Business Meeting - Oct. 8, 2026

Agenda

CALL TO ORDER

• Roll Call
• Pledge of Allegiance

1. PUBLIC COMMUNICATION (The Chair of the Board will call for statements from citizens regarding issues relating to County government. It is the intention that this portion of the agenda shall be limited to items of County business which are properly the object of Board consideration and may not be of a personal nature. Testimony is limited to three (3) minutes. Comments shall be respectful and courteous to all.)
   Please note, the ideas expressed during public communication do not necessarily reflect the ideas or beliefs of Clackamas County or the Board of County Commissioners.
2. PRESENTATION (Following are items of interest to the citizens of the County)
   1. Water Professionals Appreciation Week
3. CONSENT AGENDA (The following Items are considered routine, and therefore will not be allotted individual discussion time on the agenda. Many of these items have been discussed by the Board in Work Sessions. The items on the Consent Agenda will be approved in one motion unless a Board member requests, before the vote on the motion, to have an item considered at its regular place on the agenda.)
   1. Elected Officials
      1. Approval of Previous Business Meeting Minutes – BCC
   2. County Counsel
      1. Approval of a Settlement Agreement with plaintiff Gregory Elkins.  Total Agreement Value is $500,000.  Funding is through the County’s Risk Fund.  No County General Funds are involved.
   3. Transportation & Development
      1. Adoption of a Resolution Approving the 5-Year Capital Improvement Program for Fiscal Years 2026-27 to 2030-31.  Total Values is $206,604,269 for capital projects for the 5-year period.  Funding is through County Road Fund, Community Road Fund, Grants, Tax Increment Financing, and System Development Charges. No County General Funds are involved.
      2. Authorization to Purchase six fully uplifted 2026 Chevrolet Tahoe 4X4 Police Pursuit Vehicles for Clackamas County Sheriff Office from Dick Hannas Chevrolet utilizing the Master Blanket Purchase Order #PO-10700-00012917 through the State of Oregon. Total Contract Value is $524,725.08. Funding is through contract cities and the Asset Forfeiture Fund.  No County General Funds are involved.
   4. Health, Housing & Human Services
      1. Approval of Two No Cost HOME Loan Assumption Amendments and One Subordination Agreement for the Acadia Gardens and the Town Center Station Affordable Housing Projects. No Fiscal Impact.  No County General Funds are involved.
4. COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR UPDATE
5. COMMISSIONER COMMUNICATION

NOTE: Regularly scheduled Business Meetings are televised and broadcast on the Clackamas County Government Channel. These programs are also accessible through the County's Internet site. DVD copies of regularly scheduled BCC Thursday Business Meetings are available for checkout at the Clackamas County Library in Oak Grove. You may also order copies from any library in Clackamas County or the Clackamas County Government Channel.

Draft minutes

1. Call to Order and Roll Call

Chair Roberts called the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners business meeting to order on October 8, 2026. County Administrator Gary Schmidt called the roll; Commissioner Savas, Commissioner Helm, and Chair Roberts were present, and Commissioners West and Schrader were out of the office. County Counsel Billy Williams and Interim Clerk to the Board Tony Mayernik provided staff support. The Pledge of Allegiance followed roll call. 

2. Public Communication

The Board opened public communication, with testimony limited to three minutes per speaker and written testimony accepted by email for the public record. 

Theresa Hamilton, Damascus

Theresa Hamilton testified regarding election integrity and voter rolls. Hamilton stated that Dr. Frank had been working county by county in Oregon on election integrity and described a voter-roll analysis based on multiple years of Secretary of State voter-roll data. Hamilton stated that, after filtering for active voters who had not voted since at least 2018, the analysis identified 14,534 active voters who had received ballots but had not voted during that period. Hamilton expressed concern about the cost of sending ballots to voters who do not vote. 

Stephen Hunter, Wilsonville

Steven Hunter testified regarding Judicial Watch v. Oregon, case number 624-CV-01738. Hunter stated that the lawsuit alleged Oregon failed to conduct adequate voter-roll maintenance under the National Voter Registration Act, that the case resulted in a settlement finalized in April 2026, and that Oregon agreed to share voter-roll maintenance data annually with Judicial Watch for five years. Hunter also stated that the settlement triggered review and removal of inactive voter registrations and argued that Oregon’s voter rolls require ongoing oversight. 

Mike Nurre, Lake Oswego

Mike Nurre testified regarding the importance of accurate data sets and compared voter-roll management to data-integrity practices used in healthcare and other professional settings. Nurre stated that Oregon’s voter rolls are bloated and inaccurate, referenced the Secretary of State’s removal of inactive names, and asked that Clackamas County exercise greater local oversight of voter rolls. 

Renel Muro, Canby

Renel Muro testified about perceived weaknesses in the mail-ballot and voter-registration system. Muro stated that returned ballots show only that a ballot came back, not who marked it; raised concerns about signature verification and automatic registration records; and asked the Board to seek information from the clerk regarding signature standards, ballot challenges, Motor Voter record review, and required cancellation reporting under a Secretary of State directive. 

Lyneil Vandermolen, Tualatin

Lyneil Vandermolen testified based on personal experiences as a precinct committee person and described anecdotal concerns about inaccurate voter-roll records, including voters remaining registered at addresses after moving and ballots being received for people no longer living at listed addresses. Vandermolen offered to bring examples of ballots that had been collected from such situations. 

Patty Boyd, Milwaukie

Patty Boyd testified virtually in support of the county clerk and the mail-in ballot process. Boyd stated that mail voting helps provide access for rural voters and described a personal experience in which a signature issue on a ballot was corrected in person, offering that as an example of checks and balances in the system. 

No additional testimony was received, and Chair Roberts closed the public communication portion of the meeting. 

3. Presentation: Water Professionals Appreciation Week

Greg Geist, Director of Water Environment Services, presented on Water Professionals Appreciation Week, which was established by the Oregon Legislature in 2025 and was being recognized for the first year. Geist described the importance of public water treatment, the Clean Water Act, and the work performed by Water Environment Services employees, including treatment plant operators, maintenance and repair crews, engineers, customer service representatives, and laboratory technicians. 

Commissioner Helm commented on experience serving as chair of the WES Advisory Committee and praised WES employees for responding to difficult water-related issues, including emergencies during storms and floods. Commissioner Savas expressed appreciation for WES employees and water providers, discussed the importance of clean water and wastewater stewardship, and noted the role of water districts and cities as water purveyors in Oregon. Chair Roberts thanked Geist for leadership and thanked the WES staff for their work. 

4. Consent Agenda

The consent agenda included approval of previous Board business meeting minutes; approval of a settlement agreement with plaintiff Gregory Elkins valued at $500,000, funded through the County Risk Fund with no county general funds involved; adoption of a resolution approving the five-year capital improvement program for fiscal years 2026-27 through 2030-31, valued at $206,604,269 and funded through identified transportation-related funds with no county general funds involved; authorization to purchase six fully uplifted 2026 Chevrolet Tahoe 4x4 police pursuit vehicles; and approval of two no-cost home loan assumption amendments and one subordination agreement for the Acadia Gardens and Town Center Station affordable housing projects. 

Commissioner Savas requested removal of Transportation and Development Item 2, the authorization to purchase six fully uplifted 2026 Chevrolet Tahoe 4x4 police pursuit vehicles for the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, for discussion.

Commissioner Savas moved to approve the consent agenda minus Transportation and Development Item 2. Commissioner Helm seconded the motion. The motion passed 3-0. 

Commissioner Helm Aye

Commissioner Savas Aye

Chair Roberts Aye

5. Discussion of Removed Consent Agenda Item: Sheriff’s Office Vehicles

Commissioner Savas stated concerns about the proposed purchase of Chevrolet Tahoe police pursuit vehicles, including questions about the status of existing low-mileage Ford vehicles, the rationale for selecting Chevrolet rather than Ford or Dodge, fleet maintenance implications of changing vehicle platforms, and reported Chevrolet engine issues involving hydraulic lifter failures. Commissioner Savas said the need for sheriff’s vehicles was not in question but requested more information before proceeding. 

Patrick Williams, Finance and Business Services Manager for the Sheriff’s Office, responded that the Sheriff’s Office had identified funds to upfit existing vehicles and bring them into the fleet. Williams stated that Chevrolet vehicles were available, that the Sheriff’s Office had been purchasing Chevrolets for several cycles when funds were available, and that there was urgency because the office was projected to run out of loaner vehicles in May. 

Williams explained that four of the six proposed vehicles would go to contract cities, one would support a driving-under-the-influence enforcement staff position funded through Justice Court fine funds, and one would go to the patrol division. Williams further stated that vehicles returning from Wilsonville and Happy Valley would be placed into the pool and either repurposed as loaners or returned to patrol use. 

Chair Roberts acknowledged the importance of replacing high-mileage vehicles and stated that Commissioner Savas should receive additional information from fleet staff. The item was deferred for further information and expected to return the following week; no vote was taken on the removed vehicle-purchase item during this portion of the meeting. 

6. County Administrator Update

County Administrator Gary Schmidt recognized Clackamas 911, also known as CCOM, for receiving three of five awards at the Oregon Chapter of the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials and National Emergency Number Association event. Schmidt reported that Kayla Brenner received the Telecommunicator of the Year Award, Beth Spreadborough received the Manager of the Year Award, and former director Cheryl Bledsoe received a Lifetime Achievement Award, which Schmidt noted was the first time that award had been given posthumously.

7. Commissioner Communications

Commissioner Savas

Commissioner Savas discussed public questions regarding the resignation or potential resignation of former Sheriff Angie Brandenburg and the process surrounding the July 28 sheriff appointment discussion. Commissioner Savas stated that the July 28 item was legally posted but, in Savas’s view, was difficult for the public to find and should have been presented as a clearer agenda item with background materials. Commissioner Savas said questions remained about who knew what and when, and indicated an intent to ask colleagues to look more deeply into the matter. 

Commissioner Helm

Commissioner Helm reported attending a State of the Workforce forum in downtown Portland at the University Club, where Helm participated on an elected officials panel. Helm stated that the forum included discussion of workforce needs and barriers, and said that improving Oregon’s business climate is necessary to support job creation and workforce development. Helm also noted plans to meet with speakers about barriers at the county level and how those barriers could be addressed.

Chair Roberts

Chair Roberts reported a meeting with the Molalla School District superintendent, attendance at the Clackamas Service Center Harvesting Hope gala, and spoke about the Ford Foundation By the Numbers report showing Clackamas County is the fastest growing Portland Metro area county. Chair Roberts also announced the I-5 southbound lanes were reopening earlier. A volunteer recognition item was deferred due to technical issues with the livestream of the meeting, and the meeting was adjourned.