Food Bank Project: The Benton County Board of Commissioners meet again Tuesday, March 21 at 9 am. The first two hours will be a work session, after which, they’ll move into a business meeting agenda at 11 am, which includes public hearings on two block grants.
Commissioners will take the final step towards completing the funding process for the Food Bank project. It’s funded with a community development block grant from the Oregon Business Development Department.
It is estimated that the project has already benefited at least 56,000 persons of whom (100%) are low or moderate income, according to the county. Currently the county has faced the challenges of obtaining the necessary funding for procurement of equipment (trucks, etc.)
The other block grant on the agenda is the Childcare Scholarship project which is estimated to have assisted 100 low-income people. Both grants were for $250,000 each,
“The purpose of the hearing is for Benton County to obtain citizens views about the project and to take comments about the local government’s performance,” according to the County.
Written comments must be submitted by March 20, at 5pm. For agenda and meeting materials, and to attend online, click here.
County and Regional Health Assessments: Benton County in collaboration with neighboring counties have completed the regional health assessment (CHA) and will now be sharing those results with community members in order to complete a regional community health improvement plan (CHIP).
Back in 2022, the Benton County Health Department, in collaboration with the Partnership for Community Health: Linn, Benton & Lincoln Counties, began a regional community health assessment and improvement planning process.
In a release from the county, the CHIP guides how the region focuses resources that are working to improve the health of all people who live, work, learn and play in Linn, Benton, and Lincoln counties.
The county is holding two virtual meetings to review the data collected during the project and are asking the community for input on priorities for the regional CHIP.
- March 22, 2023, 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. (Virtual)
- April 4, 2023, 10:00 -11:00 a.m. (Virtual)
For additional information: BentonHealthyCommunties@bentoncountyor.gov
County Recruitment: Benton County issued a press release announcing that they are recruiting membership for the Environment and Natural Resources Advisory Committee (ENRAC).
In the release, the county stated that the Committee researches topics and provides input to County leadership in areas related to Benton County’s 2040 Vision Statement: “To protect, conserve, and enhance our treasured, limited natural resources and prepare for future environmental challenges.”
The ENRAC has pursued topics like climate change, community forests, food and agriculture, and watershed planning.
Those interested can apply on the county website: https://www.co.benton.or.us/boc/webform/application-benton-county-advisory-boards-commissions-and-committees
By Jennifer Williams
