Submitted by Michael Brace
Curry 9-1-1 Director

From left to right: Michael Brace 9-1-1 Director, Gold Beach Police Chief Russ Merkely, and Commissioner Marlyn Schafer with some of the new emergency radios.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently awarded Curry County a grant in the amount of $84,142 for the purchase of portable radio equipment. This week, that equipment arrived and will be disbursed to fire departments and law enforcement agencies throughout the county.

The grant was written by County 9-1-1 Director Michael A. Brace.  “This project was designed to give the various agencies in the County the flexibility to add to their respective communication abilities,” stated Brace.  “They can not only talk to us here at dispatch, but amongst themselves as well.”  The radios can be programmed with numerous frequencies that span all law enforcement, fire, and medical agencies.

The project will support the continued interoperable communications capabilities of the infrastructure identified in the Curry County Interoperability Plan, the Curry County Telecommunications Strategic Plan, the Curry County Emergency Operations Plan, as well as the County's numerous Intergovernmental Agreements (IGA's), mutual aid agreements, and contracts it holds with the allied agencies located at its respective communications sites.

Commissioner Marlyn Schafer, the Sheriff’s Office liaison commissioner was pleased with the radio grant.  “Its important that our emergency services people can talk to each other in a true disaster, but its equally as important that we have someone like Mike who can write these grants, so we can receive the funding.”

The County also recently completed a $3.0 million upgrade to its interoperable communications infrastructure. This project consisted of five new repeater towers with microwave capability as well as narrow-band capable, digital communications and was paid for by grants and Title III funds. In addition, a $500,000 upgrade to its 9-1-1 Center was recently completed, increasing the center's square footage by 700%, in the basement of the Sheriff’s Office. 

The 9-1-1 Center is also getting a $14,000 equipment upgrade that will improve court and jail security.  This equipment will be paid for by state court security funds.  “All in all,” said Brace, “we have nice equipment to step into the future with.”

PUBLIC NOTICE
From Curry Commissioners

The Curry County Board of Commissioners will hold a Special meeting on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. in the Commissioners’ Hearing Room, Courthouse Annex, 94235 Moore Street, Gold Beach, Oregon. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss and to decide the process for filling the vacant Sheriff’s position and to approve the Consent Calendar. Other matters may be discussed. Members of the public are welcome to attend.

For more information, contact the Curry County Commissioners’ Office at (541) 247-3296 or 1 (800) 243-1996.

PUBLIC NOTICE
From Curry Commissioners
 
The Curry County Elected Officials Compensation Board will hold a meeting on Tuesday, May 13, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. in the Mini-Conference Room, Courthouse Annex, 94235 Moore Street, Gold Beach, Oregon. The purpose of the meeting is to prepare a recommendation for elected officials' salaries for FY 2008-2009. Other matters may be discussed. Members of the public are welcome to attend.
 
For more information, contact the Curry County Commissioners' Office at (541) 247-3296 or 1 (800) 243-1996.

by Ralph Martin, Harbor Community Action Committee

Editor:
    At the Commissioner Candidate Forums I heard the line, “You get the government you pay for,” repeated over and over.  If you believe we are getting the government we pay for from the Federal Government on down, either you are very naïve or you’re not paying attention.
   
We have Marlyn Schafer, the person most responsible for the financial mess the County is in, and seven new candidates that are looking to be paid an $84,000 a year pay and benefit package, when  they are all vying for a learner’s permit.
   
They all say you can’t get good volunteers.  All you have to do is look at the volunteer County Planning Commissioners who are much more professional than the current crop of County Commissioners and that argument doesn’t hold water.  If you really want to see why the current Commissioners are putting in so many hours to do their jobs, one only has to watch a County Commissioner meeting in person or on cable channel 99.  What you will see is government by giggles and guffaws.  The lack of professionalism is very apparent.
   
The candidates have all adopted the Schafer philosophy that this job takes 50 – 60 hours a week.  With Home Rule and an experienced professional County Administrator, the Commissioners job becomes part time and as advisory policy setters only.  There is no need for the Commissioners to micro-manage the department heads as they do now.  The job of the Commissioners would be to hire good people, then get out of the way and let them do their job.
   
During the candidates forum, I heard a lot of totally impractical pie in the sky ideas on ways to bail the County out.  Not once did I hear a candidate say they would look for ways to eliminate unnecessary positions.
  
For the good of us all, sign the petition and vote for the Charter when it’s placed on the ballot in November.

HCAC News

The next Harbor Community Action Committee (HCAC) meeting is Monday April 21st at 10:00 at the Harbor Fire Hall. The meeting is open to any Curry County citizen interested in helping to bring about a more transparent, volunteer based, Home Rule Charter govenment.