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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (March 21, 2019)
REGION Thursday, March 21, 2019 East Oregonian Council deadlocked on parade fee By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian A highly divided Pendle- ton City Council was set to march forward on a parade fee ordinance until the dis- covery of a council rule forced them to halt. With the council tied 4-4 at a meeting Tuesday, Mayor John Turner cast the first tie-breaking vote of his two-year tenure to pass an ordinance that would charge parade fees with a few nota- ble exceptions. But the council also dead- locked on a follow-up vote to codify the fee amount into a resolution, prompting Turner to ask City Attor- ney Nancy Kerns if he could break a tie on a vote for a resolution. “Mr. Mayor, it looks like,” she said, pausing as she referenced the city coun- cil rulebook, “when an ordi- nance or resolution is voted upon by the council and does not receive a majority of yes or no votes, then the resolution or ordinance shall automatically be consid- ered at the following coun- cil meeting and successive meetings if necessary until such time as a majority vote of the council is achieved.” The revelation voided Turner’s initial vote and forced both the resolution and the ordinance to be moved to the next council meeting, extending a debate the council has engaged in since January. The proposed law would assess a non-specific fee that would cover anticipated costs of policing the parade plus a 15 percent adminis- trative fee. Local educators balk at Ways and Means proposed K-12 budget By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian EO file photo A VFW color guard marches underneath a large United States flag at the start of the Fourth of July Parade on July 4, 2018, in Pendleton. Police Chief Stuart Rob- erts told the council that he started discussing the city’s parade laws not because he desired a fee but due to the frequency of 11th-hour parade requests. But the most conten- tious part of the ordinance is a list of events that are exempted from the fee — the Little League, Fourth of July, Westward Ho! and Dress-Up parades. During the public hear- ing, Pendleton resident Rex Morehouse questioned why some parades would be charged over others. Councilor Carole Innes said she spoke with constit- uents about the issue, and some residents said they could understand why some parades like Westward Ho! were exempted because its popularity generated eco- nomic activity. But Councilor Scott Fair- ley said he agreed with Morehouse, who ran against Fairley in 2016 for the Ward 2 seat. “This ordinance essen- tially discriminates against the smaller events and I just don’t think as a council we should be supporting that,” Fairley said. After Councilor Dale Primmer made a motion to pass the ordinance with a one-year sunset so the coun- cil could review the results of the law, Fairley asked him to amend it to remove the list of exemptions, but they couldn’t come to an agreement. When it came to vote for the ordinance and the res- olution, the same council- ors contributed to the stale- mates: councilors Jake Cambier, Becky Marks, McKennon McDonald and Primmer voted yes, and councilors Paul Chalmers, Linda Neuman, Fairley and Innes voted no. Turner said the coun- cil will discuss the parade fee ordinance further at a March 26 workshop, but will take no action. In a less contentious vote, the council unanimously voted to contract with a new towing service for the first time since 1999. Roberts, the police chief, said Blue Mountain Towing & Recovery has done good work for the past 18 years, but when he solicited bids, Frankie’s Towing & Roadside was the only company to return a complete bid. The city’s contract with Frankie’s Towing is for three years with an option to renew for another three years after that. A3 Local education offi- cials took the Joint Ways and Means Committee co-chairs to task for pro- posing a budget they say will result in more cuts to K-12 education. At a Ways and Means hearing in Pendleton on Friday, officials from the Hermiston and Pendle- ton school districts advo- cated for the committee to at least retain the fund- ing level proposed by Gov. Kate Brown. The governor is pro- posing an $8.97 billion state school fund while the co-chairs have offered an $8.87 million fund pro- posal. The added twist in the governor’s budget is that she’s also encouraging legislators to adopt a rev- enue package that would further boost K-12 edu- cation funding to $10.7 billion. Sunridge Middle School teacher Chris Demianew said lawmakers needed to fund schools at $8.97 bil- lion to maintain the status quo and the $10.7 billion figure if it wanted to rein- vest in education. Citing the Oregon Edu- cation Association, Demi- anew said the co-chairs’ budget would result in the layoffs of 900 teach- ers across the state and more cuts to the Pendleton School District. Hermiston School Board member Ginny Hol- thus also took issue with the co-chairs’ budget. “It doesn’t make sense to propose more instruc- tional time and at the same time reduce funding,” she said. Holthus suggested the Legislature fund K-12 using figures from the Quality Education Model, a formula that determines how much Oregon should spend to property fund education that hasn’t been met since its introduction in 1999. Hermiston School Dis- trict Superintendent Tricia Mooney said the “elephant in the room” was the Pub- lic Employee Retirement System. The system’s $26 billion unfunded liability has caused local govern- ment agencies, including school districts, to shift more money toward pen- sion payments instead of services. Besides solving PERS, Mooney suggested leg- islators create an edu- cation funding plan that addressed the next two or three budget cycles, all while funding education at the quality education model. “A failure to invest in Oregon schools today is a failure to invest in Oregon tomorrow,” she said. For the people who testified in favor of K-12 funding and other peo- ple invested in local edu- cation, they won’t know whether lawmakers will adhere to their advice until closer to the legislative session on June 30. BRIEFLY Task force honors UCSO members for DUII efforts PENDLETON — Two members of the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office will receive awards for their efforts to keep impaired drivers off the road. The sheriff’s office announced the Oregon DUII Multi-Disciplinary Training Task Force selected sher- iff’s Sgt. Josh Roberts as the “2018 DUII Trainer of the Year” and senior deputy Nathan Rankin as the “2018 DUII Enforcement Deputy of the Year.” The nonprofit based in Albany aims to train and consult with law enforce- ment and other community and professional partners to curtail impaired driving. The task force will pres- ent the awards to the local officers at its conference in April in Canyonville. The organization recog- nized the sheriff’s office in 2017 as its “Agency of the Year.” The sheriff’s office in a written statement congrat- ulated Roberts and Rankin for earning the awards. Saturday workshop highlights hydroponics PENDLETON — Peo- ple are invited to dig in and learn about hydroponic planting systems during a Saturday presentation at Pendleton Center for the Arts. Participants will learn how to grow plants without the help of soil or sun. “Big Leafy Greens: Hydropon- ics with Richard B.” is Sat- urday from 10 a.m. to noon. The arts center is located at 214 N. Main St., Pendleton. The cost is $45 for members or $50 for non-members. A master gardener, Rich- ard Bertram will share about the planting system that can be used year-round and in limited space. For information, call the arts center at 541-278-9201 or www.pendletonarts.org. Sheriff’s office rolls out vehicle repair vouchers PENDLETON — The Umatilla County Sher- iff’s Office in April rolls out a program to help driv- ers make minor vehicle repairs and avoid equipment violations. The local law enforce- ment agency announced deputies will be able to issue an “Oregon Car Care” voucher to drivers of vehi- cles with defective equip- ment, such as a broken head- light, taillight and the like. Operating a vehicle without required lighting is a traf- fic violation and a safety hazard. The sheriff’s office is partnering with the Oregon State Sheriff’s Association and the Oregon State Police to participate in the pro- gram. The voucher provides a discount on automotive parts to purchase, repair or replace the defective equip- ment. Drivers can redeem the vouchers at the following businesses: Advance Auto Parts, Battery Systems, Baxter Auto Parts, Carquest Auto Parts, Clackamas Auto Parts, Milex Complete Auto Care, Mt. Angel Auto Body, Napa Auto Parts, White’s Collision. “We understand that sometimes drivers have to defer maintenance on their vehicles to pay for other Firefighters respond to drone crash fire at UAS Range By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian The Pendleton Fire Department responded to a small grass fire caused by a drone crash north of the Pendleton airport on Wednesday afternoon. Interim Pendleton Fire Chief Paul Berardi said fire- fighters responded to the call around 4:10 p.m. Berardi said the depart- ment helped the group fly- ing the drone locate the vehicle, which he estimated was about a quarter mile north of the airfield. The fire was about 70 square feet in size, Berardi said, describing it as “min- imal” and “non-eventful” before it was extinguished. Berardi said he did not know what organization the unmanned vehicle was affil- March 22-23-24, 2019 20th Annual Spring $5 Classic Movie 3/27 • 12 PM WW.Friends meet Thursday for dinner get-together PENDLETON — An upcoming gathering of area widows and widowers will feature a baked potato bar. WW.Friends meets each month for friendship and to share positive experi- ences. It’s not a grief sup- port group. MATILDA Us (R) 7:00 10:00 Wonder Park (PG) 7:20 4:50 9:30 Captive State (PG13) 4:40 7:10 9:40 Captain Marvel (PG13) 4:10 7:00 9:50 3:40* How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (PG) 4:30 6:50 9:10 * Matinee Pricing wildhorseresort.com • 541-966-1850 Pendleton, OR I-84 - Exit 216 ST. ANTHONY HOSPITAL VOLUNTEERS have the unique opportunity to make a positive difference in peoples' lives every day that they generously donate their time and talents. 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Savings with 2 year price guarantee with AT120 starting at $69.99 compared to everyday price. All offers require credit qualification, 2 year commitment with early termination fee and eAutoPay. Prices include Hopper Duo for qualifying customers. Hopper, Hopper w/ Sling or Hopper 3 $5/mo. more. Upfront fees may apply based on credit qualification. Fees apply for additional TVs: Hopper $15/mo., Joey $5/mo., Super Joey $10/mo. Friday 10 AM —8 PM Saturday 10 AM —6 PM Sunday 10 AM —4 PM TRAC Center Pasco, WA FREE PARKING Admission 7 $ CusterShows.com Kids 12 and under free! 509.924.0588 Frequent volunteer opportunities include: • Customer service/cashier in the gift shop, Inspirations. •Customer service at the information desk. • Patient services. • Day Surgery If you’d like to discuss how you can join the St. Anthony Hospital family, please call the number below. Emily Smith • 541-278-2627 • emilysmith@chiwest.com 2801 St. Anthony Way, Pendleton, OR 97801 www.sahpendleton.org
