Commissioners join nationwide celebration, sign proclamation for National County Government Month

Deschutes County is proud to join communities across the nation in celebrating National County Government Month throughout the month of April. On Wednesday, April 16, the County Board of Commissioners officially recognized the observance by signing a proclamation that encourages residents to learn how county government impacts their day-to-day lives.

“Deschutes County government touches the lives of our community in more ways than people realize,” said Board of Commissioners Chair, Tony DeBone. “Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our staff and elected offices, Deschutes County is a great place to live, work and play!”

The County’s mission is to enhance the lives of citizens by delivering quality services in a cost-effective manner. Employees provide a wide range of essential services including constructing and maintaining roads, ensuring public safety, assessing property values and collecting taxes, overseeing elections, administering immunizations, inspecting restaurants, and hosting the County Fair.

Here are a few highlights of services provided in the past year:

• Clerk’s Office – Successfully administered the 2024 Presidential General Election, processing a record number of ballots, with 79%, or 128,586 of registered voters in Deschutes County casting a ballot.
• Road Department - Completed 71 miles of chip seal, 6.4 miles of contracted slurry seal and 10.9 miles of paving on county roadways and provided more chip sealing for the cities of Redmond, La Pine and Sisters.
• Environmental Health – Inspected 1,140 licensed food services facilities (850 restaurants, 290 food units), 149 lodging establishments (including motels, hotels, resorts, RV parks, and campgrounds), and 301 public pools and spas to ensure that safety standards were met and to prevent the spread of disease.
• Property Management – Removed vegetation from nearly 90-acres of County-owned property across the greater-County to reduce the risk of wildfire.
• Natural Resources - The FireFree program successfully collected and disposed of 29,179 cubic yards of material to create defensible spaces and reduce wildfire risk in Central Oregon.
• Solid Waste – Transitioned the hazardous waste disposal program to in-house operations, expanding disposal opportunities for residents throughout the County.
• Public Health – Provided skilled public health services to students in all 14 Bend-La Pine middle and high schools through the Healthy Schools program.
• Fair & Expo Center – Successfully hosted the 2024 Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo, with the Youth Livestock Auction raising the highest amount in Fair history.

Deschutes County residents are invited to learn more about the county and how services impact their daily lives by visiting the county website, following our social media platforms, or signing up to attend County College. 

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Media contact:

Kim Katchur, Public Information Officer

(541) 322-7441