Questions mount over insider contract as records show taxpayer funds also paid for contractor’s luxury resort stays, private dinners

Prineville, Ore. — A local contractor with longstanding government ties and a history of ethics concerns involving federal contracts, used taxpayer funds to attend conferences at luxury resorts and to pay for meals for its governing board members.

The other shocking discovery? The owner of the contracted business is also serving as its budget officer and submitting its audit reportings to the Oregon Secretary of State, public records show.

The public body is the Crook County Vector Control District (CCVCD), a special district with independent taxing authority, separate from the Crook County government.

The quesitonable expenditures were made under the management of Cliff Kiser, a longtime contractor in Crook County who had also served for years as the district’s manager before the position was transitioned into a contracted role under his private business in early 2023—a process that has raised numerous questions about transparency, oversight, and insider dealing.

Starting in late 2024, the Prineville Review worked to obtain CCVCD financial records, meeting minutes, contracts, and public statements, uncovering a pattern of questionable spending practices, ethics questions related to misuse of office & financial interest conflicts, repeated violations of Oregon’s Public Meetings Law, and unresolved concerns about required oversight and governance at the small taxing district.

Unlike many taxing districts, however, its board of trustees is not elected by voters but appointed by the Crook County Board of Commissioners—a structure that places heightened importance on transparency, internal controls, and county oversight.

Financial records reviewed by the Prineville Review show that CCVCD funds were used for unauthorized luxury hotel stays and for meals at local restaurants during what were supposed to be public meetings held at the Crook County Administrative Office. Those expenses were paid by Cliff Kiser, using district funds—now a contractor for the district—using a debit card originally issued to him during his prior tenure as a district employee.

During 2025 budget meetings, trustees even acknowledged that conference travel was not included in the contract between the district and Kiser’s private business, Kiser & Kiser. The business is also co-owned with his wife, according to the Oregon Secretary of State.

Selected expenditures identified in public records

Public records reviewed by the Prineville Review show that CCVCD funds were routinely used to pay for meals at local restaurants during times when the district claimed it was holding public meetings at county offices. Records obtained from both the district and Crook County confirmed that the district still scheduled the use of the Commissioner’s conference room, and its notices claimed meetings were held there despite actually holding them at local restaurants.

While many of the individual meal charges were relatively modest, taken together, they reflected a pattern of using public funds for board dinners that were not included in the district’s contract and were, at times, associated with meetings that were either improperly noticed or later described as “private” by district officials.

The records also appear to confirm that the dinner purchases for trustees were made by Kiser, using district funds. Nothing in any of the board meetings or policy show any decision to approve the expenses. Records from before 2023 have yet to be obtained to understand the full scope of the practice, which ended after the Prineville Review began looking into the district’s operations in late 2024.

Even if Kiser or his company had paid these expenses out of pocket, the arrangement would still raise serious concerns. Oregon ethics law generally prohibits public officials from accepting gifts—including meals—absent narrow exceptions, such as those provided as part of a publicly noticed event. Holding public meetings at restaurants, with meals provided, would fall well outside normal and accepted public-meeting practices. There is no evidence these meetings were publicly noticed as being held at restaurants or that members of the public were informed they could attend, further compounding the ethical and transparency issues.

In addition to those meal expenses throughout 2023 and 2024, records show CCVCD funds were used for conference-related travel and lodging at luxury destinations by Kiser, including:

• Icicle Village Resort in Leavenworth, Washington — $666.24 (October 2024)
• Mill Casino Hotel in North Bend, Oregon — $356.16 (November 2024)

Neither resort stay was identified in advance as part of the district’s approved contract or budget with Kiser & Kiser, and board members even later acknowledged that conference travel and related expenses were not authorized, with one board member pointing out that Kiser would have to pay for such training and conference expenses citing standard practice as a contractor.

The payment card used was also confirmed to be the same as the one issued to Kiser as the district’s employed manager, prior to his role falling under the contract with his business.

While Kiser’s business started its contract in April of 2023, Kiser did not appear to use district funds for the unapproved lodging until 2024. It is unclear if such expenses were incurred in 2025 as we have not yet obtained those financial records.

Restaurant meetings contradicted public notices

Financial records show that while CCVCD meeting notices stated public meetings were held in a Crook County Board of Commissioners conference room, trustees and Cliff Kiser instead met at various local restaurants—locations that were not listed on any meeting notices provided by the district to the Prineville Review.

Following its March 4th, 2025, public meeting, CCVCD Board Chair Ken Fahlgren claimed the restaurant dinners were private gatherings held after meetings adjourned. However, meeting minutes repeatedly indicate that meetings were adjourned at the restaurants. Financial records also show that Kiser was the individual who purchased the meals, using the same debit card used for the lodging expenditures in late 2024.

Fahlgren and other trustees declined to answer follow-up questions about how trustees could legally hold additional private meetings without violating Oregon’s Public Meetings Law, or why taxpayer funds were used for the dinners if they were not part of public business, as he initially claimed.

Following the March 2025 Board of Trustees meeting, Falhgren briefly responded to questions about the findings, including our question about the private meetings at restrauants. Falhgren claimed they were held at the Crook County Admin office.

“They were here [County Admin office], then we left.”

Prineville Review: “So why do your minutes make clear you continue to engage in discussions and hold a qurom at the restaurants if they were held here [County Admin office]?”

“We’ll talk later, how’s that? I really got to go. Thank you for coming—its been a ball,” Falhgren said.

Prineville Review: “If the meeting was over then, why were public funds even used for those restaurant expenses?”

CCVCD attorney Jered Reid then attempted to interject to the follow-up questions, but Falhgren responded saying, “Goodnight,” before leaving the room. Kiser also declined to comment further and proceeded to leave the meeting.

In resposne to the Prineville Review’s earlier records request, the CCVCD had also produced several general meeting notices of several of its past meetings that listed the County Admin office as the location for meetings where the minutes and financial records clearly indicated the meetings were held privately at various Prineville restaurants. The notices also failed to include any agenda information, only providing the date and time of the meeting, and it could not be confirmed where these notices were posted to advise the public of its past meetings.

Records indicate the restaurant meetings ceased immediately after the Prineville Review began asking questions about meeting notices, attendance, and public access. How long the practice had been occurring remains unclear; the bank records obtained to date extend back only to 2023, and additional public records requests submitted in December are pending which the district is again ignoring.

Financial records further show that the payment card used for the restaurant charges was the same card originally issued to Kiser during his tenure as a district employee, prior to the transition of his role into a contracted position under his private business.

Contract origins raise ethics and procurement questions

Concerns about the expenditures are compounded by how Kiser obtained the contract in the first place. Also unresolved is how, after Kiser & Kiser was awarded the contract, Kiser continued to function as the district’s de facto manager—despite the formal distinction between a contracted service provider and district management—raising additional questions about the structure of the arrangement and the board’s oversight.

Before transitioning into a contracted role, Kiser had already been serving as the district’s employed manager and participated in discussions about restructuring the position into a contractor arrangement. Public records indicate the contract, ultimately approved by the board, reportedly received no competing bids.

Despite the contractual change, there was no functional change in duties. The district continued to provide the majority of the resources needed to perform the work, including district-owned vehicles and equipment. As a result, Kiser’s business operated with minimal independent overhead, raising questions about whether the arrangement functioned as a true arms-length contract or merely a reclassification of an existing management role, which further reduced transparency and oversight, including reporting of work hours.

Kiser’s take home pay after taxes was approximately $5,275 monthly ($63,300 annually) at the time he transitioned to the contractor role. At the start of the contract in early 2023, Kiser & Kiser was then being paid $16,000 over 6 months, for a total of $96,000. Tax payments appear to indicate monthly payments of $2,182 — for an annual payment of approximately $26,190 — nearly $90,000 gross.

The difference? Kiser & Kiser is reportedly only providing services and working for the district for half the year. Before the contract, Kiser was paid year-round, allegedly as a full-time employee of the district.

Oregon ethics and procurement standards require heightened scrutiny when a public employee transitions into a contracted role—particularly when the individual helped shape the position, faced no competition, and continued to rely on public assets. The CCVCD board has declined to answer questions about how conflicts of interest were evaluated or whether other service providers were considered.

Budget authority without a recorded appointment & conflicts of interest

Public records show that Kiser was designated to serve as the CCVCD’s budget officer in recent years, a statutory role that carries significant authority over the preparation and presentation of the district’s budget.

Records further indicate that the budget officer designation occurred without a recorded public vote or formal board action, despite statutory requirements that such appointments be made openly. Meeting minutes and financial records also reflect repeated failures to provide adequate public notice, misstated meeting locations, and meetings conducted without published agendas—violations of Oregon’s Public Meetings Laws (OPML).

Officials with the Oregon Government Ethics Commission confirmed that, in general, a contractor being appointed as the budget officer does not itself violate Oregon ethics law. However, they cautioned that conflicts of interest may arise depending on the actions taken in that role that affect or influance the contract.

“So, for example, if the budget officer is preparing the budget document and that budget includes monies for contracts for that person’s business, that would present a conflict of interest,” said Casey Fenstermaker, Compliance & Enforcement Coordinator for the commission. “The arrangement, in and of itself, does not create the conflict of interest; it’s the actions taken in the role as the public official.”

In the case of the CCVCD, Kiser’s role as Budget Officer has repeatedly involved a budget that primarily deals with the expenses related to his contract. Kiser was documented just last year advocating for increases what was described as his “annual contract” to the Board and discussing the contract for Kiser & Kiser during board and budget meetings.

There were no indications in any minutes of Kiser publically declaring any conflict of interest, potential or actual, in his role as budget officer.

“A public official is met with a conflict of interest when, acting in their official capacity, they participate in making a decision or recommendation or taking an action which would (actual conflict of interest) or could (potential conflict of interest) result in a financial benefit or detriment for the public official, a relative of the public official, or any business with which the public official or their relative is associated,” reads an education pamplet from the Oregon Government Ethics Commission.

“The distinction between an actual conflict of interest and a potential conflict of interest rests on the certainty of the financial impact. If the decision, recommendation or action would have a certain financial impact (positive or negative), then the conflict of interest is actual. If the decision, recommendation or action could have a financial impact, but it is not certain, then the conflict of interest is potential”

The contract signed with Kiser & Kiser states in Section 2 that the agreement term runs from April 1st, 2023, through March 31st, 2028. That five-year duration raises questions about how Kiser was later granted additional compensation increases during the middle of the contract term.

A March 2nd, 2023 email between board chair Ken Fahlgren and CCVCD attorney Jered Reid also confirmed that the contract was intended to run for five years.

The same email also revealed that after the contract was awarded, the Board of Trustees modified the proposed agreement in ways that further benefited Kiser & Kiser. The revised contract required the CCVCD to carry pollution insurance while adding Kiser & Kiser as an additional insured, and it shifted responsibility for providing all chemical supplies to the district. The agreement also authorized the contractor to purchase chemicals used by the district.

Meeting minutes from March 1st, 2023, show that the Board of Trustees voted that evening to accept the contract submitted by Kiser & Kiser. It further stated that “[a] current contract, with the revisions, was e-mailed to all Board members on 03-06-23 and can be seen as attached exhibit B. Board members will review this contract and meet in the near future to discuss the contract and move towards final approval and signatures,” before then saying “[t]he meeting was adjurned.”

Despite the indication that final approval would take place at a later time, no such meeting took place, according to the CCVCD’s own meeting records. Instead its next public meeting was held on May 16th, 2023, and seemed to make clear refernces that approval was made. It also provided clear indication that Kiser was handling district budgeting, including a budget message that directly addressed his contract role.

“[Kiser] said this message was essentially the same as last year’s except for a short paragraph explaining that this will be the first year that vector control services will be performed under a contract. Cliff is no longer an employee working for the District. He will provide vector control services as a private contractor.”

Additional budget conflicts & audit reporting review

The Prineville Review also obtained the CCVCD’s audit reports in recent years. The 2024 FY In Lieu Report was reportedly submitted by Kiser, who used a personal email during the submission, according to the report. A full audit report, compiled by CPA firm Pauly Rogers for FY 2023, had a Janurary 9th 2024 report reportedly signed and approved by Kiser who listed his title for the district as “manager”, nearly a year after obtaining the contract with the CCVCD. The same approval document also shows information stating that Tom Green was the CCVCD Budget Officer, conflicting with other budget documents that the role was actually held by Kiser.

The last meeting of the CCVCD Board prior to the submission of its audit report was May of 2023, according to its own disclosure of minutes. It next held a meeting following Kiser’s signoff on the district’s audit report was in March of 2024, a meeting which the minutes also confirm was held at “Dillon’s Grill”. The May 2023 minutes also made no mention of the board conducting any review or approval of its FY 2023 audit report.

There was also no record in any minutes of the board directing Kiser to approve the FY 2023 audit report.

While the March 2024 minutes make no mention of the audit report that Kiser approved on behalf of the district just two months prior, it did address calls by Kiser for an increase from his contracts first year, despite the original contact and bids reportedly being for a 5 year term, according to documents obtained by the Prineville Review. That same audit report also appears to list board member Tom Green as it’s budget officer on the same document signed by Kiser, conflicting with indications that Kiser took on the budget officer role around the time his company was awarded the contract.

The minutes also seem to reveal that the contract change also provided Kiser more “flexibility” related to his schedule when compared to when his position was that of an employee.

“[Kiser] said that overall, the contract is working well as it gave him the flexibility to schedule his own work hours,” the minutes reported. The minutes also reveal Kiser raising his company’s own workers’ compensation coverage with the board.

Kiser also made mention to the board of unexpected costs related to having to obtain workers’ compensation coverage in advocating for an increase only a year into contract award.

“Unexpectedly [Kiser] had to pay $5,000 to $6,000 in workers comp; not because of the number of hours worked but because as the business owner, this is the base rate. He said he has decided to keep the coverage.”

Board Chair Ken Fahlgren then made a motion to approve “A new contract, effective April 1st, for the 2024-2025 operation year with Kiser and Kiser LLC for $100,800 which includes a 5% COLA,” the minutes stated.

More recently, Kiser submitted a proposed budget under the title as “Budget Officer” providing for an increase of the 2025-2026 fiscal year which provided for an increase from $115,000 in FY 2024 to $130,000 in FY 2025 for “Contract Services”. The contract services expenditure almost entirely is allocated to Kiser & Kiser which is the district’s sole contracter.

The document also showed the preceeding year (FY 2023) was $100,252, providing for an approximately $15,000 allocation increase in the proposed budget each year. The same budget packet also included a worksheet detail that included Kiser’s own “Contract Services – Manager” as well as a line item related to “Travel & Lodging”.

Additional conflicts while transitioning from employee to contractor

Kiser & Kiser’s application in response to the Contract Manager request for proposals states that it was submitted by “Cliff and Glenda Kiser” and notes that Kiser was “in the process of acquiring or already acquired” Oregon Government Ethics Commission training. That training is likely required due to Kiser’s concurrent role on Crook County’s Natural Resources Advisory Committee. The application also states that Kiser “will be developing the 2023 budget for the CCVCD in the near future.”

The application further outlined a plan to shift day-to-day district operations to Kiser’s business after he had served as an employee manager for nearly two decades. Kiser wrote that he intended to hire two employees who would work for Kiser & Kiser while performing services for the CCVCD, adding that the employees were family members he intended to eventually take over the business.

“The employees I have selected are related to me and are working towards ownership of Kiser & Kiser LLC when I totally retire,” Kiser wrote.

In addressing potential conflicts of interest in response to the RFP, Kiser stated, “As far as conflicts go, I can’t think of any that apply.” He concluded by explaining that the proposal was intended to maintain the existing operational relationship with the district, writing that he was “proposing we continue the same relationship we have had for the past 25+ years in a slightly different form,” while promising “the same or better results” and cost savings for the district.

Kiser was still the district’s employed manager at the time Kiser & Kiser applied for the contract. It’s also unclear that since the contract for management is technically with the business, if Kiser is able to have anyone with the business act with management authority over the CCVCD, including its budget and auditing oversight. There was nothing within any of the agreements that specifically outlines that Kiser himself was delegated such authority.

Minutes from a September 15th, 2022 meeting appear to show that the formation of the contractor position from the start was done with the intent to keep Kiser as in his role, as well as ensuring the contract requirements were geared around requirements based on job description he himself would draft.

Under a section titled “Contracting CCVCD Services”, it states, “[Fahlgren] called this meeting to discuss contracting vector control duties. Cliff has the required skills and has expressed interest in becoming the contractor; the advantage to him being that he can farm out the work similar to his fire operations.”

“Bob [Hindman] said that the CCVCD has spent a lot of money on [Kiser’s] vector control-related education; it would be best to keep him if we can unless an equal or more qualified candidate(s) apply. The contract would have to list the special skills specific to this job.”

Additional statements in the minutes seem to show that Kiser was involved in drafting up his own job duties which were used in the formating the requests for proposal.

While the minutes appear to ommit Kiser from the attendance list, other portions seemingly imply that the board already knew that “[Kiser] will make a list of his job duties.”

We have not obtained finanfial records for September of 2022 which may show if Kiser had also purchased dinner for himself and the board, thus confirming his attendance during that meeting.

During the same meeting it was revealed that Kiser was going to solicit customers of his business to be brought in to serve as a board member.

“[Kiser] will check with his customers for interest in becoming a Board member,” the minutes stated. It reaffirmed it in a subsequent section saying, “We need to think about future Board members as some of the older existing members may want to retire at some point. Any candidates must live within the District. Cliff can check with his customers for anyone interested.”

County oversight failures come into focus

The findings have also prompted scrutiny of the Crook County Board of Commissioners, which by statute is required to provide annual oversight of vector control districts but appears not to have done so consistently in recent years—potentially for decades.

Under ORS 452.120, counties must hold at least one annual joint meeting with vector control districts to review district activities, expenditures, complaints, and work programs. Commissioner Seth Crawford acknowledged that the requirement had not been followed.

“I was not aware of this requirement,” Crawford said in December, adding that he had spoken with counterparts in Deschutes and Jefferson counties who also had not historically held such meetings. “The county will send out a letter to the vector control district next week, requesting a meeting early next year to talk about their annual work plan and add it to our yearly checklist. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.”

Crawford later confirmed that issues raised in Deschutes County in recent years prompted its board of commissioners to begin actively complying with its statutory oversight responsibilities for its vector control district.

On December 16th, County Manager Will Van Vactor sent notice to the CCVCD Board of Trustees that it was to submit required reports and select a February date for a joint public meeting. The letter cited statutory requirements for annual work plans, financial reporting, and complaint review, and stated all materials would be posted publicly to support transparency.

According to Van Vactor, the County has not received any of the requested materials as of the morning of Feb. 10th from the Board of Trustees, materials which were due by Feb. 1st.

Although the CCVCD announced a public meeting scheduled for Feb. 10th, none of the agenda items reference the County’s oversight request or the required joint meeting demand for Feb. 18th. It was not clear if the letter, addressed to Falhgren, had been shared with other trustees. They also do not appear to address the district’s outstanding public records obligations.

The CCVCD Board of Trustees reportedly did not provide the county any indication on the requirement for a joint meeting proposed for Feb. 4th or the Feb. 18th, prompting the County to then direct the CCVCD Board of Trustees to attend on Feb. 18th.

With no scheduled discussion or agenda item for its Feb. 10th meeting to address the County’s demand, it is not clear if the Board of Trustees are intending on showing for the joint meeting.

Commissioners voice broader concerns, suggest investigation

Separate from the County’s effort to bring the district back into statutory compliance, Commissioners Susan Hermreck and Crawford both expressed serious concerns about the Prineville Review’s findings regarding the district’s internal oversight, financial practices, contracting decisions, and the use of taxpayer money for private dinners and the contractors resort expenditures.

“Just like any board or district, I would be concerned about abuse of taxpayer funds and conflicts of interest,” Crawford said. “That being said, it might be a good idea to find a third party to look into the situation.”

Commissioner Hermreck was tighter lipped, but shared more generally that she was “very concerned” with some of the findings after having an opportunity to review many of the public documents. The limited chief concern Hermreck shared was how the district’s contractor was able to have unrestricted use of a debit card, and why that card was attached to the district’s sole bank account with approximately $600,000.

Hermreck’s indicated she would comment more in the near future, but when reached again just last week, declined to comment further. Commissioner Brian Barney has not responded to several requests for comment since December.

When reached again late last month, Crawford indicated that the situation really highlighted why the commissioners needed to ensure they conduct their oversight over the CCVCD and its Board of Trustees, but also why it may be necessary for both a third-party investigation as well as a review by state ethics officials. Crawford was also asked if he would still reappoint any of the current board members, he stated he did not have an answer at this moment.

“They surely have some explaining to do, but I think there really needs to be an independent look here, and I think us as commissioners maybe need to look at asking for ethics officials to also take a look into some of these issues,” said Crawford. “But seperate of potential ethics issues, I think the need for a third-party firm to review the district’s management is needed.”

It was not immediately clear how much authority the Board of Commissioners would have to request their own third-party investigation into the special district, but it does hold some oversight authority under ORS 452.120, which included the ability to hold hearings of complaints as well as to “Call special meetings of the board of trustees for the purpose of investigation and supervision of the district’s affairs.”

Crawford also expressed shock at the revelation from past minutes that Kiser and the the Board of Trustees were seeking to solicit Kiser’s customers to be brought before the Board of Commissioners for board appointment as well, especially with the transition to the contracted role. “That’s a serious problem and simply ridiculous,” said Crawford.

Typically the CCVCD Board of Trustee appointments made by the Board of Commissioners are made based on the trustee’s own recommendations, but they do have set term limits.

The Prineville Review was not aware if any current or recent trustees have had private business dealings with Kiser & Kiser.

Delay in records production & dispute over recording public meetings

In late 2024, this publication submitted a records request which Kiser also ignored on behalf of the district.

Kiser later told Crook County District Attorney Kari Hathorn that he was not available to respond to our public records request as part of a response to the Prineville Review‘s public records appeal petition. That petition was submitted after the CCVCD ignored the request well beyond the required timeframe for production, let alone the initial five day acknowledgement of a records request.

Kiser told Hathorn he was on leave and not working for the district. This was during the same time Kiser was still attending public meetings for the CCVCD and having used the district’s debit card for the resort stays.

The district later responded to that request after again retaining the services of attorney Jered Reid, a request which contained some of the records obtained as part of this reporting. Reid had previously assisted the CCVCD Board during the contracting process with Kiser in late 2022 and early 2023.

The Board of Trustees and Kiser also refused to explain why Kiser was seemingly able to respond to the public records appeal petition within days, but failed to even provide the simple acknowledgement required under the records law to the initial request.

At its October 2025 meeting, CCVCD Board Chair Ken Fahlgren attempted to assert that the Prineville Review—and the public—could not record meetings remotely and would need to attend in person to do so. After being challenged on constitutional grounds, he later withdrew that position.

Fahlgren correctly stated that the board is not required to create its own audio or video recordings. However, when asked why the district would not continue using Zoom—something it had previously done—he claimed that doing so would create additional costs and record-retention obligations.

Coming into early 2025, the district had been resisted providing live remote access to its meetings despite changes to Oregon law years earlier that required public bodies to allow remote attendance. It was not until the district’s March 2025 meeting that CCVCD began providing live remote access in compliance with those requirements.

Past findings involving Kiser & Kiser and potential conflicts of interest

Kiser’s involvement in other public roles has previously been examined by the Prineville Review in seperate reporting on natural resource policy and advisory committees. In that coverage, Kiser’s participation on the Crook County Natural Resources Advisory Committee was reviewed in the context of federal land-use discussions and his simultaneous private contracting work with the U.S. Forest Service. There was no finding that Kiser ever made any disclosure of even a potential conflict of interest, and some of the meetings were also found to have not been noticed by that committee to the public.

In 2023 alone, Kiser’s company was paid approximately $100,000 over a 6-month period during the spring and summer to run the district.

During that same period, the USFS also paid Kiser & Kiser $179,149.

Questionable board appointments & website contract

During the CCVCD Board of Trustees’ June 2025 meeting, trustees discussed appointing Stephanie Fahlgren, the spouse of board chair Ken Fahlgren, to serve as the board’s “secretary.” According to the discussion, the position would not carry voting authority.

The appointment raised questions because the secretary role is typically held by a sitting member of the governing body. Board of Trustee appointments to the Vector Control District may only be made by the Crook County Board of Commissioners, not by the district itself. The written minutes reflect no recorded vote or abstention by Fahlgren on the matter.

The discussion followed an announcement by trustee Tom Teaford that he would step down from the secretary role while remaining an appointed trustee.

While the move may not violate any legal provisions or bylaws, the move is unusual, especially given the relationship between the now secretary and board chair.

Separate questions arose earlier in January 2025 regarding the procurement and maintenance of a new website for the district. During that meeting, Fahlgren informed trustees that the CCVCD had a new website, without prior notice of any board discussion or approval of the project.

“[Fahlgren] announced that the CCVCD now has a website up and running, although its content is still under construction. The address is CrookCountyVectorControl.com,” the minutes state. The minutes further note that Fahlgren demonstrated the website to trustees for the first time during the meeting.

According to the minutes, Fahlgren identified the webmaster as Dhyana Kearly, and stated that Teaford would send meeting minutes and attachments to her for posting on the site. No other prior meeting minutes from the CCVCD showed any discussion or approval of the website contract.

A review of prior meeting minutes shows no recorded discussion authorizing the website project, approving a contract, or delegating authority to Fahlgren to procure the service on the district’s behalf. Fahlgren, a former Crook County commissioner, was found to have prior professional ties to Kearly.

Kearly is the owner of Dhyzen Creative Services, a web hosting and online marketing business. Campaign finance records show that Kearly was paid to provide website services for Fahlgren’s unsuccessful 2024 campaign for Crook County commissioner, including a payment of $564 in August 2024 and a subsequent $68 payment the following month.

Campaign finance records list the expenditures as payments to Kearly personally rather than to Dhyzen Creative Services. It remains unclear whether the CCVCD is paying Kearly individually or her business for ongoing website services.

The Board of Trustees, Kiser, and Kiser & Kiser have all declined repeated attempts for interviews or to respond to requests for in-person comment, with a few limited exceptions including Falhgren’s comments following the March 2025 meeting, as well as other general in-person statements criticisizing this publication’s investigation into the district.