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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 13, 2015)
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015 THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 9 Local Sumpter City Council has very full agenda By Meghan Andersch Meghan@TheBakerCountyPress.com Sumpter City Council met on Tuesday night to hear reports and discuss and approve several items of business. County Commissioner Bill Harvey and his wife Lorrie also attended. Mayor Melissa Findley opened the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance. Previous meetings’ minutes were reviewed, amended, and accepted. Bills were discussed and approved. Findley introduced Mr. Harvey, who shared infor- mation on opportunities and issues in the County and fi elded questions from Council members and meeting attendees. Harvey stated he had spoken with Tim Bishop earlier in the day about economic issues, including the possibility of starting a bike race from Sumpter to John Day and back. Harvey said the US Forest Service is trying to designate where snowmo- biles may be driven and there are similar issues with 4-wheeler use. Har- vey stated he has never seen a snowmobile hurt the ground under the snow, and would like to see these opportunities expanded, not curtailed. He is work- ing with the USFS on ideas to get past restrictions they’re trying to put on the County. Harvey spoke of the decision to not sign the Forest Service’s new Memorandum of Under- standing, stating the MOU basically means that the County would have no say in what the USFS decides. Wallowa County joined Baker County in refus- ing to sign. Harvey said he has gotten many calls thanking the Baker County commissioners for taking a stand. Harvey said they would like to see the For- est Service come back to the table to discuss their differences and proceed with a plan that will work for Baker County. Harvey said the County is also tackling the possi- bility of logging in the for- est, stating, “Jobs is what I campaigned on, what I be- lieve in, and what will take care of many problems in Baker County.” He said there is agreement that we have too much timber in the forest and would rather cut it, clean it and thin it than burn it. Harvey fi elded sev- eral questions regarding closure of roads and what will happen now that the County has refused to sign the MOA. Harvey stated the USFS never asked the County for input on the “desirable amount” of roads in the forest and said closing roads would not only reduce ability for recreation, harvesting fi re- wood, and fi ghting fi res, but would also violate ADA rules and laws by impeding ability to rescue lost or injured persons. Harvey stated Wallowa County joining in refus- ing to sign the MOA had a startling effect and he is hoping to have started something. He reminded everyone that this is just one issue affecting the County and encouraged everyone to keep being involved and sending in- formation to his offi ce. Harvey has started “First Friday with a Commis- sioner” and reserves 9 a.m. on the fi rst Friday of the month for anyone to come in and talk to him about any issue they want. His offi ce is located in the Baker County Courthouse. After Commissioner Harvey’s presentation, the Council heard reports. Mayor Findley reported that the Employee Hand- book process has been completed. New offi ce hours are Monday to Fri- day 8-5. She asked to delay start- ing twice a month meet- ings, on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday evenings of the month, to March. Findley reported a com- plaint after a private citizen helping plow out some- one’s driveway got some snow berm in front of another citizen’s driveway. The situation was resolved and the berm was replowed. Findley stated she does not want to see “Sumpter stop helping Sumpter,” just asks that everyone be cognizant of how and where. She also asked that anyone plowing on City streets make sure they have insurance, as a private citizen plowing would be responsible to pay for any damage to signs, water mains, etc. Another complaint involved someone living in a camp trailer and stepping outside to urinate in view of other City residents. The situation has been addressed. It was asked if any ordinance or rule says that a conditional use permit is needed to live in a travel trailer. Findley clarifi ed that the answer is yes, especially if they are using City utilities. Findley stated she would really like to pursue getting the City its own website, for purposes of market- ing, sharing information, making forms available, etc. She has received one quote which would run about $2500 for the full package, including build- ing a website that can be maintained and updated by the City, and instructional how-to videos for updating the website. Findley stated she will bring several quotes to the next meeting and ask Council to proceed on ap- proving the expenditure. Findley reported meet- ing with Fire Chief Kurt Clarke last week to discuss updates to the Fire Depart- ment. These include ask- ing John Young to move training and safety exper- tise to the fi re side of the Department and bringing in Anna Stafford as EMS Coordinator to train on the EMS side. Both would be of equal stature and report to Fire Chief Clarke and Jim Sheller. Findley also asked Council to approve spend- ing about $500 to have Stafford do a consult and present a business plan for the Fire Department, including feedback on bringing standards, fi les and training up to par. When asked if she is implying the Fire De- partment and EMS are substandard, Findley stated she is asking the City to do what they need to do to be up to regulation in all aspects and categories and to take advantage of the knowledge Stafford has to offer. She had Stafford put together a professional bi- ography, which is available for anyone who wants to review it. Council voted to approve Fire Department updates with one absten- tion due to not hearing discussion with the Fire Department. Findley shared a report from Randy Jones of DEQ about the potential op- portunity for a marketing intern—free of charge— to work marketing for Sumpter. She will fi nd out more this week and report at the next meeting. Findley suggested The Water Tower newsletter should not be put in with the water bill until changes are made and there is full consensus about what goes in the newsletter. She stated that no one is suggesting getting rid of it. They want to make it better, more informative, and include facts and in- formation everyone needs to hear. City Recorder Julie McKinney reported that a reimbursement request was sent in on the OPRD grant. Half of the amount will be sent now, with the remain- der to follow as soon as the painting on the picnic shelter is fi nished. W2s were sent out and they are starting work on the new budget. The city received its portion of State Rev- enue Sharing--$1238 year to date. Utility Manager Jeff McKinney reported that in January the City had to plow once and the water clogged up once. He got a preliminary quote of $45,900 for the cost of the new meter required by DEQ. McKinney is looking into options to bring that down as much as possible. McKinney reported the steering box failed on the utility truck, but Mark Bork was able to repair it quickly for return to service. McKinney com- mented they are fortunate to have local mechanics to meet needs at short notice and at fair prices. McKinney also reported repair of a sewage drain- ing system fail at Scoop and Steamer and a failed water meter at the Elkhorn Restaurant. McKinney said he has started a street sign recla- mation and replacement project for the City. Half the signs in town are gone. He is working to complete a cost estimate for materi- als, time and labor. He would also like to coordi- nate with the Fire Depart- ment to get addresses that can be seen when they are called out. The Fire Chief’s Report was given by Jim Sheller. Last month, the City had one medical call out with six responders. OSP gives anti-scam tips Recently, the Oregon State Police has taken reports from people who have been scammed out of money by people posing as law enforcement offi cers on the telephone. Scammers have called and claimed to be members of a police department or sheriff's department and that the victim missed jury duty, had outstanding fi nes, or a warrant for their arrest that could be taken care of over the phone with a pay- ment. Callers may instruct the victims to purchase re-loadable cards and call them back with the num- bers. Similar scams have been reported in the past year where callers claim to be with a utility or other government agency. The Oregon State Police reminds you to be aware that: • The Oregon State Po- lice or any other legitimate law enforcement agency does not call community members seeking payment for outstanding traffi c cita- tions or warrants. • The Oregon State Police does not call indi- viduals and demand money from community members under any circumstances. • Individuals claiming to collect debts may try to instill fear in potential victims to persuade them to forward money. Tips. • Never give personal or fi nancial information to an unsolicited caller or email. • Be suspicious of callers who demand immediate payment for any reason. • Utility companies and government agencies will never contact you for pay- ment by GreenDot, Mon- eyPak or Vanilla Reload. • Remember that anyone who has the number on a prepaid card has access to the funds on your card. • Never wire money, provide debit or credit card numbers to a stranger. The Oregon Judicial Department (OJD) advises that courts may use an independent collection service to collect unpaid monetary judgments and fi nes. If someone believes they are being scammed regarding an alleged un- paid traffi c citation or other court-imposed fi nancial obligation they can: • Ask the collector (call- er) for information specifi c to the alleged warrant or unpaid traffi c citation. The caller should have the court case number, date of ticket and vehicle license number. • Verify the debt or confi rm other details by calling the OJD collections hot-line at 1-888-564- 2828. • Use OJD Courts ePay to directly pay money owed to state courts for most traffi c citations, civil fees or criminal fi nes (For more information go to http://www.courts.oregon. gov/OJD/OnlineServices/ ePay/Pages/index.aspx. If you receive a similar call, disconnect without providing any information or taking any instructions from the caller. Contact your local law enforcement agency. You may also fi le a complaint with the Oregon Department of Justice Con- sumer Protection Offi ce via the Consumer Hotline at 1-877-877-9392 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or complete an on-line Consumer Complaint Form anytime at http://www. doj.state.or.us/consumer/ Pages/complaint.aspx Sheller and Neil Bork mentioned to dispatch the idea of giving them the name of the person when there is a medical call out. Due to address and street oddities, this could make the response time quicker. Another possibility would be having a volunteer place all addresses into a GPS unit located in the EMS Quick Response Unit. Sheller and Dick Malone replaced a gauge on the brush truck and they are at “100% operation, ready to roll at moment’s notice”. No one from the Plan- ning Commission was available to give a report. Mayor Findley suggested dissolving the Commission for a while, until they are able to have a quorum and meet consistently. After some discussion and feed- back, both from council members and the public, it was decided to put the mat- ter on the meeting agenda for next month and invite all Planning Commission members to attend. City Recorder McKin- ney reported that the IFA loan application for the DEQ project needs to be completed. The pre-engi- neering report will work for the application. Council member Le- Anne Woolf asked if any feedback has been received from the City attorney re- garding DEQ’s interpreta- tion of the City’s indebted- ness limit. As it has not, Mayor Findley asked for a copy of the letter McKin- ney sent in November and said she will follow up. Regarding the offer to the City of the property known as the Superinten- dent’s House, Mayor Find- ley suggested getting all details on costs to the City, inside and outside, before proceeding. Council voted to rescind December’s mo- tion to move forward until they have suffi cient details. Mayor Findley said she would like to try a com- mittee this year for the Flea Market and said she has spoken already to Lori Jean Pruitt and Anna Staf- ford and charged them with getting input from other businesses in Sumpter, communicating with City Council, and communicat- ing with the vendor base. Council approved appoint- ing the committee. Mayor Findley said due to feedback, the Complaint Form was renamed. The new form for Citizen Feedback and Opportuni- ties will be made available several places, including City Hall, and perhaps the Gold Post. Mayor Findley reported that Sumpter has the op- portunity to increase their CenturyLink franchise fee from 4 to 7%. The extra 3% goes onto customers’ bills. Utility Manager McKinney asked if Cen- turyLink will collect and pass through the additional percentage dollar for dollar and cent for cent and was told yes. Findley recom- mended moving ahead and revisiting the issue if it turns out to be a burden for citizens. City Recorder McKin- ney reported on Supervisor Training with CIS. Topics covered included recruit- ment, employee hand- books, interview teams, preferred candidates, orientation, retiring, etc. McKinney said the information was quite valuable and there was much emphasis on main- taining a good rapport with employees. She stated she learned never to fi re any- one without fi rst consulting attorneys. McKinney read a let- ter from the Snowmobile Club requesting the use of folding chairs from the Community Center and the use of City streets for the Outhouse races on Satur- day. The requests were approved. Council approved send- ing Utility Manager Jeff McKinney to the 37th Annual Management and Technical Conference of the Oregon Association of Water Utilities the begin- ning of March. This meet- ing is “almost mandatory” and will go a long way toward getting him needed certifi cations. A motion to appoint Kathi Vinson as Budget Offi cer was approved. During the Public Input portion of the meeting, Jim Sheller said the Poker Run will happen Saturday with or without snow. He said a trail is set up for those who want to ride, but it will likely be hard on sleds. The Outhouse Races will either take place at the Fairgrounds, or Center and Sumpter Streets, depend- ing on which site is most conducive to the event. Turbo assists with drug bust On February 5, 2015 at about 8:00 p.m. Baker City Po- lice Department Detective Bass stopped a vehicle driven by Alexander Prentice Griffi n on Campbell Street near Walnut Street in Baker City, Oregon for multiple traffi c violations. While Det. Bass was completing the traffi c stop, BCPD Offi cer Weaver deployed K-9 “Turbo” around the ve- hicle. Turbo “alerted” on the vehicle. More than one ounce of Methamphetamine and just under an ounce of Marijuana were seized.Alexander Grif- fi n was lodged at the Baker County Jail for Possession and Delivery of Methamphetamine. This investigation is continuing. John, thank you for 53 adventurous years. I love you. —Roberta I love beef! I love lamb! —Mule Springs Ranch