Former Commissioner John West was recalled late last year by voters. But West still faced a state ethics investigation over the possible restructuring of a development fee the county charges before home construction.
The complaint alleged that West was seeking to get rid of the fee because he owns two property development companies that could benefit from that action.
West said the meeting he held over the fee was purely informational.
“There was no decision made," he said. "It was just to gather information to find out if the county had liability, or if we were doing it correct, or to understand what this 1% planning fee on your building permit was for.”
The Oregon Government Ethics Commission agreed, and voted 6-2 to dismiss the complaint. Ethics Commissioner Jonathan Thompson said despite the recommendation from investigators to charge West with a violation, he didn’t see anything there.
“I feel like the Commissioner got some questions," Thompson said. "He held an informational hearing to answer some questions from constituents. He didn't vote. They didn't take any action. I guess, unless I'm missing something, I just don't see the violation.”
This was the seventh ethics complaint West faced during his term in office. But all of them were dismissed by the commission.
