EPA sends half-million bucks as Partnership goes private

by Paul Henneman, Tillamook County Commissioner

John Gabrielson came back to Tillamook on Feb. 27 — just as he’s done for almost every month for many years. This time he brought along more than $500,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) based in Seattle, Wash. He also brought one of six votes to help the “Performance Partnership” break away from county government and form a private, tax-exempt organization. 

   The new private group will continue its environmental activities in Tillamook County, which began in 1993, when the county joined the National Estuary Program under the EPA. In the past eight years, millions of federal and state
dollars have poured into the county, mostly for land acquisitions, water quality monitoring, planning and fishery research. A small portion has gone into tidegates in the Bay and other minor “on the ground” projects.
   The program is controlled by an Executive Committee, dominated by the EPA, DEQ, the Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW) and other state agencies. A staff of five persons, with offices in Garibaldi, were county employees — until Feb. 27. That is when the 14-member Executive Committee voted six to five, with two abstentions, to break away from the county, adopt new bylaws, and become a private tax-exempt entity.

   EPA’s Gabrielson voted with four other public employees to take the program away from any county control. A staff budget indicated another $200,000 annually would be needed to replace the services the county had
been providing. Gabrielson said that would not be a problem. The federal dollars have been matched with DEQ and Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) funds that total nearly $1 million per year coming to Tillamook.
Gabrielson and DEQ’s local staffer, Bruce Apple, had become increasingly unhappy with members of the Board of County Commissioners. Last year, I delayed signing the annual $330,000 base EPA grant while discussions were on-going about a closer working relationship between the Partnership, the Tillamook Soil & Water Conservation District and citizen groups
seeking flood control projects. The Partnership also resented asking the county to sign off on contracts over $25,000.

   Representing the commissioners’ seat on the committee, I exchanged heated words with Mr. Gabrielson at the Feb. 27 meeting about the Partnership’s desire to form a private corporation. I said I believed locally elected citizens and county residents active in natural resource and flood
control projects should have a greater voice in partnership decisions. I proposed a structure comprised of local governments whose boards are elected, not self-appointed like the Partnership, but the idea was rejected.
Instead, this Partnership now wants to form a private group, using public funds, and not be accountable to Oregon budget laws or open meetings laws. But it’s even worse than that. 

   They will be mixing millions of dollars in tax money with private foundation dollars. That’s their goal and I think it’s bad government. It’s a question of accountability. 
   Finally, besides producing mainly studies, doing water-quality monitoring and coordinating land purchases, the Partnership has actually contributed to a decline on one of Oregon’s best riparian restoration programs. Our Tillamook Soil & Water District has planted more than 600,000 trees and built 102 miles of fencing along Tillamook County streams. This tremendously successful effort is in conjunction with the Tillamook County Creamery Association. Now we find the Partnership siphoning off public grant dollars in a frantic attempt to show it might actually do something on the ground. 

   We’ve taken one highly effective resource enhancement program under Soil & Water and blasted it into a fragmented overlapping bureaucratic mess
controlled by EPA, three other federal agencies, and seven state agencies.
The EPA and DEQ programs are driven by the Federal Clean Water Act, but when the National Estuary Program came to Tillamook, also, we ended up with another overlapping program. I think people must realize that when you ask for government money, you’re going to get government control.
Now the new Partnership, fueled by new EPA money, will be seeking to add private foundation funds to its budget. The executive committee says it may include more local citizens in the decision-making process. But will it ever hold a true majority on the executive committee? 

   It’s for sure the county won’t have much of a voice. Neither will state laws that speak of disclosure of budgets, public contracts and open meetings.

Paul Hanneman represented Tillamook County in the Oregon Legislature from 1965 to 1991. He was the author of Oregon’s “Bottle Bill,” co-sponsor of the Salmon-Trout Enhancement Program (STEP) and chaired the House Committee that produced Oregon’s first Forest Practices Act.  Prior to his election as a county commissioner, he served on the Tillamook Soil & Water Conservation District Board.  For further information, telephone (503) 842-3403 or e-mail: Paul Hanneman. (CITIZEN DigiPhoto, © 2002, is a hot link to The North Coast Citizen)

Tillamook County Performance Partnership comes of age

by Shawn Reirsgaard, Executive Board President:
Tillamook County Performance Partnership

On Jan. 23, the Tillamook County Performance Partnership (TCPP) Executive Board voted unanimously (with two abstentions) to apply to state and federal agencies for recognition as a 501 c3 nonprofit corporation. This action signaled the partnership’s decision to shift the organization’s current administration from the Tillamook County Board of Commissioners to a newly formed board of directors. 
   The purpose of this letter is to furnish some information about the Performance Partnership and provide the facts about the organization’s transition into a stand-alone corporation. In doing so, we hope to clear up any misperceptions about the organization and strengthen the bonds of partnership that have been forged over the last decade.

   In 1992, the Tillamook County Board of Commissioners, in partnership with Oregon’s Governor Barbara Roberts, nominated Tillamook Bay to the National Estuary Program. Authorized under the federal Clean Water Act and administered by the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Estuary Program’s mission is to "protect and restore the health of estuaries while supporting economic and recreational activities." In 1994, the Tillamook Bay National Estuary Project (TBNEP) joined 27 other national estuary projects around the country in developing and implementing science-based, community-supported management plans.  By 1999, the TBNEP had completed its management plan, known as the Tillamook Bay
Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan, or "the CCMP" locally. 

   The CCMP recommends 63 citizen-supported actions that TBNEP and its partners (now called Performance Partnership) can undertake in order to 1) enhance water quality, 2) improve aquatic habitat, and 3) mitigate the occurrence and impacts of flooding.  The CCMP estimates that implementation of its 63 actions would cost roughly $120 million over the plan’s 10-year time frame. Currently, the TCPP is not eligible to receive private funding and, therefore, receives all of its cash support from government sources. Unfortunately, public agencies simply cannot provide the level of support required to fully implement the CCMP. In order to
diversify and increase its funding, the Tillamook County Performance Partnership must become a nonprofit organization, a path chosen by many other NEPs across the country.

   The second reason that the TCPP is establishing itself as a nonprofit organization is the need for increased autonomy over both the projects it undertakes and its operating budget. During the Feb. 27 meeting, EPA regional representative John Gabrielson explained that each of the 28
national estuary projects throughout the country are basically the same. Each must develop a citizen-supported, scientifically credible plan aimed at enhancing estuarine resources. Each must be managed under a structure that represents the broad array of interests in its community. And, finally none of these interests can have more influence than the others. 

   This last point is where the problem lies between Performance Partnership and Commissioner Paul Hanneman.  The primary concern that Commissioner Hanneman expressed in his press release is the potential for a lack of accountability on behalf of the nonprofit to local stakeholders. Specifically, he points to three items: citizen participation, budgets/public contracts, and Oregon’s open meeting law.  Since these are at the heart of his concerns, they should be addressed individually.

   Citizen participation. In order to be funded under the national estuary program, the TCPP must demonstrate to EPA that its activities represent a general consensus among local stakeholders. The best example of the integration of public concern with TBNEP "policy" was the addition of
flooding as the CCMP’s fourth priority problem in 1997. Although flooding was not identified at the start of the TBNEP’s operations, it was added to the CCMP as a direct result of citizen input on the TBNEP Management Committee. Today both the need for, and the impact of, citizen
participation are just as pronounced. As a result, the TCPP Board of Directors and its Advisory Council will continue to be comprised of the full range of interests relating to natural resource management in Tillamook County. The continued success of CCMP implementation requires that
no interested parties or individuals will be denied the opportunity to participate. 

   Budgets/Public contracts.  In order to be legally designated as a 501 c 3 nonprofit, public benefit corporation, the TCPP must meet rigorous standards imposed by the Internal Revenue Service and the Oregon Department of Justice. It is important to note that tests administered by these
agencies with regard to budgeting and contracting continue throughout the life of a corporation through periodic financial and organizational audits. In addition, all grants funded with public monies come with stringent reporting and tracking requirements, further ensuring public accountability. 

   Open meetings law. Meetings of the Performance Partnership have always been open to the public, and they always will be. 

   This letter has tried to clarify the reasons for Performance Partnership’s transition from an organization administered under the county to one that stands independently. It has also tried to provide some facts regarding possible misperceptions about the organization’s future accountability. The TCPP appreciates Commissioner Hanneman’s concerns about the future of
CCMP implementation, and looks forward to his continued participation with the TCPP Executive Board. 

For information on the Performance Partnership and implementation of the CCMP, please do not hesitate to contact us at 322-2222 or drop by our Garibaldi office at 613 Commercial. Our office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m..

© 2002 Tillamook Headlight Herald  and original sources.  Reprinted by permission