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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 27, 2017)
8 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2017 Local Sumpter’s Stockade Motel Privilege tax has new owners CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 BY MEGHAN ANDERSCH Meghan@TheBakerCountyPress.com “We want this to be a leg- acy that we leave behind. Something that people say, ‘There’s this place, in the middle of nowhere, and it’s so awesome. You have to go up and see it,’” says Laramie Shanks of Sumpter. She and husband Ryan purchased the Sumpter Stockade Motel about a month ago. The couple moved from the Portland area where, Shanks said, they were small-town people in a big city. Ryan Shanks has family around Baker City and both knew they wanted to be over here, but weren’t sure how they would be able to move and maintain an income. Shanks said she was looking at rental properties on Craigslist, just to see what the cost of living in the area was doing, and she ran across a listing for the Stockade. At first, she thought it was a scam, as the listing had accidently been posted in the wrong place. Shortly after, during a family visit, the couple found that Ryan’s mom had been diagnosed with a chronic illness. On what Shanks thought was a drive up to their mountain cabin, they passed their turn and kept going. When she asked her husband where they were going, he replied that they were going to see if the Stockade listing had been real or not. They drove to Sumpter and located the property, with a real estate sign out front. Shanks said they both felt they could live here. Returning home, they decided to make an offer and listed their house for sale. Shanks said the home sold within weeks. An older gentleman knocked on their door, told her he doesn’t do the Inter- net, but wanted to look at the house. She laughed as she said she sold the house for their realtor. Meghan Andersch / The Baker County Press Laramie and Ryan Shanks in front of the Stockade Motel. Shanks said they were warned that the town of Sumpter is divisive, but that everyone has been nice to them and they haven’t met one bad person yet. The Shankses hosted an introductory des- sert social with about fifty in attendance. Other locals have stopped by just to talk and look around. Shanks said they are lov- ing what they do. When they took over proprietorship of the Sumpter Stockade, they wanted to honor the origi- nal vision of the man who built it as his dream while putting their own touch on things. The décor is late 1800s to early 1900s with old country music usually playing. The rooms retain their former themes, with the exception of the newly decorated Outdoor Room, featuring paintings done by Ryan Shanks’s grandfa- ther, who taught himself to paint after having a stroke. Laramie Shanks said since they are living in a fifth wheel on-site, displaying the paintings in this room is a way to showcase and honor that achievement. The “no frills” room of- fers a couple of beds and a place to shower for $20 per night. The Juniper Room includes a full refrigerator and cooking facilities. It is $100 per night. All other rooms are $75 and per the website, offer “cable, wifi, coffee, microwave, fridge, and most of the comforts of home but you will feel like you are in a different place and time.” Shanks said the place is already taking on a life of its own. Guests have contributed items to go in some of the rooms. A cou- ple donated a commemo- rative pieced quilt signed by representatives from all the major Civil War battlefields to go in the Civil War room. The quilt is made to the dimensions of the actual quilts soldiers took with them when they left home for duty. Along with the motel business, Shanks is also planning various commu- nity events. Coordinating with Sumpter’s first Halloween train, on October 28th and 29th, they are hosting a photo wall. Everyone is welcome to come in, take picture, get a treat, and look inside any rooms that are currently unoccupied. Shanks said they will have plenty of fun hats available for anyone who wants to take pictures but didn’t bring a costume. Future plans include a chili cook-off, their annual pirate parties, and movie nights. Shanks says they are big into Goonies and plan to show it in June, on the film’s anniversary. Shanks said they not only want to honor the local historical heritage of the area, but to make this a place somewhere to go to get away from reality because “life is hard.” They would like to make it a tradition for families, no matter the time of year. They plan to keep the busi- ness open year round for at least two years and see how it goes. Shanks said everyone should know, “There are still good people and good places. If not here, find somewhere similar.” The Sumpter Stockade number is 894-2360. The website sumpterstockade. com features pictures of all the rooms and a commu- nity calendar of upcoming events. Shanks also maintains a Facebook page at https:// www.facebook.com/ SumpterStockade. pared to the current rate of 16.38 cents. Flat Monthly Fees: Flat Fees will increase for car- riers electing flat monthly reporting for hauling certain commodities. For example, effective Janu- ary 1, 2018, flat monthly rates for log haulers will increase from 63 cents to 76 cents per 100 pounds of declared combined weight. Road Use Assessment Fees: Fees will increase for heavy loads over 98,000 pounds that cannot be di- vided (such as a large piece of machinery). Oregon Weight Receipts: The fee for an Oregon Weight Receipt (for vehi- cles subject to weight-mile tax) will increase from $8.00 to $8.50 per weight receipt issued. Single Trip Permits: The fee for a single-trip permit will increase from $8 to $8.50. County fees for a single-trip permit (if any) may increase up to $8.50 per county. Continuous Trip Permits (CTP- annual permits that only authorize state high- ways): The fees for these permits will also increase from $8 to $8.50. Road Use Assessment Fees: Fees will increase for heavy loads over 98,000 pounds that cannot be di- vided (such as a large piece of machinery). Heavy Motor Vehicles Registration: Registration fees will increase for ve- hicles registered between 8,000 to 26,000 pounds (trucks, buses and tow vehicles used to haul other commodities). Tow and manufactured structure toter fee in- crease: Registration fees will increase for vehicles used exclusively to haul manufactured structures, or used exclusively as tow and recovery vehicles. Bus weight calculation change: The tax declared weight and the registration weight will be based on a bus’s combined weight Ferrioli CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Vehicle registration fees, motor carrier fees to rise drastically Oregon residents with vehicle tags expiring on or after Jan. 1 will see new registration fees in their renewal reminders starting in November. The fee for two-year pas- senger vehicle registration renewal – DMV’s most common vehicle transac- tion – will go from $86 for two years to $112. The registration fee is based on the vehicle reg- istration renewal date, not when the fee is paid. DMV mails renewal reminders several weeks before a vehicle’s tags expire. The motor carrier fees that will increase are: Weight-Mile Tax (Tables A and B): Mileage tax rates will increase for vehicles subject to weight-mile tax; primarily those with a tax declared weight of 26,001 pounds or more. For example, effective Janu- ary 1, 2018, a truck with a declared combined weight of 80,000 pounds will pay 20.48 cents per mile; com- In that letter, Daugherty pointed out that this legislation was passed “without the working rules.” As a result, it is now in the hands of “lawyers, department heads, lob- byists, Department of Revenue and so on to clarify the intent and implement the sales tax.” The OMDA, representing 600 dealerships in Oregon including Baker Garage, pointed out several key issues with the new “privilege tax.” They said in a statement, “The creation of a new sales tax, euphemistically named either a ‘privilege’ tax on dealers for selling vehicles, or a ‘use’ tax on the purchase of a vehicle out of state, is a poison pill. We cannot sup- port, nor be neutral, on a funding package with either of these two provisions—regardless of the amount of the new sales tax incorporated in this bill.” The tax is .5% of the retail price of a new vehicle sold, with a cap of $3,750 per vehicle. Those who buy in Oregon but are not Oregon residents are exempt from the tax. Vehicles heavier than 26,000 GVW are also exempt. If a consumer thinks going outside the state will get them around the tax, they’re wrong. Any vehicle pur- chased, say, in Idaho, with less than 7,500 miles on the odometer will be assessed the tax when that person goes to the DMV to register it in Oregon—cash up front. What will this tax be used for? It will be collected and then redistributed as “incentives”—essentially giant cou- pons—for those wishing to purchase new electric cars. The amount per incentive can go up to $2,500. “Modal transportation projects” will also be funded by this tax. Several transportation projects, primarily on the west side of the state, were earmarked within that legislation, including a multi-million-dollar rail shipping facility project in Ontario. On a personal level, Rep. Smith serves as Economic Development Director for Malheur and several other counties, his private company relying on bringing business to that county in order for continued re- newal of his six-figure contract. In his private capacity as Economic Development Director there, Smith has now been made a member of the board in Ontario in charge of utilizing those funds and managing the rail project. Smith declared a potential conflict of interest during the start of the legislative process. Recently, Oregon’s Speaker of the House Tina Kotek appointed Rep. Smith to the committee in charge of administering the funding for the Transportation Package at a State level. In Baker County, the Transportation Bill was supported by all three County Commissioners due to the fact the Road Department will receive much-needed funding. The total funds Baker County will receive are miniscule compared to the rest of the state, however. In a meeting prior to the passage of that bill with the Baker County Republicans, Bentz mentioned his support of the bill and that of the commissioners. At a county level, there are 48 elected precinct committee member positions in the Republican party. Rep. Bentz was told in a unanimous vote at the meeting that due to the taxes involved in it, the party was solidly against its passage. Other taxes inside the Transportation Bill include: • An excise tax on bicycles. • Increased gas taxes, to be raised three times. • A 0.1 percent payroll tax deducted from paychecks. • Increased motor vehicle registration and title fees. “You could give the guys at the State a blank check and tell them to fill in the blank with whatever they need,” said Daugherty. “And it still wouldn’t be enough.” (the weight of the bus and the maximum load it car- ries). The current weight calculation method will no longer be used. Farm vehicle registration fee increases: Registration fees will increase for Or- egon vehicles certified to register as farm vehicles. Motor Carrier certifies farm accounts and Oregon DMV issued farm registra- tion credentials. Find information on our farm trucking page, including a guide to farm trucking in Oregon. DMV- related questions may be directed to (503) 945-5000 or (503) 299-9999 (Port- land Metro Area), or visit the DMV website. The increased fees are part of The Transporta- tion Package co-authored by Reps. Greg Smith and Cliff Bentz, which passed through the Oregon Legislature, and Gov. Kate Brown approved. House Bill 2017. Ferrioli explained he has looked at that Board position for a while, but will hold off on submitting his official resignation until November 13 or 14, after his confirma- tion. From that point, per (OAR 236.325), he has a grace period of three days in which to retract his resignation. After those three days pass, the resignation is binding. According to current plans, Ferrioli’s last day as a sena- tor would then be January 15, 2018. The vacancy of that Senate seat will launch widespread activity throughout the Republican party in Oregon, as an appointment will need to be made in order to fill that position. After Ferrioli’s resignation, the party has 20 days in which to hold a formal nominating convention, which will determine nominees. This convention will involve the most grassroots local level of politics—the Precinct Committee People (PCPs) in each county included in Ferrioli’s senate district. Those who desire to be considered for nomination will have to file paperwork with Secretary of State Dennis Richardson. During the nominating convention, local PCPs will cast votes (weighted by the population in their respective pre- cincts) for their preferred nominees. While legal to select up to five nominees, standard policy, and the legal option usually taken in such situations, is to select just the top three vote-getters. These nominees will be presented to County Commissioners in each county who will submit their recommendation from the three to the Governor. The entire process must be completed within 30 days. Ferrioli’s Senate District 30 includes all of Baker, Harney, Grant, Malheur, Wheeler, and Jefferson counties. Partial counties included fall in Deschutes, Wasco and Lake counties. Baker County has one of the largest groups of elected PCPs within that District. A location for the nominating convention will be selected after the official resignation. Ferrioli stated that he will step back and not endorse any nominee who emerges.