New Research on Cascadia Megaquake Risks; Oklahoma Counties Lose Out on $192 Million
The Astoria-Megler Bridge near Astoria, Oregon, crosses the Columbia River near where it meets the Pacific Ocean. Shutterstock
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Also in our State and Local Weekend Digest: Corrupt officials in small Ohio towns; Modesto’s awful courthouse conditions; and allegations of a lobbying violation in Tennessee.
PORTLAND, OREGON
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT | The risk of a major earthquake along certain sections of the Cascadia Subduction Zone off the coast of the Pacific Northwest in the next 50 years has increased slightly according to new analysis from researchers in British Columbia, Oregon and Spain published last week in the journal Marine Geology. While the Cascadia Subduction Zone can rupture along its entire length, creating a magnitude 9.1 earthquake in such a scenario, the subduction zone can also rupture in smaller sections. The research gives a “great deal more certainty” regarding the seismological risks the region faces and reduces the average number of years of major earthquake events along sections of the subduction zone. The chance of a major quake along the northern section, off Washington state and British Columbia, has increased slightly, from 8-14 percent to 10-17 percent, with quakes striking every 430 years on average; for the central section of the subduction zone, off the central and northern Oregon coast, the risk has increased from 14-17 percent to 15-20 percent for the next half century, with a major quake striking every 350 years. The last major Cascadia quake happened in January 1700. [Marine Geology; Portland Tribune]
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA
PROPERTY ASSESSMENT | Many Oklahoma counties could have seen more revenue in 2014 if they had accurate property assessments. According to a study from the Oklahoma Tax Commission, 52 of the Sooner State’s 77 counties could have generated $192 million in additional revenue, money that many of those jurisdictions desperately need for public schools, libraries and public health services, among other needs. What’s the source of the problem of the undervalued property assessments? The study cited a lack of expertise and political will by elected assessors and aging IT resources to properly determine property value. [Oklahoma Watch via Tulsa World]
MOUNT STERLING, OHIO
CORRUPTION | While there are corrupt public officials at every level of government, it’s often small towns that feel the biggest impacts from their misdeeds. Small communities in central Ohio have been hit by a string of corruption-related headlines involving their public officials, including the Mount Sterling village administrator, who was charged last month with 22 counts related to theft in office. Among other allegations, authorities say he stole $1 million from the small community southwest of Columbus. It can be tough for smaller communities, which are often struggling with their budgets and finances, to recover from such incidents, which can “have a longer impact to the solvency of that community than larger communities that can make up their revenue,” according to Kent Scarrett, executive director of the Ohio Municipal League. [The Columbus Dispatch]
MODESTO, CALIFORNIA
FACILITIES MANAGEMENT | There’s no shortage of state and local government buildings that are showing their age. But then there’s the Stanislaus County Courthouse in Modesto, which is not accessible to wheelchairs, lacks fire-protection sprinklers, has brown water coming out some faucets, plenty of water leaks and security vulnerabilities, including a lack of non-public hallways to transport prisoners and the ability of prisoners in the neighboring county jail being able to look into judges’ chambers and see where they park their vehicles. There’s clearly a need for upgraded facilities but only so many state judicial resources. On Thursday, the California Judicial Council’s Court Facilities Advisory Committee will meet in San Francisco to hear testimony from representatives for different courthouses seeking funding for facilities upgrades. [The Modesto Bee]
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
LOBBYING | Gov. Bill Haslam’s former chief of staff, Mark Cate, has come under fire for violating a state law that prevents him from lobbying one year after leaving public office. Cate and the state Department of Education’s top policy official exchanged 70 texts discussing legislative matters in the months after his departure. One even mentions Cate speaking with the governor. “Like many people around town (and, in fact, the nation), I was personally concerned about the bathroom bill and its effect on Tennessee's economy and reputation, and had also asked the Governor about it when I ran into him," Cate wrote to The Tennessean in an email. [Knoxville News Sentinel]
LOVELAND, COLORADO
EMAILS | City Council members’ emails will be published as part of a new transparency effort. Fort Collins and Larimer County are following suit, but only government email accounts are accessible. Residents previously had to make appointments to view emails. Some missives can still be marked confidential to avoid release like real estate transactions, though an appeals process exists. [The Associated Press via The Denver Post]
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