The Marion County Board of Commissioners meets Wednesday to reconsider accepting state funding for housing assistance and residential mental health treatment.
Commissioners at a Sept. 21 board meeting postponed a vote to accept $6.31 million from the Oregon Health Authority. The facilities and housing would care for people found unable to aid and assist in their own defense due to a mental illness or disability, as a federal judge in late August set limits on how long such patients could be ordered to receive treatment at the Oregon State Hospital.
That ruling meant around 100 patients became eligible for discharge back to the county from which they were referred.
Commissioners at that meeting described disagreements with the state over the long-term viability of the funding in the community.
The board will also hear a presentation from the Strategic Economic Development Corporation, also known as SEDCOR, with a report on their work over the past quarter.
They will also consider adding $500,000 to a contract with Les Schwab Tire Center to purchase tires and related services for Marion County Public Works vehicles. The new contract would total $600,000.
There will be no public hearings at the meeting.
Meeting details: The commissioners meet at 9 a.m. Wednesday in the Senator Hearing Room at 555 Court Street N.E. Anyone can sign up to give public comment in-person at the meeting. The meeting is streamed live on YouTube.
Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.
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Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered criminal justice and housing for Salem Reporter since September 2021. As an Oregon native, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traversed the state. He has done reporting for The Oregonian, Eugene Weekly and Malheur Enterprise.
