REGION
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
East Oregonian
Page 3A
Umatilla County picks dispatch advisory group
of the following representatives:
• Hermiston City Manager
Byron Smith;
• Hermiston police Capt. Travis
Umatilla County now has an
RI¿FLDO ERDUG WR DGYLVH WKH RSHUD- Eynon;
• Hermiston Fire District Chief
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Scott Stanton;
center.
• Pendleton Chief of Police
The Umatilla County Board of
Commissioners voted 3-0 Tuesday Stuart Roberts;
• Pilot Rock Mayor Virginia
at the county courthouse in Pend-
leton to establish the Dispatch Carnes;
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Advisory Committee. Local police
DQG ¿UH GHSDUWPHQW KHDGV FDOOHG Larsen;
• Umatilla Police Chief Darla
for the creation of such a board
since the dispatch center took over Huxel;
• Sheriff Terry Rowan;
communication duties for most
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emergency agencies in the county.
• Dispatch commander Lt. Kathy
The initial membership consists
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
Lieuallen;
• and Umatilla County Commis-
sioner Bill Elfering.
There also is a spot for Pendle-
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working to hire. The order estab-
lishing the committee also allows
for more members.
Commissioners also voted 3-0
to pay Sun Ridge Systems $55,397
for annual support of the software
that runs on the dispatch center’s
computer systems. Sheriff’s Lt.
Kathy Lieuallen, the dispatch center
FRPPDQGHUDQGRWKHUFRXQW\RI¿-
cials have expressed concerns the
software has not always worked or
worked well. County counsel Doug
Olsen said Sun Ridge has worked
better as of late.
The board heard from county tax
assessor Paul Chalmers on House
Bill 3492, which allows counties
to create a property tax exemption
for solar projects. Chalmers said
the solar project at Madison Farms,
Echo, would qualify for the exemp-
tion, and he recommended the board
create a policy to deal with new law.
Commissioners took no action.
The board also gave its approval
for county emergency manager
Jack Remillard to continue working
on a new mutual aid agreement
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Umatilla, Morrow and Union coun-
HERMISTON
Find the treasure, get ice cream
for the treasure. She said the
event also brings neighbor-
hoods together. The winner’s
ice cream party, Sandoval
Like a ninja in the dark,
said, is always fun and
Erica Sandoval, Hermiston
people come out and talk to
Police Department crime
their neighbors.
SUHYHQWLRQ RI¿FHU \RXWK
The medallion is located
RI¿FHU KLG D JROGHQ PHGDO-
on public property. Although
lion.
not in plain view, searchers
The treasure hunt is part
ZRQ¶WKDYHWRGLJWR¿QGLW
of the annual National Night
Treasure hunt rules:
Out festivities in Hermiston,
•Participants must live in
which includes block parties
Hermiston. Employees and
and Neighborhood Watch
immediate family members,
information. Sandoval hid
or independent contractors,
the golden medallion, which
of the Hermiston Police
is about 3 inches in diameter
Department, East Oregonian
and is attached to a red, white
and Hermiston Herald are
and blue ribbon, somewhere
ineligible.
within Hermiston.
•The medallion is hidden
Sandoval, who has been
LQVLGH WKH FLW\ 7KH ¿QGHU
in charge of hiding the
will not have to leave prop-
medallion for seven years,
erty that is publicly owned or
gets excited about the hunt
controlled by a public agency
because families, individuals
WR¿QGLW
and groups of friends look
7KHSHUVRQZKR¿QGVWKH
forward to the yearly event.
Staff photo by Tammy Malgesini
medallion
must immediately
“It’s a great way to be in This golden medallion is hidden somewhere
in Herm-
touch with the community,” iston as part of the National Night Out festivities in take it to the Hermiston
VKHVDLG³$VDSROLFHRI¿FHU Hermiston. The person who finds the treasure wins an Police Department, 330 S.
we don’t always get to do ice cream social block party during National Night Out First St. If it’s found after
6 p.m., the person needs to
family-friendly things and Tuesday, Aug. 4 in Hermiston.
call 541-567-5519 and ask
this is just one tradition that
each other and encourages esandoval@hermiston.or.us. dispatch to contact Sandoval.
keeps going.”
The EO is publishing
•The winner of the
The city of Hermiston, the the development of Neigh-
East Oregonian and Herm- borhood Watch areas. It also clues regarding the where- treasure hunt may keep the
iston Herald will treat the provides an opportunity for abouts of the medallion. The medallion.
•The winner acknowl-
SHUVRQ ZKR ¿QGV WKH PHGDO- SROLFHDQG¿UH¿JKWHUVWRYLVLW ¿UVWFOXHLVEHORZDQGWKHEO
lion to an ice cream social with citizens in a relaxed will print additional clues edges, by participating in
GDLO\ XQWLO VRPHRQH ¿QGV LW the treasure hunt, the East
block party Tuesday, Aug. 4 setting.
There are currently about and takes it to the Hermiston Oregonian will publish his or
from 6-8 p.m. City councilors,
her name and picture, and the
FLW\ RI¿FLDOV DQG HPHUJHQF\ 50 Neighborhood Watch Police Department.
Sandoval
encourages winner will participate in the
responders will serve ice areas in Hermiston, Sandoval
cream to those attending the said. Those who aren’t people to put on their thinking National Night Out activities.
———
winner’s party. In addition, the involved with the program caps. The clues sometimes
representatives will stop in at can learn more about it and refer to Hermiston history, Clue No. 1
get one going in their neigh- song lyrics, books, movies or
other parties.
people.
Do I know east and west
Annual National Night borhood.
As far as National Night
“I think everyone wants or left to right?
Out activities have been
They say the treasure
going on across the country Out, Sandoval said nine to be a detective with the
for 32 years. This is Herm- Neighborhood Watch parties clues,” she said. “It taps into won’t be in plain sight.
Grab a paper and read the
iston’s 17th year of partici- DUH DOUHDG\ FRQ¿UPHG DQG everyone’s inner detective.”
In addition, Sandoval news.
pating in the event. Sandoval others can still be organized.
But be sure to catch the
said National Night Out To schedule a party, contact enjoys seeing people of all
helps introduce neighbors to Sandoval at 541-667-5112 or ages participate in searching next clues!
By TAMMY MALGESINI
East Oregonian
HERMISTON
Hotel-booking websites will pay tourism tax
the site would keep a $20
commission and then pass
$80 on to the hotelier, who
Online booking of a hotel would then pay an 8 percent
room in Hermiston could get transient room tax on the $80
a little more expensive after and a $1 tourism promotion
the city council passed an assessment.
Morgan said if 10 percent
ordinance requiring booking
websites like Expedia to pay of hotel stays in Hermiston
the city’s Transient Room are booked online, that means
Tax and Tourism Promotion the city has been losing out
on about $11,000 a year from
Assessment.
The move will increase not taxing the websites’ 20
revenue for the city and percent commission.
Under the ordinance
EHQH¿W ORFDO KRWHOLHUV ZKR
will no longer have to front
the money for the $1 tourism
promotion assessment on
rooms when customers paid
a booking website instead of
the hotel.
“Talking to hoteliers, a
lot of them are frustrated,”
assistant city manager Mark
Morgan said of the old system.
Under that system, if a
booking website like Expedia
sold a customer a $100 room
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
Parking lot sale
EHQH¿WV$JDSH+RXVH
HERMISTON —
Bargains on furniture,
clothing, knick-knacks,
books and more can be
found at the Agape House
parking lot sale.
Clothing is priced at three
items for $1, furniture is as
marked and knick-knacks
are you name the price. The
sale is Saturday from 8:30-
11:30 a.m. at 500 Harper
Road, Hermiston. Donations
are accepted through Friday.
Agape House serves
the needs of low income
residents in the community.
For more information, call
541-567-8774.
passed Monday, if a website
sold a customer a $100 room,
the website would be respon-
sible for paying the 8 percent
tax on the entire $100 — plus
the $1 tourism promotion
assessment — before passing
on $80 to the hotelier.
Morgan said to compen-
sate booking websites might
charge $109 for a $100
room, then pass on about
$9 to the city and $80 to the
hotel before retaining their
customary $20 cut.
The ordinance passed
Monday would not take
effect until October 1 because
hoteliers only pay the city
quarterly.
———
Contact Jade McDowell
at jmcdowell@eastorego-
nian.com or 541-564-4536.
ties have an agreement already, but
¿UHGLVWULFWVFUHDWHGLWDQGLWGLGQRW
require the approval of commis-
sioners. He said he would like to
see an agreement that involves
commissioners.
And in other business, the board
of commissioners:
•Approved spending $29,000 for
a 2013 street sweeper for the road
department.
•Approved paying $16,720 to
the U.S. Department of Agriculture
for funding of wildlife services.
•Approved paying $8,400 to
Eastern Oregon Business Source for
professional development programs
in June and July.
HERMISTON
Council still debating
taxi license ban for
criminal convictions
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
Would-be taxi drivers in Hermiston with a criminal
record will have to wait another two weeks to see if they
will be able to return to work.
The city council considered an amendment Monday to
its new taxi driver licensing system, which currently bars
anyone with convictions for crimes of “moral turpitude”
in their past.
The amendment before the council Monday would
allow drivers with minor convictions that happened
more than 10 years ago to drive taxis. It would still
allow the police chief to consider “person felonies,”
such as robbery and sexual assault, no matter how long
ago they happened. But an ordinance can only be passed
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vote unanimously to approve two readings. Councilor
Doug Primmer voted against a second reading of the
ordinance.
“There is an implicit trust we place on these people,”
he said, arguing that crimes like identity theft didn’t rise
to the level of a “person felony” but were still concerning
for someone frequently handling money from Hermiston’s
disabled and elderly citizens.
The council will take up the issue at its next meeting,
but in the meantime it did approve a license for a taxi driver
who would qualify under the amendment in question.
Nancy Gomez of Hermiston Transit Services gave a
tearful appeal to the council to allow her to resume her job
as a taxi driver even though she was convicted of theft in
her younger days.
“I have convictions from 32 years ago,” she said. “They
have dogged me my entire life. ... I don’t have an excuse
for it. I did it. But I have paid my debt to society. I have
paid my debt to the court.”
She said she needed her job to feed the grandchildren
she is raising and it was embarrassing to have to stand up
in front of the city council and go through a public appeals
process.
“I’m ashamed of what I did, but why should I be up
here, a 58-year-old woman in tears, begging for my job?”
she asked.
The council declined to grant a license to a second driver
who appealed, however, because she had convictions for
delivery of a controlled substance that were less than 10
years old.
Not everyone in the taxi business is in favor of an amend-
ment allowing taxi drivers with some criminal convictions.
Sundi Marquez, owner of Umatilla Cab Company, sent a
letter to the city council urging it to not only keep its ban
on taxi drivers with any criminal convictions but to also
institute drug testing to catch those who are participating in
illicit activities and have evaded the law.
“It seems a responsible stance when our community’s
most vulnerable members, the elderly and disabled, have
the most to lose,” she wrote.
The council had previously discussed the issue at its July
13 meeting but put off voting on it after there were ques-
tions about whether a conviction that had been expunged
would count. The new draft of the amended ordinance
the council considered Monday made it clear that under
Oregon law the city had to treat expunged convictions like
they never happened.
———
Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastoregonian.
com or 541-564-4536.
* * * * NOTICE * * * *
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from their local telephone provider informing them of the need to select
a new local long distance provider.
dŚŝƐƐĞůĞĐƟŽŶŝƐŶĞĐĞƐƐĂƌLJďĞĐĂƵƐĞLJŽƵƌĐƵƌƌĞŶƚůŽĐĂůůŽŶŐĚŝƐƚĂŶĐĞĐĂƌƌŝĞƌ͕
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ĚŝƐĐŽŶƟŶƵĂŶĐĞĂƚƚŚĞ&ĞĚĞƌĂůŽŵŵƵŶŝĐĂƟŽŶƐŽŵŵŝƐƐŝŽŶ;&Ϳ͕ďƵƚƚŚĞ
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Kevin Andrews, MD, L.L.C.
Internal Medicine
(General Medical Care for Adults)
I will be moving my practice to
Walla Walla Clinic August 1, 2015.
Thank you for the years of support.
I will miss Pendleton.
To schedule appointments after
August 1, please call
509-525-3720.
27 SW Frazer, Pendleton, OR 97801
Monday - Wednesday 7:30 AM - 5 PM
Open Late Thursday - Appointments Until 6:30 Closed Fridays
541-276-6244
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