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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 6, 2015)
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2015 4 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS Opinion / Local — Editorial — Cheering on our Commissioners The Baker County Board of Commis- sioners did exactly as so many of us had hoped this week. They stood up for the needs and desires expressed by a huge number of Baker County voters, and said no to a memo of understanding (MOU) with the Forest Service. The sole purpose of that MOU was to define the County s role in regard to future Blue Mountain Forest planning activities. Signing the MOU would have meant accepting “cooperating” status with USFS as the lead, relegating our county-level government and thereby the citizens it represents to second-class status. We can- not be put into a “cooperating” role unless our commissioners sign that MOU. Not signing the MOU keeps us in coor- dinating status. Much has been made regarding the difference between becoming a “cooper- ating” entity and a “coordinating” one. Coordinating is what we want. Coordination, unlike cooperation, comes with it a federally recognized set of legal mandates that mean counties sit at the table with a little control over their own destiny. The USFS not only is re- quired by law to listen, but to incorporate. Not so with cooperating. As we under- stand it, without some very special and expensively negotiated contract language in place—which is not offered in this particular or in most other MOUs—coop- erating sets the stage for USFS leaders to nod their heads and cross off a box saying counties have been heard, then go on their merry way with whatever agenda was originally intended. Based on previous actions, we don’t trust the USFS to unilaterally decide what’s best for counties at the local level. Case in point: The meeting in Pendleton at which this MOU was presented was not announced in a blast to media as a press release, nor was much advance notice given, contrary to what we usually see for other events and meetings. Instead, we found out because a third party mentioned the meeting to another third party, and the tip found its way to us. In no way, shape or form is this how legitimate government transparency looks. As a result, our newspaper was the only media present to report on the meeting, and the general public was essentially robbed of that chance for input. Not a real trust-gaining move in our opinion. When it comes to jobs, the local econo- my, access to our forests and the like, we need to take a strong stand. The commissioners in the counties around us need to take strong stands along with our commissioners, so that eastern Oregon counties are more confident t - gether—unified It’s easier for commissioners to stay strong when they feel the weight of sup- port behind them. Give them a call. —The Baker County Press Editorial Board — Letters to the Editor — Local help may be in short supply during major disaster to all the folks who believe local authori- ties would take care of them in a disaster: remember that most responders in emer- gencies in rural communities, even those of the Red Cross organization, are on-call volunteers who have to be called from their homes or work places. In a major disaster, there may be few available to help you. Also, on that note, the disaster does not have to be in your county to cut off available supplies you take for granted. I would encourage everyone to take a personal interest in their own emergency preparedness, and serve their community. A very informative and first place to start is at the Red Cross web page at http:// www.redcross.org/prepare. They also offer information on how to learn a life saving skill. A false sense of security in that Baker County has never seen a major disaster does not provide a good enough excuse to be part of the problem instead of being part of the answer. Pamela Cox Hillsboro Letter to the Editor Policy: The Baker County Press reserves the right not to pub- lish letters containing factual falsehoods or incoherent narrative. Letters promoting or detracting from specific for-profit business- es will not be published. Word limit is 375 words per letter. Letters are limited to one every other week per author. Letters should be submitted to Editor@TheBakerCounty- Press.com. Advertising and Opinion Page Dis- claimer: Opinions submitted as Guest Opinions or Letters to the Editor express the opinions of their authors, and have not been authored by and are not necessarily the opinions of The Baker County Press, any of our staff, management, independent contractors or affiliates. Advertisements placed by political groups, candidates, businesses, etc., are printed as a paid service, which does not constitute an endorsement of or fulfillment obligation by this newspaper for the products or services advertised. To the Editor: The Baker County Press Editorial Board ask the question in their last issue, “Why would basic preparation for disasters be viewed as ‘fringe’ activities to be joked about?” The real joke is the sense of false security most folks exhibit. In 2012 The Adelphi University took a poll on Emergency Preparedness. The following are few of the surprises they discovered: 53% did not have a minimum three-day supply of nonperishable food and water in their homes; 37% did not have a list of drugs they were taking; 44% did not have first-aid kits; and over half believed local authorities would take care of them in a disaster. You can learn more about this poll here: http://chi.adelphi.edu/think- about-it/the-adelphi-university-center- for-health-innovation-poll/emergency- preparedness. To make a more sobering observation — Contact Us — The Baker County Press PO Box 567 Baker City, Ore. 97814 Open Monday-Thursday for calls 9 AM - 4 PM Open 24/7 for emails Office location: TBA Phone: 541.519.0572 TheBakerCountyPress.com Kerry McQuisten, Publisher Editor@TheBakerCountyPress.com Wendee Morrissey, Advertising and Sales Wendee@TheBakerCountyPress.com David Conn, Advertising and Sales David@TheBakerCountyPress.com Published weekly every Friday. Subscription rates per year are $29.95 all areas, e-mail delivery. $39.95 print issue, home delivery, Baker City city limits only. $49.95 print issue, mail delivery, outside Baker City city limits only. Payment in advance. A division of Black Lyon Publishing, LLC Copyright © 2014 YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS President Barack Obama 202.456.1414 202.456.2461 fax Whitehouse.gov/contact US Sen. Jeff Merkley 503.326.3386 503.326.2900 fax Merkley.Senate.gov US Sen. Ron Wyden 541.962.7691 Wyden.Senate.gov US Rep. Greg Walden 541.624.2400 541.624.2402 fax Walden.House.gov Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber 503.378.3111 Governor.Oregon.gov State Rep. Cliff Bentz 503.986.1460 State Sen. Ted Ferrioli 541.490.6528 Baker County Commissioners Bill Harvey; Mark Bennett; Tim Kerns 541.523.8200 541.523.8201 County says ‘no’ to MOU with USFS Continued from Page 1 The reasons are: 1. Baker County has had a natural resource plan in place for many years, with which the Forest Service has not coordinated; 2. In the MOU it is stated that all decision-making authority for management is held by the Forest Ser- vice. This does not work at all for Baker County. We, as a County, know what’s best for our forest and natural resource use; 3. Baker County has jurisdiction of public held lands within our bound- ary lines and we are most responsive to local needs for local citizens; 4. Historically we had a timber industry that was thriving with a stable economy—we no longer have this; and 5. We would work with any government agency when we follow the 1976 Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLP- MA) Law for coordina- tion as our Baker County Ordinance dictates. In conclusion, the letter stated, “We are now termi- nating this MOU in whole and will not be entering into another.” Discussion followed, with several people in attendance commenting in favor of approval of the letter. No objections to it were noted. With a motion from Kerns, and a second from Bennett, the letter was approved, with a correc- tion by Kerns to change the second “we” in reason number five to “the .” On Monday, January 26, the USFS held a meeting in Pendleton and presented the MOU to County Com- missioners with the hope all counties would sign. If signed, the MOU would have placed Baker County into a secondary or “cooperating” role regard- ing future “Blue Mountain Forest Plan activities.” Commissioners hope to adopt a coordinating or more equal government-to- government stance during such planning. Mining. Arthur Sappington, Co- ordinating Officer for Je - ferson Mining District, was present to comment that the Jefferson Mining Dis- trict Board confirmed that the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) will be consolidated, and rural DOGAMI satellite offices, including one in Baker County, will no longer be operational. He said that DOGAMI itself will no longer be an independent organization, and will become part of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). DOGAMI assists miners with geological issues, col- lects important geological data, and regulates differ- ent types of mining, and the change in the organiza- tion will cause devastating issues, Sappington said. Harvey said that it’s an important organization, and that the Board has sent a letter in support of its existence in the county. Dispatch Report. Sheila Thompson, Baker County 911 Consolidated Dispatch Center Direc- tor, was present to give a departmental update. She mentioned some material she provided the Board with previously, to give Harvey an idea of the different roles of the center in the community. She said she will be requesting an additional staff member, in order to meet the goal of having two members present at all times. Thompson gave the Board statistics concerning time of day and activity, and said that the center’s busiest hours are from 3 to 5 p.m., and the least are from 4 to 6 a.m. During the 4 to 6 a.m. timeframe, she said that the veteran dispatcher on duty was solo for about an hour, during the freeway pileup on January 17, but she did a great job coordi- nating efforts, until another dispatcher arrived to assist. She said that there is an excellent staff at the center in general, and Harvey commented to Thompson that the dispatcher who handled coordination ef- forts by herself on January 17 deserves a commenda- tion. Eastern Oregon Coor- dinated Care Organiza- tion. Marji Lind and Charlotte Dudley were present to give an Eastern Oregon Coordinated Care Orga- nization (EOCCO) Local Community Advisory Council (LCAC) update. Lind said that last year, members of the communi- ty were sent health surveys in order to identify issues with local medical needs, and she said that dental care coverage was a big issue, specifically with the elderly and young children. As a result, different programs were devel- oped to address this and other issues, and to meet the community’s needs, including finding methods for lowering health care costs, she said. Community Connec- tion. Mary Jo Carpenter of Community Connection of Northeast Oregon, Inc., discussed with the Board the Baker County Special Transportation Fund (STF), in connection with special transportation services benefiting seniors and individuals with dis- abilities. She talked about Supplement C, a budget amendment that would provide additional funding in the amount of $11,322 through June 30, 2015. Miscellany. The Board approved Amendment #2 to Oregon Department of Transporta- tion (ODOT) Agreement #29505, with a motion from Bennett, and a second from Kerns. The Board approved Agreement #143651, Amendment To State Of Oregon Intergovernmental Agreement, with a motion from Bennett, and a second from Kerns. This amendment changes some language and amount payable between the Oregon Department of Hu- man Services (DHS), and Baker County and Baker County District Attorney Matt Shirtcliff. The Board approved Or- der #2014-105, Appointing Members To The Econom- ic Development Council (EDC), with a motion from Kerns, and a second from Bennett. Richard Langrell, Baker City representative, and Harvey were appointed as members of the EDC, until their term of office expires, or they are no longer the designated representative. Sumpter Mayor Melissa Findley and her husband Robert Armbruster were present to discuss some road issues with the Board, specifically with funding, in the Sumpter area, and the lack of marketing for the City of Sumpter. Harvey and Bennett suggested that a local improvement district could be formed, through a vot- ing process, and dedicated funding, etc. The Board also discussed the status of three differ- ent foreclosure properties, with future discussions to follow, because more in- formation would be needed to make some decisions. The next regular session is scheduled for Wednes- day, February 18, at 9 a.m. BHS FBLA competes in La Grande regionals The annual Regional Skills Competition for the Future Business Lead- ers of America was held Thursday, Feb. 5 at Eastern Oregon University (EOU.) More than 400 students from 14 regional high schools registered to compete. The event culminated with a public awards as- sembly at 12:30 p.m. in McKenzie Theatre in Loso Hall. Participants were tested in 40 different business- related fields including agribusiness, computer problem solving, cyber security, global business, network design, and sports and entertainment manage- ment. Public speaking and mock interviews were also scheduled. The top 10 finishers from each event will compete at the state conference in Portland April 9-11. From there, the top contestants advance to the national competition in Chicago this summer. FBLA chapters from Baker City, Elgin, John Day, Helix, Heppner, Imbler, La Grande, Milton- Freewater, Nyssa, On- tario, Pendleton, Stanfield, Union and Vale were participating. Editor’s Note: Results came in after this article went to print, and are scheduled to be run with more coverage of the event in next week’s issue.
