of professionalism and the independent verification of best practices.
Congratulations to Sheriff Roberts and all the officers of the sheriff’s office on this prestigious accomplishment.
Our commitment to honor, utilize, promote and invest in our natural resources is an ongoing effort. Last year the sale of timber from county-owned land generated approximately $5 million in revenues. This money was spent to support the operation of our parks and forest programs.
The County also saved over $1 million by paying off remaining debt on the Stone Creek Golf Course, a county-owned property. The resulting increased revenue can now be counted on each year to augment our County park programs and operations.
Last year marked completion of the Mt. Scott Creek restoration project, a collaborative effort between Water Environment Services and the North Clackamas Parks and Recreation District.
Through a cooperative effort involving numerous County agencies, we are working to ensure safe and litter-free use of County parks and rivers through tougher enforcement of park rules – including sweeping enforcement of rules regarding alcohol use – and transforming public attitudes on river safety and river health.
Our final, but perhaps most important, goal is building public trust.
The fact of the matter is our best asset as a County is you. We need to invest in winning your confidence and trust.
We have taken steps toward securing that trust by ensuring transparency in our deliberations and our decision-making. This Commission is accessible and accountable to the people through Town Halls, Commissioner Roundtables, Areas of Outreach and evening business meetings where the public is invited to take the time you need to address the Commission and get answers to your questions.
We have put resources into improving our County’s web page and making it easier and more user-friendly to get information. Look for a roll-out of the new county website later this summer.
Over the next five years our County will be entirely focused on completing outcome-based plans to achieve these strategic goals. These plans include publicly accessible measurements of our progress.
By the year 2018, 100% of our County budget will be tied to measurable customer results.
That is how Clackamas County works for you now and is working for you into the future.
The future of Clackamas County is indeed optimistic. This Commission is here to serve you. Please tell us what you want and need. We will continue to work for you and with you to make sure Clackamas County remains the best County in Oregon to live, work and play.
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