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Good day to our valued subscriber Matt Burrows of La Grande
License
fees
could
increase
■ CHD has not
raised fees for food
service licenses
since 2014
By Dick Mason
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Union
County restaurant owners
may pay more for food service
licenses for the fi rst time in
fi ve years.
The Center for Human De-
veloped has asked the Union
County Board of Commis-
sioners for a 15% boost to the
annual fees it charges restau-
rant owners for food service
licenses. The CHD’s request
also applies to the owners of
public pools and spas and the
owners of tourist facilities
such as motels.
Under the proposed plan,
the higher license fees to be
put in effect would include
$507 for a restaurant with 15
or fewer seats, and $725 for a
restaurant with at least 150
seats. The food service license
fee for operating a bed and
breakfast would be $217 a
year. The fees for temporarily
restaurants would be $51 for
a single day event and $72
for a seasonal or multi-day
event. The inspection fee for
tourist facilities, such as an
organizational camp, would
be $83, and the fee for pools
and spas would be $221 for
the fi rst pool/spa and $110
for the second.
Carrie Brogoitti, public
health administrator for the
Center for Human Develop-
ment, said CHD has not
increased its food license
fees since 2014. She said the
increase would bring the
CHD’s fees up to what they
would have been if CHD had
increased these fees by 3%
each year since 2014.
The fees cover inspections
conducted by CHD to ensure
these facilities are safe for the
community. CHD is request-
ing the fee increase because
of the rising costs of operat-
ing its environmental health
services program, which
cover food service, pool and
spa and motel inspections.
See Fees / Page 5A
Budgets cuts at Buffalo
Peak Golf Course, 2A
New elk hunts, 1B
“All you need to ask yourselves
before you place your vote is did we
go about the processes of fi ling for
our permit correctly? We met every
single standard we were required to
meet in order to obtain our permit.”
— Cody Vela, chair of the warming
station board
Staff photo by Phil Wright
The La Grande City Council consid-
ers testimony Wednesday night
concerning the conditional use ap-
peal that has delayed the opening
of the town’s warming station.
WARMING SHELTER
GETS THE
GREEN LIGHT
■ La Grande City Council votes to allow Union County Warming Shelter to open
Oregon
PERS
initiative
dropped
By Jeff Mapes
Oregon Public Broadcasting
SALEM — A business-
backed effort to get Oregon
voters to reduce the costs
of the state’s public pension
system has quietly closed
shop — at least for the 2020
election.
Backers had fi led fi ve
potential ballot measures
sponsored by two prominent
Oregon political fi gures —
former Democratic Gov.
Ted Kulongoski and former
Republican state Sen. Chris
Telfer — that would revamp
the benefi ts provided by the
Oregon Public Employees
Retirement System.
After earlier withdraw-
ing three of the measures,
supporters quietly dropped
the last two the day before
Thanksgiving.
Tim Nesbitt, the former
Oregon AFL-CIO president
who has worked with state
business leaders on the issue,
said actions taken during the
last legislative session helped
reduce the immediate air of
crisis around a retirement
system facing a $27 billion
debt. In addition, he said,
the booming stock market
should also help hold down
increases in pension costs in
the near term.
See PERS / Page 5A
School
workers
sue
union
Staff photo by Sabrina Thompson
Proponents of the Union County Warming Station show their support for the shelter during the city council
meeting Wednesday night at the La Grande Middle School. The council vote 7-0 to allow the facility to oper-
ate at 2008 Third St. near downtown.
By Phil Wright
■ Freedom
Foundation is
backing the suit
The Observer
By Claire Withycombe
LA GRANDE — The La Grande City Council voted
unanimously Wednesday night in favor of allowing the Union
County Warming Station to operate in its new location near
downtown. And Mayor Stephen Clements promised he would
take a leadership role in working toward a goal of addressing
local homelessness.
Cody Vela, chair of the warming station board, said Thurs-
day his phone was “blowing up all day” concerning the outcome
at the council meeting.
“We as a board are very satisfi ed with the city council’s
decisions to overturn or deny the appeal on our conditional use
permit,” Vela said.
Developer Al Adelsberger in October appealed the city plan-
ning commission’s decision to grant a conditional use permit
for the warming station to open at 2008 Third St. near down-
town. That move set up the four-hour public hearing Wednes-
day night for the council to determine if the station would
have adverse effects on the neighborhood, the main criteria to
consider on the appeal.
Adelsberger, as the appeal applicant, took the mic fi rst and
told the council, “I’m ready for LUBA,” the Oregon Land Use
Board of Appeals, before launching into a multitude of reasons
for upholding his appeal and keeping the shelter’s doors shut.
“It’s not the city council’s problem,” Adelsberger said. “It’s a
EO Media Group
See Shelter / Page 5A
WEATHER
INDEX
Classified ..... 3B
Comics ......... 7B
Crossword ... 3B
Dear Abby .... 8B
Horoscope ... 3B
Lottery.......... 2A
Obituaries .... 3A
Opinion ........ 4A
MONDAY
Spiritual Life. 6A
Sports .......... 7A
Sudoku ........ 7B
Weather ....... 8B
Staff photo by Sabrina Thompson
Developer Al Adelsberger urges the La Grande
City Council during its public hearing Wednes-
day night to uphold the appeal he fi led to pre-
vent the Union County Warming Station from
opening at 2008 Third St.
SALEM — Four Hillsboro
school employees sued their
union and school district
Thursday in federal court, ar-
guing the union slow-walks
requests from employees who
want to quit their unions in
violation of their rights under
the U.S. Constitution.
The Freedom Foundation,
a Northwest organization
that urges public employees
to quit their unions, is back-
ing the suit.
The four workers on
Thursday sued the American
Federation of Teachers, the
Oregon chapter of the federa-
tion, and AFT Local 4671, as
well as the Hillsboro Unifi ed
School District in U.S. Dis-
trict Court in Portland.
In June 2018, the U.S.
See Lawsuit / Page 5A
CONTACT US
Full forecast on the back of B section
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
37 LOW
43/37
43/30
Showers around
A shower
A little snow
541-963-3161
Issue 142
2 sections, 16 pages
La Grande, Oregon
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to news@lagrande
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on Page 4A.
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