Commissioners approve wastewater and bridge projects

The Yamhill County Board of Commissioners approved a staff request to apply for grant funding for a rural sewer project Thursday but questioned a survey identifying residents as low-income.

County Public Works requested authority to apply for a roughly $1 million Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for a Cove Orchard wastewater system rehabilitation project. Before it could apply, the county had to prove more than half of residents qualified as low- to moderate-income, which was completed through a 52-home survey, according to Public Works Director Mark Lago.

Commissioner Mary Starrett inquired about the need for a survey, and Lago said it was a requirement of the grant.

“To be able to apply for this grant (we) had to establish they were a low to moderate income community,” he said. “(The survey) had nothing to do with their background, ethnicity or anything like that. It was strictly to find out what the income is of the community.”

CDBG can be used for public infrastructure, community facilities, housing rehabilitation or small business training and can provide up to $2.5 million for projects like wastewater rehab.

If approved, the grant will be used for design, environmental review and construction of replacement mainlines, manholes, 14 septic tanks and upgrades to flow monitoring, according to Lago.

The survey took several months to complete and included three questions asking residents for their household income and how many lived in the home, according to Lago.

“There were no names given or anything,” he said.

The board also approved amendments to an agreement with the Oregon Department of Transportation that will release $3.8 million in federal funds for construction of a concrete replacement for the Patty Lane bridge over Ash Swale.

The project is estimated at a total cost of $5.2 million, which includes $533,875 in county matching funds.

“We’re getting a good deal,” Board Chair Kit Johnston said.

During commissioner comments, the board thanked staff for its work preparing a budget for fiscal year 2026-27. The budget committee met throughout the week to hammer out details.

“It was a lot of work,” Starrett said. “So, I’m glad we have a balanced budget, and no new taxes, nobody lost their jobs, services are intact and we’re in good shape.”

Look for coverage of the county budget discussions in next week’s News-Register issues.