The Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center Authority has asked Umatilla County to draft a set of policies that would help define the boards fiscal and ethical responsibilities.

The request came in response to a letter and memorandum delivered from the county to the EOTEC board at its Friday meeting. Connie Caplinger, the executive assistant to the county commissioners, presented the letter on behalf of Commissioner Dennis Doherty.

The county has said it will not transfer the nearly $3 million from the sale of the fairgrounds until the EOTEC?board has the guidelines in place. The county gave the EOTEC board the option of drafting its own policies, but offered its services.

I think it would be appropriate to ask the county to develop some procedures in accordance with the memo theyre giving us, said Ed Brookshier, the EOTEC chair and Hermiston City Manager. Thats going to be a lot quicker than any other way to get there.

Doherty said a draft of the policies should be complete for the?next EOTEC meeting on Sept. 28. The Sept. 14 meeting was cancelled because of the Pendleton Round-Up.

Brookshier said county staff plan to tailor fiscal procedures to the needs of the trade and event center board, including adding public meetings law, public contracts, purchasing policies, investment, budgeting, audit and ethics laws.

The county is scheduled to bring the modified policies back to the board for review.

Doherty said Thursday the requirements will enable the authority to put a financial statement together to present to potential donors, allow the transfer of the $2,994,619.50, and comply with accounting principles required of a public body.

This is what the EOTEC Authority is bound to as a public entity, Doherty said. Most of this had to do with fiscal controls and this what our county staff thinks is the minimum that you need to have in place.

As a public body the authority has to follow public contracting requirements in all purchases, policies need to be in place authorizing a purchasing party and what is allowed to be purchased and budgeting law has to be followed even before services are provided by the facility.

The authority is also subject to annual audits and ethics laws as well as all legal requirements followed by the city of Hermiston and the county, according to the memorandum.

Board members also approved a motion to consider a prospective proposal for a draft contract that could result in a $75,000 contract with Superlative Group, Inc., a Cleveland, Ohio-based consulting firm.

The firm, if hired, could provide a feasibility study to gauge what kind of trade and event center to build.

If enacted, a proposed contract, tentatively between the city and The Superlative Group, Inc., would also provide fundraising assistance for improvements to Kennison Field.

Contract services would be paid for from the $6.4 million state lottery grant the city is a recipient of, Brookshier said.

A meeting is tentatively planned for early September to further discuss the proposed contract.

Were a long way from learning the answers to what we will finally be building, Brookshier said.

Brookshier said the feasibility study would provide the authority with a lot more information on what is feasible given our demographics, what kind of event center could be supported here.

The board also officially announced an opening on the EOTEC Authority. Preference for the open position will be given to those on the Umatilla County Fair Board.

Former board member Buzz Brazeau confirmed his resignation to Commissioner Larry Givens on Aug. 17.

Brazeau relocated to the Monmouth-Independence area to take an administrative position.

We need people who have ideas, we need people who have fundraising skills, we need people with building skills, we need people with decision-making skills, Doherty said.