Departments :: Public Works Department

Criteria for becoming a member of the Wasco County GIS Steering Committee: Updated 12/11/2007

Overview
The Wasco County GIS is unique in that no single agency in the area has the resources to solely fund it. Therefore a consortium of public entities has been formed to create and maintain the system. This consortium's foundation is built on the concept that everyone pays their "fair share".

The goal is for a "share" to be determined by taking the proposed GIS budget, subtracting non-GIS-related activities from it (primarily IT activities, as the GIS Coordinator also responds to minor IT issues in the Public Works building), and dividing the remainder equally between all funding entities.

Membership and Costs
There are two types of membership:

1) Payment of "fair share" of GIS Department budget, and approval of the Steering Committee. The Wasco County Court has final say over the budget. The fair-share for new members for fiscal 2007-08 is $6,000.

The following entities fall in this category:

2) Data exchange. If the potential member has data which the majority of the Steering Committee finds valuable, AND the potential member can demonstrate that they cannot provide funding (not that they don't want to or can't afford to), AND they agree to actively pursue other sources to find funding, the Steering Committee can vote them in.

Non-Funding members do not have a vote.

The USDA Service Center in The Dalles is the only entity currently in this category.

Products and Data Sales

Members receive free access to all (non-confidential) data stored in the GIS. Maps can be printed out, and technical support supplied, on a limited, as-needed basis. Parcel data is updated and sent (in GIS, CAD, and tabular formats) to all members on a quarterly basis. All members are encouraged to freely share data and information with each other.

GIS data and maps are sold to non-members offset the costs to the membership. Prices are set to approximate costs the Steering Committee members are incurring in their lump-sum payments to the County. The prices are very high - this is due to the unique funding situation we are in. The contention is that if prices of outside sales are lower, there is no incentive to become or remain a member - and the entire program vanishes. Authority to set prices is given in the Oregon Revised Statues, section 190.

Data delivered to non-members typically has a long lead-time. The primary mission of the GIS is to serve the County government and its paying partners. Outside data sales are filled as time allows; we generally work on public orders one day per week (typically Mondays).