8 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
FRIDAY, AUGUST 4, 2017
Local
County: Weed MOU inked Governor
declares
wildfire state
of emergency
BY TODD ARRIOLA
Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com
The Baker County Board
of Commissioners held its
first regular session of the
month on Wednesday, in
the Commission Chambers
of the Baker County Court-
house, which included a
County Planning Depart-
ment update from Director
Holly Kerns, a Tri-County
Cooperative Weed Man-
agement Area (TCWMA)
agreement amendment dis-
cussion and approval with
interim Director Samantha
Bernards and TCWMA
Board of Directors Chair
Dan Sharratt, and a discus-
sion of Blue Mountain
Translator District antenna
fee collection issues with
County Assessor Kerry
Savage.
Present from the Board
were Chair Bill Harvey,
Commissioners Mark Ben-
nett and Bruce Nichols,
and Executive Assistant
Heidi Martin.
Attendance also includ-
ed Baker County Parks and
Recreation Director Karen
Spencer, Baker County
Weed Master Arnie Gram-
mon, Baker County Sheriff
Travis Ash, Wanda Ballard,
Art Sappington, John
Creighton, Ed Hardt, Tom
Muller, and Mark Sayers.
Citizen Participation
included Muller, who
expressed disappointment
with the Board’s approval
of State Representative and
Baker County Economic
Development Director
Greg Smith’s request for
an increase of $12,000 per
contract, for a new total
of $108,000 per year, for
economic development
services (from Greg Smith
& Company, LLC), which
had previously been ap-
proved by the Economic
Development Council.
Muller said that Harvey
stated, in a Baker City
Herald article, that Smith
deserved the raise. “It is
so sad that you do so, at a
time when so many people
in the City, area, and
County are...struggling to
make ends meet...” Muller
said, and he added that he
believes there are conflicts
involved.
Nichols invited Muller
to the afternoon Economic
Development Council
(EDC) meeting, held at 1
p.m. the same day, “...so
you could learn some more
facts...I think it would be
very beneficial for you to
learn more...than what you
have, because what you
have written in the letter
there (Muller read from
it) is not really accurate...
you’ll learn why the Com-
missioners voted the way
they did,” Nichols said.
Muller attended the EDC
meeting, but he didn’t
provide any comment.
Citizen Participation
also included Ballard, who
asked about the status of
meetings regarding the
proposed Boardman to
Hemingway transmission
line project, and Bennett
said that there will be a
Baker County meeting,
including Bennett and
Kerns, on Monday, August
14, 2017, 5 p.m., in the
Commission Chambers.
Hardt spoke of issues
regarding federal regula-
tions and permits, and
other road blocks to po-
tential rare earth mining in
the County; Sayers asked
about what the County is
doing in preparation for the
Total Solar Eclipse event
in the area of Durkee, and
Bennett said that, among
other plans, the Oregon
Todd Arriola / The Baker County Press
Samantha Bernards and Dan Sharratt.
Department of Forestry
(ODF) will commit an
additional ten fire engines
to the County; and Sap-
pington discussed several
issues, including Revised
Statutes (RS) 2477 roads
and closures,and inappro-
priate/unauthorized agency
Virtue Flat signage.
The minutes from the
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
regular session were ap-
proved, with a couple of
changes, with a motion
from Nichols, and a second
from Harvey.
Kerns provided a Plan-
ning Department update,
which included details of
the Department’s prepara-
tion for the Total Solar
Eclipse event. She said
that the largest group
gathering might be 3,000
people, and the Depart-
ment is communicating
with different communities
to “...plan ahead, and try
to prevent anything from
going wrong with those
events...” Kerns said that
Durkee and Unity are two
of the “hot spots” for view-
ing of the eclipse.
She also said, among
other details, that the
Department is working
on implementing State
Sage Grouse reporting
requirements; that the
Unity-based solar facility
was the first application
of its kind approved by
the Planning Commission;
that the County’s posi-
tion on the Boardman to
Hemingway (B2H) project
hasn’t changed (the County
doesn’t support the route
through the County); and
that looking ahead, the
Department plans to ad-
dress the inconsistencies in
the Comprehensive Land
Use Plan.
A Professional Services
Agreement (PSA), between
the County and Baker
County Unlimited (BCU,
the Baker County Chamber
of Commerce and Visitors
Bureau), for the operation
of the Visitors Bureau, was
approved, with a motion
from Bennett, and a second
from Nichols.
According to the agree-
ment, the term is July 1,
2017 through June 30,
2019, and the County will
pay BCU $6,225.33 per
month.
A Baker County Fair
Board agreement, between
the County and Sid John-
son & Company, for pier
and fence reconstruction
work on the Baker County
Rodeo Grandstand, was
approved, with a motion
from Bennett, and a second
from Nichols. Accord-
ing to the agreement, the
County will pay Sid John-
son & Company $47,400
for the work.
A Memorandum Of
Agreement (MOU), be-
tween the Baker County
Weed Department, and the
Burnt River Soil and Water
Conservation District,
for services to include
surveying and inventorying
approximately 2,000 acres
of riparian habit in order to
create individual assess-
ment and treatment plans
per landowner, to treat
weed infestations in Camp
Creek, was approved, with
a motion from Harvey,
a second from Nichols,
and a recusal noted from
Bennett, as he stated there
may be a conflict. Accord-
ing to the MOU, the Weed
Department will contribute
project match, in the form
of in-kind labor, valued at
$2,000.
Grammon discussed the
MOU prior to its approval.
Bernards and Sharratt
discussed a TCWMA
Agreement, including
proposed amendments,
with the Board, for over
half an hour (there are
continuing issues with the
TCWMA/County relation-
ship, specifically with the
lack of representative staff
in the County, where most
work is performed), and
only the amendments were
approved to be ratified at
that time, with a motion
from Harvey, and a second
from Bennett.
The approved amend-
ment in Article V, “Tri-
County CWMA Governing
Board Membership,” reads
as follows: “The Board
shall consist of one County
Commissioner from each
county of the Tri-County
area, one Noxious weed
supervisor from each coun-
ty, one Weed Board Mem-
ber from each county...”
The current language had
included one “Weed Board
Chair,” in place of “Weed
Board Member.”
The approved amend-
ment in Article VIII, “Ex-
ecutive Committee,” reads
as follows: “An Execu-
tive committee is hereby
established, composed of
the three officers of the
Governing Board of the
Trti-County CWMA and
one County Commissioner
from each of the participat-
ing Counties.” The current
language had included
“two Board members
elected by the Board,”
in place of “one County
Commissioner.”
Order No. 2017-141,
Designating A Newspaper
Of Record, was approved,
with a motion from Ben-
nett, and a second from
Nichols. According to
the order, The Baker City
Herald, the sole applicant,
was designated.
Order No. 2017-142,
Designating A Newspaper
For Publication Of The
Annual Foreclosure Of The
Tax Liens As Shown By
The Baker County Fore-
closure List, was approved,
with a motion from Ben-
nett, and a second from
Nichols.
Order No. 2017-143, Di-
recting The Baker County
Sheriff To Make Sale Of
County Property; Fixing
The Minimum Price And
Providing A Portion Of
The Conditions And Terms
Of Sale, was approved,
with a motion from Har-
vey, and a second from
Bennett. The minimum
value for Reference No.
12061, 42.5 acres, known
as Puzzle Creek, was set
at $46,500, with a mo-
tion from Harvey, and a
second from Bennett. The
minimum value for Refer-
ence No. 12169, 120.94
acres, known as Shanghai
Creek Park, was set at
$88,500, with a motion
from Harvey, and a second
from Bennett. Spencer
discussed the details of the
order, prior to its approval.
The amount of up to
$10,000 was approved for
Eastern Oregon Counties
Association (EOCA) dues
yearly, along with a letter
from the Board to that
effect to be sent to EOCA,
the notification of which
would be each May, with a
motion from Harvey, and
a second from Nichols.
The Board discussed an
invoice for EOCA dues
in the amount of $14,200,
from Union County, which
prompted the discussion
and decision.
During Commissioner
Update, the formation of
an Audit Committee was
approved, with a motion
from Bennett, and a second
from Harvey.
Prior to the motion,
Nichols discussed the need
for the committee with the
Board, for large budgets,
such as the County’s.
Savage discussed is-
sues with delinquent fees
associated with broadcast
signal antennas, on proper-
ties covered by the Blue
Mountain Translator Dis-
trict (BMTD), in response
to internal issues with
BMTD, which has shown
1,000 uncollected fees,
prompting heated phone
calls from citizens.
Savage said he’s seen
a large amount of uncol-
lected fees ($100 per year
currently for each account)
for use of BMTD signals
in the past, but not on this
scale (last year, the number
was around 260, with
around 120 the year be-
fore). Nichols (who serves
on the BMTD Board)
said that Richard Chaves
of Chaves Consulting
explained how the associ-
ated tracking and billing
software should work,
since there were apparently
issues with data entry and
use of the software, and
Nichols said that he’s been
assured that there will be a
revised list by September
1st.
Governor Brown Wednesday declared a state of emer-
gency in response to wildfire activity across the state.
Hot, dry, and windy conditions and forecasts for more
thunderstorms around the state have resulted in multiple
red flag warnings, placing Oregon in a critical fire danger
situation. The entire region is experiencing similar issues,
resulting in a strain on resources. The declaration enables
the Oregon National Guard to mobilize resources on an
as-needed basis to assist the Department of Forestry and
the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office with firefighting.
“As Oregon faces a near record-breaking heatwave,
the threat of wildfires increases,” Governor Brown said.
“I am thankful to the firefighters and crews working tire-
lessly throughout the state, and remind all Oregonians
to be safe and follow posted fire bans. Our state agen-
cies have a long-standing tradition of collaboration, and
this declaration of emergency will ensure they have the
resources needed to minimize the impact of wildfires.”
ODOT
announces
distracted driver
campaign
Nearly 500 people lost their lives on Oregon roads
in 2016 – erasing a decade’s worth of gains. Crash data
analysis points towards a contributing cause: distracted
driving. Every three hours someone is injured by a dis-
tracted driving in Oregon. Over 75% of Oregonians admit
to doing it, but almost the same number don’t like it when
others drive distracted. It’s reached epidemic proportions.
Recent research suggests we simply can’t stop looking at
our phones, even while driving. In short, we’re addicted.
The Oregon Department of Transportation has teamed
up with LifeSaver to help reduce distracted driving by
making healthy driving a game. Beginning September
1st, the department and its partners: AAA of Oregon/
Idaho and the Oregon State Police, invite those who drive
in Oregon to join the movement towards healthy driving
at DriveHealthy.org.
The concept is simple. Groups of Oregonians band
together to compete with others to see who can keep
their phones locked while driving. School against school,
Rotary club against the Kiwanis, one church challenges
another across town. The free app shows the top scorers
in each category, plus your organization’s monthly score.
“As a culture I think we’re ready for a change,” says
ODOT Communications Manager Tom Fuller. “The sto-
ries of deaths and injuries from distracted driving are as
horrific as they are preventable.” The campaign comes as
the result of the recommendations from a statewide task
force convened by ODOT Director Matthew Garrett in
2016. The task force recommended a positive approach
to the problem. “Healthy driving is our way of changing
the conversation from shaming a negative behavior, to
encouraging a positive one,” says Fuller.
Organizations can register at www.DriveHealthy.org,
then on September 1st they download the free app and the
competition begins. Each month is a new opportunity to
compete. Will it be effective? A recent similar campaign
in Boston reduced distracted driving by 47%.
The campaign already has many partners. In addition to
AAA Oregon/Idaho, ODOT, and the Oregon State Police,
they include: the Oregon Association of Broadcasters, the
Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association and LifeSaver.
More partners are coming on board each week.
The campaign also encourages local advocates to help
reduce distracted driving in their communities. https://
www.drivehealthy.org/resources/ includes links to toolkits
where these advocates can do their own observational
studies of distracted driving in their community and peti-
tion local jurisdictions to pass proclamations and poli-
cies to encourage healthy driving. The Resources page
also has stories on distracted driving as well as links to
research studies and background.
City Planning to meet
The Baker City Planning Commission will hold a pub-
lic hearing at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 16th, 2017
in the Council Chambers at the Baker City Hall, 1655 1st
Street, Baker City, Oregon, followed by a work session.
VAC-17-068: A petition for the vacation of a public
street has been received for an undeveloped portion of Al-
len Street, located within the Commercial-General Zone.
The street is located in Township 9 South, Range 40 East,
Section 15, and is located between Windmill Lane and
I-84. The public is invited to attend this hearing and to
submit oral or written testimony. Testimony and relevant
evidence, both in support of or in opposition to the pro-
posal, must be based on the applicable review criteria and
submitted to the Planning Department by 5:00 p.m. on the
hearing date, Wednesday, August 16th, 2017, or in person
during the hearing.
The staff report will be available for inspection on or
before August 9th, 2017 at the Baker County Courthouse
at 1995 3rd Street, Baker City.