BEND, OR -- Deschutes County voters will decide in November whether to add two people to the currently three-member Board of County Commissioners. "I just think that a three-person governmental body is just inherently dysfunctional," says chief petitioner John Heylin. He tells KBND News he’s hearing a lot of excitement for his proposal. 

Current Deschutes County Commissioner Tony DeBone doesn’t think it’s the right time, "We are a growing county, so at some point, it’s probably the right thing to be doing. I’ve always figured when we get to about 250,000 people we should do this, and we’re not quite there yet." And, he believes adding two Commissioners would be expensive, "If we add $500,000 - so that’s salaries, benefits, office support, overhead; so it’s a $500,000 estimate - it’s going to take it directly away from services on the ground."

Heylin doesn’t think DeBone’s budget argument has merit, "He voted - him and Patti voted to give themselves $20-30,000 pay raises. So, if he was actually concerned about money, why doesn’t he knock down his own salary?" And, he says, the move to a five-member board has nothing to do with population; other, much smaller counties have already made the shift, including Hood River County, which is 1/8 the size of Deschutes. Heylin believes a larger board would be more efficient and not stretched as thin, "It’s about a properly functioning government and having proper representation on the county level, as well as Commissioners that can have a coffee together and talk about interests." Under public meeting laws, two members of a three-person board is a quorum and considered an official meeting, but two members of a five-person board is not. 

Commissioner DeBone also criticizes the measure for not creating geographic districts for what would be the five-member board; all members would be elected “at-large." DeBone tells KBND News, "When I talk to voters, they say, ‘yeah, I’d like to have my commissioner in my area.’ That’s not what we’re talking about here. We’re just going to add two." Heylin says he asked Commissioners to send that idea to voters, but two of the three refused, "They are allowed to put on districts any time they want." He adds, as a small business owner, he didn’t have time for that second step, "I’m just one dude. That would have required a whole second petition, which was a bit much for me. I’m not an organization - I don’t have major backing."