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.