County administrator: Lane County will be able to access $19.56 million EPA resiliency grant Jan. 10; elections director to depart

Lane County's administrator updated commissioners Jan. 7 that the county finalized a grant agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a resiliency program worth $19,555,386 and that the county will be able to request funds beginning Jan. 10.

The administrator said the finalized agreement starts a 21-day clock after which the county can access the funds; the 21-day clock ends Friday, Jan. 10. The funding is intended to support resiliency hubs and related planning work; county staff said next steps include standing up subcontracts and beginning work in the first quarter of 2025.

The administrator also announced that Dina Dawson, the county elections director and county clerk, has accepted a position as director of elections for the state of Oregon and will leave Lane County on Jan. 17. He praised the elections office staff and said the county will manage the transition and post a recruitment or interim plan as required.

The administrator noted an upcoming Lane Regional Resilience Collaborative partners meeting and a separate retreat to coordinate grid and transportation resilience projects with partner agencies. He said the total package of work tied to resilience includes the EPA grant and additional technical assistance and transportation resilience funding that together amount to roughly $30 million of work across partners.

Commissioners asked for follow-up briefings on implementation details, subcontracts and budget impacts; the administrator said staff would report back and that a regional partners meeting is scheduled for the week following the announcement.