ORS 297.765 Policies and procedures for local government waste hotline; confidentiality; required reporting

If a local government body or local service district chooses to establish a local government waste hotline under ORS 297.760, the local government body or local service district shall establish written policies and procedures for logging all reports of waste, inefficiency or abuse received through the hotline or received through any other method.

Except as provided in subsection (5) or (6) of this section, the identity of any person calling the hotline or otherwise making a report under ORS 297.760 is confidential. A person making a report under ORS 297.760 may waive the confidentiality otherwise granted under this subsection.

The local government body or local service district shall conduct an initial investigation of each report of waste, inefficiency or abuse made under ORS 297.760, following the written policies and procedures established under subsection (1) of this section. The local government body or local service district may audit any agency of the local government body or local service district if it appears that officers or employees of the agency, or persons under contract with the agency, are engaging in activities that constitute waste, inefficiency or abuse.

An investigation of a report of waste, inefficiency or abuse received under ORS 297.760 is confidential unless the local government body or local service district finds that waste, inefficiency or abuse has occurred and reports these determinations as provided under subsection (5) or (6) of this section. If the local government body or local service district finds that waste, inefficiency or abuse has occurred, the investigation and any determinations made are confidential until the investigation described in subsection

of this section is complete.

Notwithstanding subsections (2) and

of this section:

If the local government body or local service district determines during the investigation that a violation of any provision of ORS chapter 244 may be occurring or may have occurred, the local government body or local service district shall notify the Oregon Government Ethics Commission of the potential violation; and

If the local government body or local service district determines during the investigation that fraud or other criminal activity may be occurring or may have occurred, the local government body or local service district shall notify the appropriate law enforcement agency of the potential fraud or other criminal activity.

Subject to the confidentiality requirements of subsections (2) and (4) of this section, upon completion of an investigation under this section:

The local government body or local service district shall determine in writing whether officers or employees of the local government body or local service district, or persons under contract with the local government body or local service district, are engaging in activities that constitute waste, inefficiency or abuse. The written determination may include other information about the nature of the investigation or the local government body’s or local service district’s determination.

If the local government body or local service district finds that waste, inefficiency or abuse has occurred, upon request of the person who made the report under ORS 297.760, the local government body or local service district shall provide the person with a copy of the determination and any other information included by the local government body or local service district.

If the local government body or local service district determines that officers or employees of the local government body or local service district, or persons under contract with the local government body or local service district, are involved in activities that constitute waste, inefficiency or abuse, the local government body or local service district shall notify the governing body of the local government body or local service district of the determination and deliver a copy of the local government body’s or local service district’s findings to the governing body.

A written determination prepared under this section is a public record. Following the completion of an investigation, all documents, information or other records relating to the investigation are disclosable public records under ORS 192.311 to 192.478 unless an exemption from disclosure set forth in a provision of law other than this section applies to the records, except that the identity of the person making the report under ORS 297.760 shall remain confidential.