Sherman County Court updates

The Sherman County Court held their scheduled session on Wednesday, January 22 and started with an update from Michelle Colby from Mid-Columbia Economic Development District (MCEDD).

Colby discussed housing applications that had been submitted to the district and the status of other projects.

Like other counties in the region, Sherman County has struggled to offer obtainable housing for newly hired employees in local businesses, community organizations, and local government jobs. Beginning in 2017, the county began funding incentive programs through MCEDD, and has continued to increase the funds available for rehabbing rental properties and demolishing housing units that were unsafe and beyond repair.

In addition to talking about workforce housing, the court also discussed senior living issues in the county.

The court then turned to broadband internet. Judge Joe Dabulskis said that Biggs has fiber lines but was unsure if it was hooked up and operational. The court also discussed other spots in the county, primarily farms and ranches outside of towns, that did not have fiber internet. Commissioner Justin Miller said that "those holes have been filled by Starlink," referring to the internet service provided by Elon Musk's company.

The court then discussed the newly released Fire Map from the Oregon Department of Forestry and Oregon State University. Judge Dabulskis said that letters with the new information had been mailed to area residents that live in a high risk property, and that he has been asked to appeal some of the parcels identified on the Fire Map.

"As the letter states, if you are doing any major remodel or building a new building, you'll need to use fire hardening materials," Judge Dabulskis said.

The court then discussed the concerns expressed by county residents about insurance rates, which are expected to climb when insuring against wildfires. The court also discussed what areas were deemed to be high risk, with the marker for the Fire Map being in the last five to ten years.

The court then discussed the issue of flood plains, which the county has been working on since last summer when the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provided a draft of the Environmental Impact Statement. This too carries significance for insurance, and FEMA is working on issuing pre-implementation for the National Flood Insurance Program.

The court agreed to pick an option for the flood plains and completed a second reading of the ordinance.

Questions about the future of FEMA, and if the Trump Administration might scrap such requirements were discussed, but the court believes that the issue is decided and stemmed from a 2009 lawsuit first brough by the Audubon Society.