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Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward’s last day in office will be Jan. 2, 2020.

During the Harney County Court meeting on Sept. 4, Sheriff Dave Ward presented a letter stating that his last day in office will be Jan. 2, 2020.

“I appreciate all of you guys, and I want to move on and still have love in my heart and find some peace,” Ward said.

In a letter to the editor that was published in the April 17, 2019, edition of the Burns Times-Herald, Ward stated that, “The Harney County Sheriff’s Office is not currently funded or staffed to provide adequate law enforcement or search and rescue services necessary to the citizens of Harney County.”

He added that the county jail is outdated, underfunded, understaffed, and out of compliance with standards required by law.

Ward continued that the county’s budget cuts will compound the situation, and he is “no longer willing to accept the civil liability associated with the failure to appropriately fund/staff our jail, search and rescue, or law-enforcement services to our community.”

During the meeting on Sept. 4, Ward noted that a deputy is interested in applying for appointment to the position.

“I don’t know how the county court wants to proceed with that,” Ward said. “I’m happy to make the recommendation if you wish.”

The court thanked Ward for his service and will consult with legal counsel concerning the process for filling the vacancy.

•••

The court considered the future of the High Country Health and Wellness Center.

Located in the same building as the Harney County Health Department, High Country Health and Wellness Center is a county-owned rural health clinic that provides primary-care services to patients of all ages.

During a public work session, the court evaluated three different options for the clinic. The first was to sell it to Dr. Sarah Laiosa, a family physician, medical director, and public health officer who currently works at the clinic. The second option was to put the clinic out for bid, and the third was for the county to retain ownership for one fiscal year.

“We decided the next best move was to get a fair-market assessment of the rural health clinic and then offer it to the current/sitting doctor,” Harney County Commissioner Mark Owens explained.

However, Harney County Judge Pete Runnels reported that Dr. Laiosa is no loner interested in the property, and the clinic’s employees “have no comfort level with putting it out for bid.” He added that “some real positives” are going on at the clinic, and he thinks they need to be taken into consideration.

“I’m back to the third option that we sit on it for the budget year,” Runnels said. “For all the money we’ve put into it, it’s a chance to get something back out.”

However, Harney County Commissioner Patty Dorroh said the court could converse with potential buyers while retaining and monitoring the clinic throughout the fiscal year.

“If we wait until the end of the year, and all of a sudden the situation is not as it is today and we have to make a bunch of cuts, that’s not where we want to be,” she said.

Runnels said the county didn’t budget for the fair-market assessment, and he thinks contingency funds should be reserved for emergencies. The court unanimously agreed not to proceed with the assessment.

Although discussion regarding the clinic will continue, Owens said, “Things are going to stay the same until we make the decision otherwise.”

Dorroh said, “We do have some responsibilities for mental health and public health authority.” However, she added that, “A rural, frontier county like ours with our finances, in general, is not the right skill set and tasking level to be a medical provider. So, in the long run, we’ll just have to keep that in mind.”

•••

The court sent a letter to Oregon Secretary of State Bev Clarno requesting an objective oversight review of the origin and year-to-year expenditures that caused the county to spend approximately $2.3 million more (during a five-year period) than was received in annual revenue.

“On Aug. 13, 2019, we met with Judge Pete Runnels in Salem to discuss the issue,” Kip Memmott, director of the Oregon Audits Division, wrote in a letter to the court. “We informed him that we would review available documentation to provide feedback on whether there are indications of significant risk not currently being addressed and recommend additional actions, but would not conduct an audit or investigation.”

Memmott continued, “We have completed our limited review of Harney County’s budgeting error. We gained an understanding of the issue by reviewing documentation provided, which included audited financial statements for fiscal years 2014 to 2018, budgets, commission meeting minutes, and other documentation. We interviewed Judge Runnels and, separately, the auditor at the CPA [Certified Public Accountant] firm responsible for auditing Harney County. During our review, we were also provided a list of actions the county has taken to date, including: notifying the budget committee, commissioners, and public of the issue; implementing wage, hiring, and spending freezes, furlough days, and reduced work hours; updating the accounting software to properly reflect budget balances; and contracting with their CPA firm to review the audited and budgeted balances for 2013 to 2018. The firm issued a report on April 19, 2019, supporting the county’s budgeting discrepancy of approximately $2.3 million for the five-year period.

“Based on documentation provided, once the issue was identified, county management began to take action to address the situation and inform the public. In addition to actions already taken, we recommend county management take the following actions:

• continue to gain a thorough understanding of the accounting and budget processes so that accurate budget balances are used and any errors are identified sooner;

• monitor the budget throughout the year to ensure expenditures are reasonable and within individual appropriation amounts;

• make budget information publicly available for discussion in public meetings; and

• encourage clear and open communication between the audit firm, the full commission, and county management regarding audit results and other matters that may warrant management’s attention.”

Owens asked, “Because they did not conduct an audit or investigation, do we feel like this is closed or do we need to continue the conversation?”

Dorroh replied that she’d like to account for the $2.3 million expenditure during the five-year period.

“I can go through those five years and do a matrix or whatever of expenditures each year. That’s pretty simple to do,” Runnels said.

“I’d appreciate you guys going back and looking into that — having it looked into — and sharing it with the public,” Ward said.

•••

The court also discussed a request to purchase county-owned property on South Diamond.

Harney County Clerk Derrin (Dag) Robinson explained that, due to foreclosure, the county owns a number of irregular parcels that abut private property.

“This is a perfect example of one that is literally of no value to anyone except for the next-door neighbor,” Robinson said. “I mean it’s not big enough to build anything on.”

He suggested selling the irregular parcels to adjacent landowners and consolidating the tax accounts so the county won’t end up with these “little slivers” again.

“It’s just a good time to get these all cleaned up, get them back on the tax rolls,” Runnels replied.

However, Owens noted that some of the parcels could be offered to multiple landowners.

The court will consult with the county assessor and legal counsel to determine how to proceed.

•••

In other business, the court:

• approved Resolution 2019-26 in the matter of appropriating the $7,997.55 that the county received from the Oregon Department of Education for the juvenile department’s school liaison program;

• tabled an ordinance that would establish criminal history record-check policies concerning applicants for employment and appointed volunteers;

• approved Resolution 2019-27 in the matter of appropriating the $400,000 Oregon Community Development Block Grant that the county received for the Harney County Residential Housing Rehabilitation Program;

• discussed funding for predator control;

• discussed Public Notices of Water Use Requests;

• rescheduled the budget meeting for Oct. 15, at 9 a.m. at the courthouse.

• will hold rural meetings in Drewsey Oct. 9 and Riley Oct. 15.

The next Harney County Court meeting will be held Sept. 18, at 10 a.m. in Runnels’ office at the courthouse.