On the agenda: Prineville meeting — data center (Feb 7)

1. Meeting Materials
Documents:
FINANCE COMMITTEE AGENDA 02-07-2025.PDF
FINANCE COMMITTEE SUPPORTING DOCUMENT 02-07-2025
FINANCE_COMMITTEE_MEETING_PUBLIC_NOTICE_2.7.25_MEETING.PDF
FINANCE COMMITTEE SUPPORTING DOCUMENT 02-07-2025
FY26_CROOK_COUNTY_FINANCIAL_POLICIES_-_DRAFT_REDLINE.PDF
FINANCE COMMITTEE SUPPORTING DOCUMENT 02-07-2025
CROOK_COUNTY_FINANCE_COMMITTEE_MEETING_MINUTES_1.16.25.PDF

CROOK COUNTY FINANCE COMMITTEE
AGENDA
Friday, February 7, 2025 at 9:00 am

Crook County Administration Conference Room l 203 NE Court
St. l Prineville OR
Members of the public and media are welcome to attend in person or via Zoom: Phone: 1253-215-8782; Meeting ID: 986 4056 5429; Passcode: 354393

DISCUSSION
1. Review and approve minutes from January 16, 2025 meeting
2. Review and approve recommendations for changes to the fiscal policies to

Commissioners for presentation at the next work session.

NOTICE AND DISCLAIMER
Please note that while County staff members make a dedicated effort to keep this file up
to date, documents and content may be added, removed, or changed between when this
file is posted online and when the meeting is held. The material contained herein may be
changed at any time, with or without notice.

CROOK COUNTY MAKES NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, ACCURACY, FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR FOR ANY OTHER MATTER. THE COUNTY IS NOT
RESPONSIBLE FOR POSSIBLE ERRORS, OMMISSIONS, MISUSE, OR
MISINTERPRETATION.
Please also note that this file does not contain any material scheduled to be discussed at
an executive session, or material the access to which may be restricted under the terms of
Oregon law.
If you are interested in obtaining additional copies of any of the documents contained
herein, they may be obtained by completing a Crook County Public Records Request
form. Request forms are available on the County's website or at the County
Administration office at 203 NE Court Street, in Prineville.

Additional Items
Additional items may be discussed that arise too late to be included as a part of this
notice. To request assistance due to disability or for assistance with language
interpretation or communications aids, please contact the County Administration Office
at 541-447-6555. Assistance to handicapped individuals is provided with advance
notice.

Contact: Christina Haron ([email protected] (541) 447-6554) | Agenda published on
2/5/2025 at 2:22 PM

Public Notice
Crook County Finance Committee
Crook County Finance Committee Meeting, Friday, February 7, 2025, 9:00 AM, in the
Crook County Administration Conference Room located at 203 NE Court Street,
Prineville, OR 97754. The principal subject(s) anticipated to be discussed are: Agenda:
Review and approve minutes from January 16, 2025 meeting. Additional items may be
discussed that arise too late to be included as part of this notice. For complete agenda
please go to www.co.crook.or.us. For information on remote attendance, or to request
assistance due to disability or for assistance with language interpretation or
communications aids, please contact the Crook County Administration Office at
541-447-6555 or Eric Blaine at [email protected]. Assistance to disabled
individuals or persons needing language interpretation is provided with advance notice.
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://crookcountyor.zoom.us/j/98640565429?pwd=vCmwHaEIupKSa7azWnHFdl3qaNk19
d.1
Phone: 1-253-215-8782
Meeting ID: 986 4056 5429
Meeting Passcode: 354393

Crook County Fiscal Policies
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

A. Executive Summary

1

B. Financial Planning and Budgeting Policies

2

C. Financial Reporting Policies

4

D. Revenue Policies

5

E. Expenditure Policies

6

F. Cash Management Policies

7

G. Debt Policies

7

H. Pension Funding Policies

8

I.

Management of Fiscal Policies

8

J.

Definition of Terms

9

A. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Crook County has an important responsibility to its
citizens to protect and manage public funds to ensure
the sustainable provision of services desired by the
County’s citizens. The following financial policies are
designed to establish guidelines for the fiscal stability
of the County. The scope of these policies generally
spans, among other issues, accounting, auditing,
financial reporting, internal controls, operating and
capital budgeting, revenue management, expenditure
control, asset management, cash and investment
management, and planning concepts, debt financing
and pension funding in order to:


Demonstrate to the citizens of Crook County, the
investment community, and the bond rating
agencies that the County is committed to strong
fiscal operations and to the preservation of its
ability to provide the financial stability to navigate
through economic downturns and respond to the
changing needs of the community;



Provide an adequate financial foundation to
sustain a sufficient level of County services to
the community delivered in a cost effective and
efficient manner;



Present fairly and with full disclosure the
financial position and results of operations of
the County and its special districts in conformity
to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
(GAAP); and



Determine and demonstrate compliance with
finance-related legal and contractual issues in
accordance with provisions of the Oregon
Revised Statutes and Administrative Rules,
federal legislation, agreements and other
contractual documents.

These policies apply to all financial operations of
Crook County and all other entities governed by the
Crook County Board of Commissioners.
Page 1 of 10

Crook County Fiscal Policies
B. FIN ANCIAL PLANNING AND BUDGETING
POLIC IES
B1. Oregon Budget Law
In accordance with Oregon Budget Law, Crook
County adopts a balanced budget by individual
fund and in total.
For each fund, total resources, consisting of
beginning net working capital, current year
revenues and other resources, equal total
requirements, which includes personnel,
materials and services, capital outlay, debt
service, transfers, contingencies,
unappropriated ending fund balances, and
reserves for future expenditures.
Additionally budget appropriations are made in
accordance with Oregon Budget Law at the
department, category or program level.
B2. Budget Process
The County’s annual budgeting process engages
management, advisory boards, the Budget
Committee, the County Board of Commissioners
as well as public comment received throughout
the year so that major policy issues, department
goals and objectives are identified, reconciled,
and aligned with County Board of
Commissioners goals and objectives. The
reconciled and aligned goals and objectives are
incorporated into the annual budget with
resources directed to achieve the goals.
The proposed budget is presented to the Budget
Committee in public meetings held in the spring
of each year. The Budget Committee approves
the budget, property tax rate for operations and
levy amount for any general obligation debt,
with amendments to address issues identified
during the budget review process including those
raised by the public.
The County Board of Commissioners, at a public
meeting in prior to July 1, and after a public hearing,
Page 2 of 10

adopts the budget, property tax rate for operations
and levy amount for any general obligation debt,
with amendments, limited to ten percent in each
fund, to address items raised by the public,
themselves, or subsequent emerging items.
The adopted budget is a living document for the
fiscal year, meaning it may be amended
throughout the year to address emerging
opportunities, risks and/or changes in conditions.
B3. Budget Adjustments
All budget adjustment requests will be
submitted to the Finance Department for
analysis. The County’s Financial Officer will
determine the need for the adjustment and, if
necessary, prepare the resolution and any
required public notices for the proposed
adjustment for County Board of Commissioners
consideration to ensure compliance with
budget laws.
B4. Net Working Capital (Contingency)
In order to maintain a prudent level of financial
resources to avoid reducing service levels,
borrowing between funds during the fiscal year,
increasing fees, and/or raising taxes (i.e. voterapproved local option levy) due to revenue
shortfalls and unforeseeable one-time
expenditures, the minimum net working capital
balances, as of the beginning and end of each
fiscal year, will be determined and established
by the Finance Director. Net working capital
indicates funds readily available to meet current
expenditures.
The determined minimum balances and actual
and/or estimated amounts will be reported in
the budget document and quarterly financial
reports. In the event net working capital falls
below the established thresholds, the Finance
Director shall provide the County Board of
Commissioners for Board of Commissioners
approval a plan to restore compliance.

Crook County Fiscal Policies
The following table summarizes the minimum
net working capital for each fund.:
FUND
PERIOD TO FUND*
Operating Funds
General
Road
Sheriff’s Office (excluding
Parole & Probation)
Parole & Probation
Community Development
Health Services
Library
Veterans Services
Special Transportation
Video Lottery
Surveyor
Tourism
Fairgrounds
Landfill

Weed Control
Airport
Facilities

5 months
12 months
5 months

Property tax funded
Major capital improvement risk
Property tax funded

3 months
18 months
4 months

Quarterly state funding
Volatile activity, 100% fee supported
Federal, state, and local funding excluding passthrough funding
Property tax funded
State and local funding
State and federal funding
Quarterly state funding
100% fee-funded services
Quarterly local funding
Diversified local funding
100% fee-funded services; 3 mos operating,
$4.28M+ for post closure liability and $250k for
capital repair
Federal and local funding, 100% fees
Federal, state, and local funding
Internal service funding

5 months
3 months
3 months
3 months
6 months
3 months
3 months
3 months +
$4.28 million
6 months
6 months
3 months

Other Funds
Clerk Special Revenue
Taylor Grazing
Title III
Risk Management
Community College Edu Center
Crooked River Watershed
Capital Asset Reserve
Capital Projects
Debt Service

None
None
None
None 6 months
None
None
None
None
None

County Special Districts
OSU Extension
Historical Society (Museum)
Crook County Road Agency

5 months
5 months
None

Page 3 of 10

FUNDING SOURCES, COMMENTS

Local funding
Non-operational federal funding
Non-operational federal funding
Internal service funding
Funded per agreement
Pass-through activity
Emergency and opportunities fund
Capital projects fund
Debt service fund
Property tax funded
Property tax funded
Pass-through activity

Crook County Fiscal Policies
* Period to fund is calculated based upon average of budgeted Personnel, budgeted Materials & Services,
budgeted Debt Service, and 20% of budgeted Capital Outlay expenditures for the current fiscal year.
B5. Long-Range Planning
implemented or if no action is taken.
Each year the County will update resource and
C. FIN ANCIAL REPORTING POLICIES
requirement forecasts for major operating
funds for the next five years, including an
updated five-year Capital Improvement Plan
(CIP) for all capital equipment, vehicles,
transportation improvements, landfill
improvements, fairground facilities, and
building improvements (see also B7 below). The
forecasts will be included in the annual budget
to facilitate budget decisions and strategic
planning, based on a multi-year perspective.
B6. Budget Awards Program
The County will submit its annual budget to the
Government Finance Officers Association
(GFOA) Distinguished Budget Presentation
Awards Program in order to hold a best
practices standard of preparing budget
documents of the very highest quality.
B7. Capital Assets and Improvements
The County’s asset capitalization policy is to
capitalize and depreciate assets greater than
$10,000 with a useful life beyond one year and
repairs or maintenance greater than $10,000
that extend the useful life of the asset beyond
one additional year. Capital assets or repairs
costing less than $10,000 or having a useful life
or increasing useful life of one year or less will
be treated as operating expenditures.
Annually, the County will approve a five-year
Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), congruent with
the adoption of its budget, starting with the
Fiscal Year 2024 budget. The CIP shall provide
details on each capital project: its estimated
costs, sources of financing and a description,
including a statement identifying the needs,
conditions, and circumstances that have caused
the project’s creation, as well as the expected
results if the project is approved and
Page 4 of 10

C1. Accounting
The County’s accounting systems and financial
reports will be in conformance with all state
and federal laws, generally accepted accounting
principles (GAAP), as well as standards of the
Governmental Accounting Standards Board
(GASB) and the Government Finance Officers
Association (GFOA).
C2. Internal Controls
Financial systems, procedures and processes
will maintain internal controls to monitor
revenues, expenditures, program performance,
and grant requirements on an ongoing basis.
C3. Annual Audit
An annual audit will be performed by an
independent public accounting firm, licensed as
a municipal auditor, with an audit opinion to be
included with the County’s published annual
financial report.
C4. Annual Financial Report
The annual financial report shall demonstrate
compliance with finance-related legal and
contractual provisions, including disclosures in
sufficient detail to minimize ambiguities and
potential for misleading inference.
The County’s annual financial report will be
provided as required to stakeholders to enable
them to make informed decisions and it will
also be posted on the County’s website.
As a continuing disclosure requirement, the
annual financial report will be provided via
electronic submission to the Electronic Municipal
Securities Rulemaking Board (EMMA).

Crook County Fiscal Policies
C5. Quarterly Financial Reports
The Finance Department will collaborate with
all County departments, to prepare quarterly
financial reports that will include unaudited
comparisons of actual to budget, with updated
full-year estimates of revenue and
expenditures. The report will also include
narrative highlighting progress made on goals
and other initiatives, including explanation to
any material changes to delivery of budgeted
activity and revenue or expenditures. These
reports will be posted to the County’s website.
C6. Financial Accounting Activity
The Finance Department will oversee the
County’s enterprise resource planning (ERP)
financial systems and perform financial
transactional activity, including review and
adjustments, reconciliations, and allocations.
ERP information will be accounted for timely
and accurately, with daily posting and review of
transactions. Inquiry and transactional access to
ERP information and systems will be available,
consistent with internal control protocols, to all
Board of Commissioners, elected officials,
management, and authorized staff to facilitate
oversight, accountability, and timely decision
making.
D. REVENUE POLICIES
D1. Revenue Diversification
The County will diversity diversify its revenue
streams to reduce reliance on property taxes
and potential negative implications to service
delivery resulting from fluctuations in revenue
sources.
D2. Property Taxes
The County’s general operating levy will be used
primarily to fund the Sheriff’s Office, Library,
Clerk’s office, Assessor’s office, District
Attorney’s office, Juvenile Services, Health
Services, Veterans Services, the Fairgrounds,
Page 5 of 10

and the Historical Society. Additionally,
property taxes may be utilized to support voterapproved debt for capital items.

D3. Fees and Charges
User fees and charges will be established for
services that benefit specific individuals or
organizations. The amount of individual fees will
be established at amounts that do not exceed
the full cost of delivering a service. The County
will annually review and adjust all fees, licenses,
permits, fines, and other miscellaneous charges
in conjunction with the budget process. Factors
for fee or charge adjustments will include the
impact of inflation, the cost of federal and state
mandates, gained efficiencies, and updates/
revisions to rate setting methodologies.
D4. Billing Rates
The County shall establish billing rates for its
employees and capital equipment, including
vehicles. The rates will be determined on a fullcost recovery basis. These rates will be charged
to internal and external customers as incurred.
D5. Collection Policy
The County shall timely pursue collection of
delinquent accounts. Interest may be charged
on past due accounts, and when so charged the
rate shall be at statutory rates unless another
rate is imposed by agreement or statute. When
necessary, the County may discontinue service,
present a case at small claims Board of
Commissioners, send accounts to collection
agencies, foreclose on property, assign liens,
and use other methods of collection, such as
imposing penalties, collection fees, and late
charges.
D6. Use of One-Time Revenue
Generally, one-time revenue shall be directed
to non-recurring capital requirements, debt

Crook County Fiscal Policies
retirement, contribution to capital reserves,
contribution to PERS unfunded liability or other
liability, and other non-recurring expenses.
One-time revenue shall not be used to fund
ongoing operations, unless the County, in the
context of a multi-year financial plan, chooses
to address funding gaps and other operating
requirements with future funding to sustain
those operations identified and documented.
D7. Use of Unpredictable Revenue
Revenue of a limited or undefined term will
generally be used for capital projects or onetime operating expenditures to ensure that no
ongoing service programs are lost when such
revenue is reduced or discontinued.
D8. Pursuit of Grant Funding
Grants are generally contributions from one
government to another, usually for a specific
purpose. Grants may come with matching fund
and/or other requirements. Grants will be
approved consistent with the County’s
Purchasing Rules and Procedures as described
in Crook County Code 3.12.
Additionally, all potential grants that require
matching funds, on-going resource
requirements, or include new or additional
continuing compliance requirements shall be
evaluated and considered before submittal of
the application. The evaluation shall be
overseen and/or performed by the Finance
Director in collaboration with the receiving
department.
D9. Revenue Estimates
Revenue will be estimated annually in the
budget process in a conservative manner using
objective and analytical approaches, with fiveyear forecasts as noted above. Forecasts of
current year revenue will be updated quarterly
as noted in B5 above.

Page 6 of 10

E. EXPENDITURE POLICIES

E1. Expenditures will be controlled through
appropriate internal controls and procedures.
Management must ensure expenditures comply
with the adopted budget. Department
directors, managers, or division managers will
be responsible for the administration of their
department/division budget(s). This includes
accomplishing the goals and objectives
incorporated into the budget and monitoring
each department/division budget for
compliance with spending limitations.
E2. The County Board of Commissioners Chair will
administer expenditure control at the category
or divisional level. Additionally, the County
Board of Commissioners Chair may give
authorization to mandate expenditure control
down to any line-item level. Expenditures
anticipated to be in excess of these levels will
require County Board of Commissioners
approval.
E3. All purchases of goods and services must
comply with the County’s purchasing policies,
guidelines, and procedures, as well as with state
and federal laws and regulations.
E4. All compensation planning and collective
bargaining will include analyses of the total cost
of compensation, which includes but is not
limited to analysis of salary increases, health
benefits, pension contributions, and other
fringe benefits.
E5. The County uses internal service charges to
account for services provided by one department
to other departments on a cost-recovery basis.
The departments providing internal services
include Administration/County Board of
Commissioners, Facilities, Finance, GIS, Human
Resources, Information Technology, and Legal
Counsel.

Crook County Fiscal Policies
Goals of an internal service charge include but
are not limited to the following:

a. To improve operational efficiency and
effectiveness.
b. To enhance accountability and transparency
of administrative and related overhead costs.
c. To measure the full cost of providing services
for the purpose of fully recovering that cost
through fees or charges to user departments.
E6. County staff are to make every effort to control
expenditures to ensure County services and
programs provided to its citizens and taxpayers
are cost effective and efficient. Expenditures
that will reduce future costs will be
encouraged.
F. CASH MAN AGEMEN T POLICIES

F1. Investments
County funds will be invested in a prudent and
diligent manner with emphasis on safety,
liquidity, and yield, in that order. The County
will conform to all state and local statutes
governing the investment of public funds and to
the County’s investment policy. The County’s
investment policy shall be approved by the
State of Oregon Short-Term Fund Board as
required and reviewed by the County Board of
Commissioners annually, or as otherwise
needed.
F2. Banking Services
The County will periodically review its banking
services (no less than every five years). If fees
and/or services of the existing banking
relationships are not meeting expectations
and/or pricing of competitors is materially less
than present relationships, the County will seek
requests for proposals for banking services.
F3. Annual Validation of County Bank Accounts
Page 7 of 10

Each year a letter is to be mailed to all banking
institutions operating within Crook County to
validate that the only Crook County accounts,
listing Crook County or a Crook County
department as the owner of the account and
utilizing the County’s federal identification
number, are those accounts that have been
approved by the County Board of
Commissioners and request that each bank
notify the County of any accounts in operation
within their financial institutions that are not on
the approved list.

F4. Authorization and Management
The County Board of Commissioners shall by
action of the Board of Commissioners authorize
all bank accounts and authorized signatories to
those bank accounts. The Finance Director shall
manage all banking and investment related
services for the County.
F5. Credit/Purchase Cards
The Finance Director, in consultation with the
Board of Commissioners Chair, is authorized to
set up credit/ purchase cards for County staff as
requested, consistent with purchasing
limitations.
F6. Internal Controls and Performance Auditing
Policies
Employees in the public sector are responsible
to the taxpayers for how public resources are
used and must perform their duties in
compliance with law, policy, and established
procedures. In order to provide citizens with an
objective and independent appraisal of County
government, the County will maintain an
independent audit program to evaluate and
report on the financial condition, the accuracy
of financial record keeping, compliance with
applicable laws, policies, guidelines and
procedures, and efficiency and effectiveness of
operations.

Crook County Fiscal Policies
G. DEBT POLICIES

G1. The Finance Director is responsible to structure all
debt issuances and oversees the on-going
management of all County debt including general
obligations, lease purchase agreements, revenue
bonds, full faith and credit bonds, promissory notes,
equipment financing agreements and any other
contractual arrangements that obligate the County
to make future principal and interest payments.
G2. No debt will be issued for which a sufficient
specifically identified revenue source(s) is(are)
available for repayment. The Finance Director
shall prepare an analysis of the source(s) of
repayment prior to issuance of any debt.
G3. When issuing long-term debt, the County will
ensure that debt is only incurred when
necessary and when all of the following
conditions are met:
a. For capital improvements too large to be
financed from current resources,
b. The useful life of a financed improvement
must exceed the life of the related debt,
c. The benefits of financing exceed the cost of
borrowing, and
d. Operating costs related to capital
improvements are adequately considered,
forecasted, and matched with corresponding
revenue before debt is issued.
G4. The County will manage and administer its longterm debt in compliance with the restrictions
and limitations of state law with regard to
bonded indebtedness for counties as outlined in
the Oregon Revised Statutes.
The statutes outline the processes for public
hearings, public notice and bond elections, as
well as provision for the issuance and sale of
bonds and restrictions on the use of those bond
proceeds.
Page 8 of 10

These statutory restrictions establish legal
limitations on the level of limited tax and
general obligation bonded debt which can be
issued by the County (limit of 1% and 2% of the
real market value of all taxable property,
respectively).
All bond issuances and promissory notes will be
authorized by resolution of the County Board of
Commissioners.

G5. The County will not use long-term debt to fund
current operations, to balance the budget, or to
fund projects that can be funded from current
resources. The County may use short-term debt
or interfund loans as permitted by law to cover
temporary cash flow needs resulting from a
delay in grant proceeds or other revenues and
delay in the issuance of long-term debt.
G6. The County will, through prudent financial
management and budgeting practices, strive to
maintain or enhance its Moody’s or S&P credit
ratings for full faith and credit debt and for
general obligation debt.
G7. The County will ensure that adequate
procedures are in place to meet the post
issuance obligations of borrowers to report
periodic financial information and to disclose
certain events of interest to bond holders in a
timely manner.
H. PENSION FUNDING POLICIES

H1. The County will use its best efforts to fund its
pension obligations in an equitable and
sustainable manner.
H2. The County participates in the Oregon Public
Employees Retirement System (PERS) as an
Employer within the State and Local
Government Rate Pool. The following principles
and objectives shall guide the County:

Crook County Fiscal Policies
a. PERS provides no less than biennially an
actuarially determined contribution rate
(ADC) to serve as the basis for minimum
contributions.

b. The County will prepare a PERS rate
stabilization plan during on or before the
end of Fiscal Year 20286 to more equitably
fund PERS costs on a sustainable basis and
update annually thereafter, with a goal of
ensuring its funding status is between 90%
and 110% of its actuarially determined
liability.
H3. To continue the County’s accountability and
transparency, the County will communicate all
of the information necessary for assessing the
County’s progress toward meeting its pension
funding objectives periodically, but no less than
annually.
I.

MANAGEMENT OF FISCAL POLICIES

I1. Fiscal policies and changes in policies shall be
approved by the County Board of Commissioners
and adopted by resolution after a public hearing
is held. The approval may be inclusive of the
annual budget adoption process and the
associated resolutions to that process.
I2. The Finance Director or designee shall prepare a
report explaining the substantive impact of all
changes recommended and their impact on the
County’s operations, service levels, and/or
finances.
I3. The Finance Committee shall review the County’s
fiscal policies annually and shall provide
recommended changes to the County Manager
for consideration. . The Finance Committee shall
consist of the County Treasurer, Finance Director
and one other member appointed by the County
Manager.
Page 9 of 10

I4. The County Board of Commissioners Chair shall
implement fiscal policies and monitor
compliance.
I5. If the County Board of Commissioners Chair
discovers a material deviation from policy, it shall
be reported in writing to the County Board of
Commissioners in a timely manner.
I6. As a part of the County’s annual budget
document, the County Judge’s Board of
Commissioner Chair’s budget message shall
identify the following:
a. All major changes in policy since the previous
budget year,
b. Any material variations from policy in the
ensuing year’s budget, and
c. Funds that do not meet reserve
requirements, along with the developed plan
to restore the reserves to the desired levels.
J. DEFINITION OF TERMS
Budget Committee
A committee consisting of the three County
Commissioners and an equal number of citizen
members appointed by the County Board of
Commissioners.
Capital Improvement Plan (CIP)
The CIP is a schedule of capital projects including
estimated cost and timing. There is a separate CIP
for each major infrastructure system in the County,
such as roads, landfill, airport, jail, information
technology, County facilities, and vehicles.
Category level
For budget control purposes, categories include
personnel services, materials and services, capital
outlay, debt service, transfers, contingency,
reserves, and unappropriated.
Debt Coverage Ratio (DCR)
Represents the ratio of net revenues available to
pay scheduled debt service. A ratio of 1.0 reflects

Crook County Fiscal Policies
“net revenues” equal to scheduled debt service. A
ratio greater than 1.0 reflects net revenues in
excess of scheduled debt services and a ratio less
than 1.0 indicates net revenue is less than
scheduled debt service.
Divisional level
For budget control purposes, divisional level would
include the jail within the Sheriff’s Office. Other
divisions may include the building and electrical
divisions within the Community Development
Department.
Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA)
The national finance officers’ organization whose

Page 10 of 10

purpose is to enhance and promote the
professional management of governments for the
public benefit by identifying and developing
financial policies and best practices, while
promoting their use through education, training,
facilitation of member networking, and leadership.
Net Working Capital
Net working capital indicates funds readily available
to meet current expenditures. Formula: Current
assets - Current liabilities = Net working capital
Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS)
Oregon’s compilation of state laws including rules
of civil procedure.

CROOK COUNTY FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
OF JANUARY 16, 2025 MEETING
Be It Remembered that the Crook County Finance Committee met on January 16, 2025, at
10:06 am in the County meeting room located at 203 NE Court St, Prineville, OR 97754.
Finance Committee Members Present: Treasurer, Galan Carter; County Manager, Will Van Vactor;
and Finance Director, Christina Haron
Absentees: None
Board of Commissioner Members Present: None
Others Present in Person or Via Zoom: Sheri , John Gautney
MEETING
The meeting was called to order at 10:06 am by Christina Haron.
Public Comment: None
MINUTES
Christina Haron passed out a paper copy of the current fiscal policies adopted by the County Board
of Commissioners in 2024 for Fiscal Year 2025 and shared the electronic version on the screen for
those attending via Zoom. She mentioned that the fiscal policies can also be found in the Budget
Document posted on the County’s website for fiscal year 2025 on page 219. She then asked if
anyone needed time to review the document before proceeding. No one requested time to review.
Christina Haron asked how the committee would like to move through the document and discuss
suggestions. Galan Carter recommended that the committee review the document on a page-bypage basis and discuss items on the pages where each member had suggested changes to the
document. Christina would record the changes in a Word document with the committee’s
recommended changes for presentation of the redline document to the County Board of
Commissioners for approval consideration.
There were no suggested changes or discussions for pages 1 or 2 of the document regarding the
Executive Summary or Financial Planning and Budgeting Policies.
On page 3, regarding continued Financial Planning and Budgeting Policies, Christina Haron
suggested that the Net Working Capital requirements for the Sheri ’s O ice be split out between
the Sheri ’s O ice and the Parole and Probation Department due to the di erence in revenue
streams. The Sheri ’s O ice, excluding Parole & Probation, is property tax-funded, received once a
year, whereas Parole & Probation is entirely grant-funded and receives quarterly payments. She
suggested the Sheri ’s O ice, excluding Parole & Probation, continue to be subject to the 5-month
Net Working Capital period to fund requirement but that Parole & Probation be subject to only a 3month period to fund requirement. The other committee members agree with this suggestion.

Also on page 3, Christina Haron questioned the need for a Net Working Capital requirement for the
Risk Management Fund due to that fund not being a fund that is used for operating and is intended
to cover unexpected items such as liability insurance and workers comp deductibles. That fund is
funded by internal service fees. The committee agreed to recommend that the Risk Management
Fund should not be subject to a Net Working Capital requirement.
Additionally, on page 3, Christina Haron suggested rewording the note regarding the period to fund
at the bottom of the page, citing it as ambiguous. There was discussion between the committee
members about how best to word that note to ensure clarity of the calculation for period to fund.
The final recommended wording of the note was settled on as follows “Period to fund is calculated
based upon the average of budgeted Personnel, budgeted Materials & Services, budgeted Debt
Service, and 20% of budgeted Capital Outlay expenditures for the current fiscal year.”
There were no suggested changes or discussion on page 4 regarding continuing Financial Planning
and Budgeting Policies and Financial Reporting Policies.
On page 5, regarding Revenue Policies, Galan Carter requested to correct the word “diversity” to
“diversify” under D1 relating to Revenue Diversification. The committee agreed to recommend that
change.
On page 6, Will Van Vactor discussed the second paragraph under D8 regarding grant requirements
and whether it was correct considering the new grant requirements revisions made to the County
Code in 2024 as well as the County’s vision for grant application processes moving forward. The
committee discussed the new changes under the County Code and determined that the only
recommended change was to strike out the last sentence that read, “The evaluation shall be
overseen and/or performed by the Finance Director in collaboration with the receiving department.”
There were no suggested changes or discussion for pages 7 or 8 regarding Cash Management
Policies, Debt Policies, or Pension Funding Policies.
On page 9, regarding continued Pension Funding Policies under H2.b., Christina Haron requested
updating the language regarding the PERS rate stabilization plan citing the upcoming potential
changes to the County’s funding when the data centers come on the tax roll. The committee
members discussed and settled on recommended wording to replace “during Fiscal Year 2026”
with “on or before the end of Fiscal Year 2028”
Also on page 9, Christina Haron asked the committee to recommend a change to I3 under the
Management of Fiscal Policies to add clarity about the members of the Finance Committee and
their role. The committee members discussed the need for clarity and agreed to recommend the
following changes to I3 by removing the period and adding the following wording “and shall provide
recommended changes to the County Manager for consideration. The Finance Committee shall
consist of the County Treasurer, Finance Director, and one other member appointed by the County
Manager.” Will Van Vactor questioned whether the Finance Committee definition belonged in the
Definition of Terms or written out under Section I. The committee discussed and agreed that the

only place where the Finance Committee was mentioned was under Section I so the decision was
made to recommend the definition remain within the body I3 rather than be moved to the definition
of terms. Will Van Vactor requested that County Counsel review the wording to ensure that it met
all needed requirements. Christina Haron said she would send it to County Counsel’s o ice for
review.
Finally on page 9, under I6, Will Van Vactor noticed that the word “Judge” needed to be corrected to
the “Board of Commissioners, Chair” as the County no longer has a County Judge. The committee
agreed to this recommendation.
There were no suggested changes or discussion for page 10 regarding the Definition of Terms
section.
Christina Haron asked if there were any other comments, questions, or changes in the document to
be considered. All committee members agreed there were no more.
Christina Haron asked if the committee members were comfortable with their recommendations
being sent to the Commissioners for approval consideration. The committee members agreed they
were.
There being no further business before the Finance Committee, the meeting was adjourned at
10:48 am by Christina Haron.
Respectfully submitted,
Christina Haron