County Of Wheeler

County of Wheeler, doing business as Clerk's Office, is a U.S. local government entity headquartered in Fossil, Oregon, that acts as a prime recipient on three federal grants and a sub-recipient on forty-two federal grant sub-awards across emergency management, public health, victim services, and infrastructure programs. The county operates exclusively in the grant space; it holds no federal contracts and does not compete under set-aside categories.

The county's prime grant portfolio centers on three awards. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration awarded a $2.4 million Discretionary Safety Grants and Cooperative Agreements grant (CFDA 20.614) in April 2026 with completion scheduled for April 2029, funding the development of a comprehensive safety action plan for Wheeler County with supplemental focus on responder safety and post-crash care protocols on local roadways. The USDA Forest Service awarded a $992,815 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Community Wildfire Defense Grants program award (CFDA 10.720) in September 2023 with ultimate completion in May 2028 to perform vegetation clearing along roadway shoulders and improve defensible spaces and evacuation routes. The Community Oriented Policing Program awarded an invitation-only Technology and Equipment Program grant for $26 thousand in December 2022, completed December 2024, to develop and acquire effective law-enforcement equipment and interoperable communications technology.

As a sub-recipient, County of Wheeler receives federal funding passed through Oregon state entities including the Oregon Health Authority, Oregon Department of Transportation, Oregon Department of Emergency Management, and Oregon Department of Justice. Sub-award activity spans emergency management (FY2022–2025 Emergency Management Performance Grants supporting core capability development), public health financial assistance (recurring 2023–2025 agreements), victim crime services (multiple awards from the Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs), substance abuse and mental health prevention grants, public transportation mobility management and preventive maintenance, and equipment purchases including night-vision goggles, portable radio repeaters, and law-enforcement surveillance equipment. The county also operates Wheeler Soil and Water Conservation District as a subsidiary.

Award activity peaked in 2023 with fourteen awards, then stabilized at eight awards per year in 2024 and 2025, with three awards in 2026 year-to-date. The county's combined potential value across all fifty-nine awards is $103 thousand; however, the combined dollars obligated across all awards stands at $7.4 million (7120% of potential value), reflecting the reporting of prior-year sub-award obligations alongside current-year potential values. The top five customer agencies by award count account for 31% of recent awards, with the Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Oregon-Washington ($84 thousand), the Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Victims of Crime, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency Headquarters Financial Assistance Awards dominating activity. One award ($26 thousand) faces ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months.