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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (June 9, 2017)
FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 2017 THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 9 Local & Entertainment Bebe’s word search City Council CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 Overall, there seemed to be a general feeling that all City employees, including the Council were fi nan- cially well off and that is why they felt this fee could be easily absorbed in the community. Councilor Thomas spoke up and stated, “I’d just like to throw out there that I don’t think any of us, with the roughly $150 we get for a year, are ever going to get rich being on Council. I do hope that some people that seem to think we’re a bunch of crooks, I sure hope I see their name on the ballot in 2018. You’ll see mine, you can vote for me or not but please throw your hat in the ring as well. They think this is easy for all of us ‘rich folk’ up here—I don’t think I am in that category by any means.” Mayor Downing then said, “I’d like to make a comment addressing some concerns. I’ve stated mul- tiple times I work for 911 as a part time dispatcher. I also work full-time as a title offi cer. I have not received a pay increase at 911 for over seven years. I am a single dad of three and I live paycheck to paycheck. “I understand the $3 for a residential (customer) and I’m willing to pay that.” Downing then spoke to an apartment fi re situation that happened the night before in which he was working as a dispatcher at the time. He said that only three fi refi ghters were on duty. Nine adults and chil- dren had to be evacuated from the structure. One City police offi cer was on the scene and as- sisted in helping someone in a wheelchair escape, noting by helping at the fi re scene that offi cer was unavailable to answer a call from another citizen, who had called several times for assistance. Calls for backup were requested of Baker Rural and the Haines Fire De- partment, both of which are volunteer-only depart- ments. Downing said that it took about 40 minutes for that back up to arrive. He said, “Those people that were pulled out of that fi re would not have survived for forty minutes while people (volunteers) got to that fi re. Fire doubles in size every two minutes.” Downing also stated that the call had come in ten minutes before his shift was to end at midnight and as a result he was there until 2 a.m. He had to be at his other job at 8 a.m. He said, “So on fi ve hours of sleep, I sit here for $150 a year.” Downing stressed that calls don’t come in on a schedule and moving to volunteer departments for Police and Fire was not a good solution. He said, “Our crew last night was at that fi re in 3-4 minutes, if you go to a vol- unteer department it will be 30-40 minutes. Those folks last night wouldn’t have had a chance. That’s what this $3 fee is help- ing to support,” he said solemnly. “These decisions are not easy.” There were whispers from the crowd saying that this is what the taxes that are collected are for. Downing stated, “Our tax base has not gone up but our costs have. We ex- pect as citizens of the City to have services provided but that all costs money and in today’s society, people want something for nothing or they expect to pay the same amount they paid 20 years ago. Nothing costs the same today as it did 20 years ago.” Councilor Nilsson who expressed reservations at the last meeting said that he too had been out talking with citizens and he had found the opposite of what Mr. Muller had encoun- tered, that generally the public was not opposed to such a fee and his concerns had been settled in the feedback he’d gotten. City Manager Fred Warner read Ordinance # 3354 for the second time by title only establishing a Public Safety Fee and de- claring an emergency upon a motion by Councilor Joseph that was seconded by Councilor Nilsson and unanimously voted in favor of by Council. After Warner read the Or- dinance Councilor Joseph motioned with a second again by Councilor Nilsson to accept the reading of the ordinance followed by a unanimous vote. The third and fi nal read- ing will be held at the next Council meeting. Public comment will be allowed at that meeting as well before a fi nal vote by Council. The Littles’ crossword puzzle BTI to offer summer courses BTI will be offering summer courses at EOU. Courses are available to community members, high school students or college students looking to ad- vance their career or learn a new skill. Courses include Wilder- ness Advanced First Aid, Nurse Assistant, Intro to Heavy Equipment Opera- tion, Technical Writing, Welding, and a Women The in Trades Summer Camp. Registration is limited. Please call BTI at (541) 519-2671 to enroll. BTI is a leading pro- vider of Career Techni- cal Education programs focused on developing the next generation of skilled workers, technology in- novators, entrepreneurs, and community leaders in rural communities. Headquartered in Baker City, Oregon, BTI offers cutting-edge education and training, leading to certifi cation in high-wage, high-demand careers, such as agricultural sciences, building trades, natural resources/environmental sciences, engineering, health services, welding, heavy equipment opera- tion, and manufacturing. For more information, go to bakerti.org Baker County Press Subscribe Today! Name: Address: City, State, Zip: Email address: Phone: E-Only $29.95/yr. Print (Delivery) $39.95/yr. Print (Mail) $49.95/yr. Inside Baker City City Limits Only Outside Baker City City Limits Only 1. Make check payable to: Black Lyon Publishing, LLC 2. Mail the check with this completed form to: PO Box 567, Baker City, Ore. 97814 To pay by credit card, please visit www.Th eBakerCountyPress.com Across 1- Word that can pre- cede war, biotic and climax; 5- At that point; 9- Okinawa port; 13- Suckle; 15- Patriot Nathan; 16- Pressing need?; 17- Go gaga over; 18- Diva’s solo; 19- Become exhausted; 20- A Kennedy; 21- Freeway access; 23- “Hotel ___”; 25- Assistant, particu- larly to heads of state; 26- Hemoglobin defi - ciency; 27- Own; 30- Pasture used for grazing; 31- Mary of “The Mal- tese Falcon”; 32- Basketwork; 37- Extended family; 38- Sensitive spots; 40- 1975 Wimbledon winner; 41- Simultaneously; 43- Madame de ___; 44- ___ polloi; 45- Situated on the side; 47- Straighten out; 50- ___ all-time high; 51- Most cunning; 52- Up and ___!; 53- Hearst kidnap grp.; 56- ___’acte (intermis- sion); 57- Writer Wiesel; 59- Final notices; 61- River in central Swit- zerland; 62- Juniors, perhaps; 63- Like beaches; 64- Modernists; 65- Hardware fastener; 66- Medicinal amount; Down 1- Med. school class; 2- Au naturel; 3- Walked on; 4- Syr. neighbor; 5- English river; 6- Heavenly strings; 7- Yale student; 8- Proximity; 9- Ruler of Hyderabad; 10- Rice-___; 11- Accord maker; 12- “Puppy Love” singer; 14- More strange; 22- Show stoppers?; 24- Not strong; 25- Unifi ed; 26- Caesar’s wings; 27- Agreement; 28- Scandinavian capi- tal; 29- Adult male deer; 32- It’s cold!; 33- Devoured; 34- Nicholas II, for one; 35- Perlman of “Cheers”; 36- Scream; 38- Least lengthy; 39- Trompe l’___; 42- As a result; 43- John of “Full House”; 45- Up-to-the-minute; 46- Devoured; 47- Radii neighbors; 48- Dynamite stuff; 49- Harvest goddess; 51- Actor Connery; 52- Hokkaido native; 53- Prefi x with Tibetan; 54- Old Fords; 55- ___ sow, so shall...; 58- Actor Chaney; 60- Foul;
