Deschutes board considers whistleblower hotline

(Update: Commissioners review proposals; comments from county staff)

Deschutes County commissioners on Monday considered the introduction of a whistleblower hotline for people to report suspected misconduct by county employees. That includes theft, forgery or receiving something of value from someone who was awarded a contract by the county.

Residents would be able to anonymously report issues regarding all elected officials, including officers, employees and agents of Deschutes County, including the 911 Service District.

The hotline would not apply to the Sunriver or Black Butte Ranch service district, OSU Extension Service or road districts.

Deschutes County already has a misconduct reporting and detention policy, but officials want to incorporate whistleblower procedures and protections, which are required by the state.

If you were to report someone through the hotline, it would be anonymous. The service would include a phone number, website, email or fax for you to report allegations.

Chris Bell, assistant county counsel, told commissioners the public would be able to file a report, but the hotline is mainly geared toward county employees who are worried about retaliation from colleagues.

“I think employees can go to their supervisor, they can go to their department head, they can talk to the county auditor or to county legal (staff) and make complaints that way, or the risk manager,” Bell said. “This way, they don’t have to do any of that. They can just pick up a phone and call.”

The hotline would be operated by a third party and would be managed by the county’s internal auditor.

Monday was the first time Bell presented this new policy to county commissioners. They said they are mainly concerned that there are no limits proposed to what people could complain about.

“An example brought up was the expertise in picking cherries,” Bell said. “Somebody may believe there’s a better way to pick cherries or not. Are they going to be able to complain about this policy? I think the answer to that is, ‘yes.’ Anybody can complain about that, but whether that complaint is actionable or not is to be left to be decided by county administration, risk management, etc.”

Bell estimated the service would cost $3,000 to $5,000 annually. He said he hopes it will be implemented as soon as possible. Bell said he will meet with county commissioners again in a couple of weeks to discuss a revised policy.

Also on Monday, commissioners reviewed the selection process for a new heating, ventilation air conditioning system at the county’s Health Services building on Northeast Courtney Drive.

The building was closed for two weeks in the winter after employees reported strong odors. The Bend Fire Department conducted air quality tests and determined the poor air quality was likely a result of low levels of carbon monoxide, a consequence of the building’s heating and cooling systems design.

The current HVAC system has been in place since 1997, when the building was created. Lee Randall, the county’s facilities director, said HVAC systems typically last about 20 years.

The county has since modified those systems, but now it is looking into a complete replacement to a different type of system.

“Issues that we experienced in March were significant,” Randall said. “They really drove, one, closing down the building; two, expediting the replacement of the system; and three, finding a system that would avoid those problems in the future.”

Randall said the top goal with the new system is to remove a majority of the combustion and create a separation between flue gases and the air intake for the building.

Another part of the project involves replacing the building’s roof.

Randall estimated the entire project will cost $650,000. He hopes all of the units will be installed, with half of them functioning, by Oct. 1.