Extra funding means a work session for commissioners

By Terry Murry on Friday, October 7th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

UMATILLA COUNTY – Umatilla County recently learned it’s been awarded a little more than $2 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds over the next two years. The county has to decide the best way to spend that one-time money.

“We’re going to have a work session,” Board of Commissioners Chairman John Shafer said. “We’re all going to have something unique that we’re working on.”

Shafer said at that work session the three commissioners will discuss priorities for the funding. He added that it’s important that the funding be used in a responsible way.

“It’s one-time monies,” he said. “We won’t get this again. It’s not something that you could decide to hire a person and pay for that out of the pile of money. When that pile of money runs out, how are you going to fund it going forward?”

This latest round of funding is for counties participating in federal revenue sharing programs related to federal land within their boundaries. Examples of those include Secure Rural Schools and Payments in Lieu of Taxes. The date of the work session has not been announced yet.