FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2017
4 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
Opinion / Politics
— Editorial —
No
sacrificing
Police for
Fire
Earlier this year, Baker City found itself
in a giant budgeting mess due to what we
saw as a combination of poor planning
and unforeseen circumstances.
As a result, the Budget Committee, City
Manager, and City Council scrambled to
come up with a way to make up for that
huge shortfall in the General Fund. That
section of the overall budget just so hap-
pens to contain the budgets for the local
Police and Fire Departments, among other
things. The Police Department’s budget
is tight as it is, with patrol scheduling a
juggling act many weeks, where actu-
ally adding one more position would be
beneficial. Beneficial, but definitely not
affordable. At that time, the City looked
toward cutting an officer position anyway
to make up for mistakes made elsewhere.
Did that seem fair at the time? Nope.
In order to keep that position in place
for the public, City Council passed a new
and controversial $3 per household / $6
per business per month Public Safety Fee,
which was added to the already soaring
water and sewer bill. The public was as-
sured this fee would mean that the Police
Department’s officers were secure in their
positions.
Flash forward just a handful of months,
and City Manager Warner is suggesting
taking away a police position again. The
City has been offered a SAFER grant
($462K) from FEMA, which would
partially fund three new firefighter posi-
tions— but on the terms that the City
comes up with rest ($265K).
Last week, one of the patrol officers
resigned and the recruitment process
had begun for his replacement. Warner,
however, recommended at the last City
Council meeting that this position remain
unfilled, frozen to help make up the funds
for the Fire Department’s grant.
Flawed projected ambulance revenue
within the Fire Department’s budget was
a large reason behind the City’s budgetary
woes to begin with. Having the ability to
add another firefighter or two would be
super. However, the funds simply are not
there.
As Council Member Rosemary Abell
pointed out, the amount of overtime that
could be accumulated by having officers
who have already completed their full
workweeks fill in the gaps, may (and we
believe will) be considerable. In a few
short months, any cost benefit from not
hiring that replacement officer will be
eaten up paying overtime to other officers.
This makes no fiscal sense whatsoever.
From a management point of view, it
makes no sense either, wearing existing
patrol officers into exhaustion.
We’ve also heard, once again, the idea
tossed around to simply eliminate City
law enforcement’s night shift or cut it
from one officer to two. A) Having an of-
ficer on duty with no partner poses a huge
safety risk for the officer left on duty, and
B) Cutting night shift creates an enor-
mous safety risk for Baker City residents.
Most citizens are unaware that aside from
the Baker City Police, there is zero law
enforcement available anywhere in the
County for several hours during that shift.
Oregon State Police and the Baker County
Sheriff’s Office do not have troopers and
deputies on the clock. Those two BCPD
officers are all that stand between you and
whatever you’ve just dialed 911 for.
We hope this ludicrous idea drops dead
before any discussion about it becomes
“official.”
In addition, the Public Safety Fee came
with a promise to Baker City residents as
to its use—and that use was not to fund a
federal grant. That promise needs kept.
We do agree with Warner that the situa-
tion has brought with it a positive in set-
ting up an arrangement with the County to
take financial responsibility for ambulance
services outside the City Limits.
Bottom line: If the City can’t sustain
the SAFER grant, which it so far can’t, it
shouldn’t accept it. If the City can find a
way to pay its share without gutting the
Police or implementing another tax, then
great.
—The Baker County Press Editorial Board
Walden details opioid meeting
House Energy and
Commerce Committee
Chairman Greg Walden
(R-Hood River) formally
announced a hearing for
Wednesday, October 25,
2017, at 10 a.m. EST on
the opioid crisis. The hear-
ing is entitled, “Federal Ef-
forts to Combat the Opioid
Crisis: A Status Update on
CARA and Other Initia-
tives.”
Chairman Walden an-
nounced last month that
the committee would
hold a rare full committee
hearing, the first of this
Congress, on the epidemic.
The hearing will provide
a status update on the
implementation of the
Comprehensive Addiction
and Recovery Act (CARA)
and highlight other federal
efforts to combat the opi-
oid crisis.
“The opioid crisis has
been at the forefront of
this committee’s work for
several years and multiple
Congresses. And while
substantial work has been
done to stem the tide of
this epidemic, namely
through CARA and grants
available through the 21st
Century Cures Act, much
more work remains,” said
Chairman Walden. “Fami-
lies in every community
are hurting, and this hear-
ing will be a much-needed
opportunity to learn more
about ongoing efforts and
what more can be done to
put a stop to this horrific
crisis.”
Confirmed witnesses
include:
Scott Gottlieb, MD,
Commissioner, Food
and Drug Administration
(FDA);
Elinore McCance-Katz,
MD, PhD, Assistant Secre-
tary for Mental Health and
Substance Use, Substance
Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration
(SAMHSA);
Anne Schuchat, MD
(RADM, USPHS), Princi-
pal Deputy Director, Cen-
ters for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC);
Nora Volkow, MD, Direc-
tor, National Institute on
Drug Abuse (NIDA), Na-
tional Institutes of Health
(NIH); and,
Neil Doherty, Deputy
Assistant Administrator,
Office of Diversion Con-
trol, Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA).
Wyden wants to research gun violence
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden,
D-Ore., joined 26 of his
Senate colleagues in urging
the National Institutes of
Health (NIH) to renew a
recently lapsed funding
opportunity for firearm
violence research.
Following the shootings
at Sandy Hook Elementary
School in 2012, Presi-
dent Obama directed the
Department of Health
and Human Services to
research the causes of gun
violence, resulting in the
creation of a new fund-
ing opportunity to support
research at the National
Institute on Alcohol Abuse
and Alcoholism and the
National Institute of Men-
tal Health, among other
parts of NIH. From 2014
to 2017, NIH provided $18
million to 22 projects to
study gun violence."
Wyden says gun violence,
is a leading cause of death
in the United States, has
been understudied.
The letter was signed by
Senators Elizabeth Warren,
D-Mass., Chris Mur-
phy, D-Conn., Catherine
Cortez Masto, D-Nev.,
Patty Murray, D-Wash.,
Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Bob
Casey, D-Pa., Al Franken,
D-Minn., Sheldon White-
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Bob Menendez, D-N.J.,
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R.I., and Maria Cantwell,
D-Wash.
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— Special Column —
So I was
thinking ...
All Hallow’s
Eve
By Jimmy Ingram
Special to The Baker County Press
Halloween is coming soon. A
chance for kids to dress up like their
favorite super hero and fill their bags
with goodies and for adults to do
one of two things: Sit at home and
distribute said candy or take your
kids around town enjoying the joy in
your kids faces while freezing your
butt off.
It’s also a holiday that has puzzled
me with several unanswered ques-
tions.
Age limits on trick-or-treating.
In recent years I’ve watched my
small children standing at doorways
ringing doorbells along with six-
foot-tall teenagers on Halloween.
Keep in mind, I don’t begrudge
anyone the deliciousness of a bite-
sized Snickers bar.
However, it does seem odd to
me that someone with a driver’s
license is postponing their algebra
homework to knock on doors to ask
strangers for candy. Thinking back,
I don’t recall the exact age where I
gave it up, but I’m fairly certain it
was before I started shaving.
So if you’re a teenager and gassing
up the Toyota Tercel for a night of
trick or treating I have some advice
for you: go to the dollar store for
your candy and leave the trick or
treating for kids.
The friendly neighborhood folks
shouldn’t have to hear “trick or
treat” it a low, gruff voice.
Decor. Most people enjoy Hallow-
een imagery—ghosts, spooky lights,
carved pumpkins, etc.
It also helps fill the decorating
gaps between the 4th of July and the
inevitability of premature Christmas
decoration. But some may enjoy it
just a little too much.
In their defense, it is the only holi-
day where displaying a gory, head-
less vampire covered in fake blood
in your yard is socially acceptable.
The same yard, mind you, may
or may not have a nativity scene in
the exact location less than a month
later.
Just remember not to drag your
feet taking down those Halloween
decorations in your yard.
Submitted Photo
Jimmy Ingram is a local farmer and
father of two who enjoys people
watching within our wonderful
community and beyond.
A headless vampire in your yard
on October 31 makes people want to
knock on your door. On November
15, it makes them cross the street to
avoid your house.
Pumpkin spice. I may get some
hate mail for this but I have to ask:
What is the obsession with pumpkin
spice?
Every fall people go crazy for
everything pumpkin spice—lattes,
pancake mix, candles, even pumpkin
beer. It’s as though the limited-time
obsessive madness of the McDon-
alds “McRib” or the latest iPhone
release just wasn’t causing enough
“Gotta get it before its gone!” chaos.
Eventually Starbucks and McDon-
alds will team up for the “pumpkin
spice McRib” just to test the limits
of our civilized society.
Candy surplus. Like most par-
ents, we try to ration the amount of
sweets in our home.
This is an impossible task after
Halloween. The predictable after-
dinner request of our six-year-old
asking, “Can I have a treat?” turns
into him trying to convince me that
three Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
and a Snickers Bar is a suitable
breakfast.
“Reese’s makes cereal, I saw it
in the store,” he says. By the way,
thanks for that one, General Mills.
Suddenly I’m forced to wrestle
with the idea of responsible parent-
ing, because:
1. Kind strangers gave this to him.
2. He walked four miles in the cold
to get it.
3. I said the same thing to my
parents at his age.
So I do what most parents do—
bend but don’t break. “No you can’t
have candy for breakfast but maybe
after dinner we’ll talk. Also, you
have to share those Peanut M&Ms
with me.”
I hope all of you have a happy,
safe Halloween.
Trick or Treat!
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