OREGON
A6 — THE OBSERVER
TUESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2022
Talks on police funding get going in Grant County
Sheriff covers John
Day with no budget
for more staff
By BENNETT HALL
Blue Mountain Eagle
JOHN DAY — After a
two-month stalemate, dis-
cussions have fi nally begun
between city and county
offi cials about how to fi ll
the void left by the shut-
down of the John Day
Police Department in
mid-October.
A day after the city
council’s Oct. 12 vote to
suspend operations of the
fi nancially strapped police
department, City Manager
Nick Green went to a ses-
sion of the Grant County
Court to propose a fund
exchange: The city would
give the county $300,000 a
year from its general fund
for law enforcement ser-
vices if the county would
give the city an equal
amount from its road fund
for street improvements in
John Day.
To date, there has been
no formal response from
the county, while the Grant
County Sheriff ’s Offi ce
Steven Mitchell/Blue Mountain Eagle, File
A sign in John Day supports voting to approve a fi ve-year levy to fund
the John Day Police Department. The Aug. 17 ballot measure, which
required a double majority, failed due to low turnout even though it
got more yes votes than no votes.
bears the burden of policing
John Day with no budget
support to hire additional
staff .
Meanwhile, the issue of
law enforcement funding
has continued to fester.
It came up again at the
Dec. 14 meeting of the
city council, which must
decide whether to accept a
$375,000 federal policing
grant and reconstitute the
city’s police force or, if the
grant terms allow, pass the
money on to the sheriff ’s
offi ce.
A number of councilors
voiced their frustration
with the county’s silence
on the fund exchange pro-
posal, while Sheriff Todd
McKinley urged both sides
to come to the table and
discuss how to pay for law
enforcement services going
McKinley put
together a prelimi-
nary funding plan to
provide law enforce-
ment services to the
city of John Day in
McKinley
Haberly
Palmer
addition to patrolling
forward.
the rest of Grant
“I think these two bodies County — a 4,500-square-
are going to have to solve
mile area that the sheriff ’s
it,” McKinley told the
offi ce covers with just four
council, “and that’s what
patrol deputies.
they were elected to do.”
McKinley declined to
Shortly after the
disclose precise dollar fi g-
meeting, the sheriff reached ures until the plan has
out to the county’s elected
been reviewed by the
leadership.
county’s attorney, but he
“I sent an email to the
said the proposal involves
commissioners and the
the city transferring the
judge and just said, ‘Come
federal policing grant and
on, guys, we’ve got to get
providing enough addi-
moving on this,’” McKinley tional money to hire three
said.
more deputies and one
Some city and county
clerical worker.
offi cials, it appears, were
“Those three deputies
already thinking along the
would be enough to cover
same lines.
what needs covered,” he
The day after the
said.
Dec. 14 council meeting,
While the discussions
County Commissioner
are still in their infancy,
Sam Palmer had a conver-
Palmer said he expects to
sation with Gregg Haberly, have a number of meetings
a city councilor.
with Haberly, McKinley
“(Haberly) said, ‘Look,
and possibly a few other
we’ve got to do some-
people in an attempt
thing,’” Palmer recalled.
to come up with a pro-
That got the ball rolling. posal for law enforcement
At Palmer’s request,
funding that both city
and county leaders could
accept.
However, he said, the
plan isn’t likely to involve
the sort of fund exchange
Green proposed.
“The policing and roads
that Nick asked for are two
diff erent things, and we’re
going to keep them two
diff erent things,” Palmer
said.
Asked why he and
Haberly took it upon them-
selves to initiate talks
on the law enforcement
funding issue, Palmer said
they felt a responsibility to
the community.
“Gregg and I grew up
together,” he said. “We
want to see our town do
better.”
McKinley said he’s just
looking for a solution that
will enable him and his
deputies to do their job the
way it should be done.
“I’m hoping to get the
staff to be able to ade-
quately cover the city and
make the city feel they
are adequately covered,”
McKinley said.
“And I want to keep
crime down,” he added. “If
we aren’t out there, some-
thing will fi ll the void.”
Applications sought for Western
water, power maintenance projects
By SIERRA DAWN McCLAIN
Capital Press
April Ehrlich/Video image courtesy of the Oregon Legislature
A Senate committee meets on April 27, 2021, to discuss House Bill 2560. The new law requires governing
bodies to provide a way for people to access most public meetings remotely.
Oregonians get remote access to
public meetings, permanently
ward, D-Portland. During a
Senate committee meeting
in April, Hayward said
some governing bodies in
Oregon were planning to go
back to holding in-person
meetings at which people
can only testify in person.
“We have people who
largest states in the country
in square mileage, ranking
ninth between Colorado and
SALEM — What was
Wyoming. That makes for
once a solution during
some long drives for people
the pandemic — allowing
wanting to testify in Salem
people to participate in
on statewide rules and leg-
public meetings remotely to
islation. Some have even
accommodate COVID-19
organized community-wide
health guidelines — is
bus trips to share
now state law.
perspectives from
“We have people who
House Bill 2560,
Oregon’s farthest
passed by the Oregon
corners.
travel from Enterprise
Legislature in the 2021
Even local meet-
session, took eff ect on
to Salem — a six-hour
ings in Oregon’s
Jan. 1. It requires gov-
large counties can
drive — to testify for 15
erning bodies to make
be too distant for
most public meetings
some people to
minutes. That’s not OK.
remotely accessible
attend. Driving
when it’s “reasonably
from Reedsport to
We need to make it so
possible.”
Douglas County’s
that they don’t have to do commission meet-
At the start of the
pandemic, governing
ings in Roseburg,
that if they want to get
agencies across Oregon
for instance, takes
— from small city
well over an hour.
their voices heard.”
commissions to state-
The new law
— Sen. Elizabeth Steiner Hayward,
wide legislative com-
applies to most
D-Portland
mittees — transitioned
public meetings
to hosting public meet-
held by governing
ings remotely, or at
bodies, except for
least providing a way for
travel from Enterprise to
executive sessions.
people to view and par-
Salem — a six-hour drive
Members of the media
ticipate in meetings from
— to testify for 15 min-
already have access to most
home.
utes,” Hayward said.
executive sessions, but
That could change as
“That’s not OK. We need
HB 2560 doesn’t specify
soon as social distancing
to make it so that they don’t if governing bodies must
requirements lift, according have to do that if they want
also provide remote access
to one of the bill’s sponsors, to get their voices heard.”
to the media for these
Sen. Elizabeth Steiner Hay-
Oregon is among the
meetings.
By APRIL EHRLICH
Oregon Public Broadcasting
The most valuable and respected
source of local news, advertising and
information for our communities.
www.eomediagroup.com
SALEM — The Bureau
of Reclamation — the fed-
eral agency responsible for
the nation’s water manage-
ment — has opened the
fi rst application period for
agencies and organizations
to apply for funding under
the $1.2 trillion infrastruc-
ture bill Congress passed
in November.
The fi rst portion of
funding can be used to
rehabilitate canals, dams,
levees and other facili-
ties. The “extraordinary
maintenance” projects
can include aging water
and power infrastructure,
according to the Bureau.
“This month, Recla-
mation is taking direct
action to keep our water
and power infrastructure
operating reliably into the
21st century,” Reclamation
Commissioner Camille
Calimlim Touton said in a
statement.
The Bureau is com-
bining funding from
the infrastructure bill
with application require-
Sierra Dawn McClain/Capital Press, File
Racquel Rancier, left, of the Oregon Water Resources Department
takes a photo of a seepage hole inside Oregon’s Big Creek Dam
intake tunnel while Rep. David Gomberg, D-Central Coast, right,
shines his fl ashlight on the vulnerable area during a 2019 tour. The
federal application period is open for projects to restore aging
dams, canals and other water infrastructure.
ments of the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, which
became law in December
2020.
The fi rst application
period for “extraordinary
maintenance” projects
will close Jan. 31. These
applications will then
be reviewed during the
second and third quarters
of fi scal year 2022 before
money is awarded.
At least once each year,
there will be additional
opportunities to apply for
funding for those who
miss the Jan. 31 deadline.
Touton said the Bureau
plans to “be in lock step
with local partners”
throughout the application
process and awarding of
funds.
“Reclamation’s rela-
tionship with our part-
ners is one of our greatest
strengths, and we’re going
to heavily leverage that
partnership in putting this
funding to work,” said
Touton.
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