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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 17, 2019)
REGION Thursday, October 17, 2019 East Oregonian A3 Umatilla County reaching for ‘hard to count’ during census Committee holds brainstorming session Tuesday afternoon By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian PENDLETON — The Umatilla County 2020 Cen- sus Complete Count Com- mittee aims to count every person it can for the 2020 census. And most of that effort will go toward count- ing members of “hard-to- count” groups. The Complete Count Committee kicked off with a brainstorming ses- sion Tuesday afternoon at the Pendleton Convention Center involving around 40 civic leaders, public offi - cials, employees and oth- ers. Bob Waldher, Umatilla County planning direc- tor, said about 70% of peo- ple comply and report cen- sus data. But reaching 100% is the goal, and that takes fi nding strategies to reach the “hard-to-count” groups, including seniors, children younger than 5, migrant workers and even renters. Sarah Bushore with the Census Bureau told the crowd the Constitution requires a count of all peo- ple residing in the coun- try, not just of all citizens. Establishing residency is a crucial component of the count, she said, and the rules of residency cover fi ve pages. But she said the bureau relies on two rules for most situations. The fi rst: Where do you stay most of the time? And when that does not work, where did you sleep April 1? Working in small groups, the participants came up with ideas rang- ing from getting churches to encourage parishioners to take part in the census to Staff photo by Ben Lonergan Sarah Bushore, an employee of the United States Census Bureau, explains on Tuesday the list of questions to be asked and how to properly count people living at more than one address, such as children with split custody or exchange students. staffi ng tables with English and Spanish speakers at local Walmarts to get the word out. Tax incentives for housing developers Hermiston offi cials say city in need ‘of all types’ of housing By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian HERMISTON — A hous- ing report compiled by city of Hermiston staff has found tax incentives for subsidized housing but few options for incentivizing developers to build market rate homes. “All of those are really targeted toward affordable housing,” City Manager Byron Smith said, adding that the city needs housing “of all types.” One option in the report presented to the city coun- cil Monday is the New Mar- ket Tax Credit, which offers a federal tax credit to investors for certain types of projects in low-income census tracks. The credit is mostly for com- mercial development, but is available for mixed-used projects where less than 80% of the gross rental income is from residential units. Another federal tax credit is the Opportunity Zone credit, which applies to one of Hermiston’s cen- sus tracts west of Highway 395 between Orchard Ave- nue and South Punkin Cen- ter. It allows developers to defer capital gains taxes on certain developments, includ- ing residential, in low-income neighborhoods. The city could declare a portion of town a Vertical Housing Development Zone, allowing a partial prop- erty tax abatement on multi- story, mixed-use projects in the zone, if all of the residen- tial units in the project are for Staff photo by Jade McDowell Subsidized housing is under construction on Southeast Fifth Street in Hermiston. Most tax incentives for housing are for low-income options. low-income residents. The report written by Hermiston City Planner Clint Spencer stated the criteria involved made it a “challenge to think of a property that might bene- fi t from this designation.” The state also allows some property tax abatements for affordable apartment proj- ects in places the city has declared a “transit-oriented development” zone. Prop- erties within one-quarter mile of one of the stops for Hermiston’s HART bus sys- tem would be eligible to be included in a zone. “This is an intriguing pos- sibility for Hermiston,” Spen- cer wrote. “There is consid- erable residential land within a quarter-mile of a bus stop. It may be worth doing a tar- geted parcel inventory to determine if/where parcels which are of suffi cient size, vacant, and properly zoned exist.” The city could also slowly increase property taxes to newly annexed properties over 10 years instead of ask- ing property owners to pay the full rate starting their fi rst year inside city limits. That option could provide incen- tive to developers building just outside the city limits. The city council asked staff to compile the incentives report earlier this year as part of the city’s ongoing efforts to increase housing availability. Other efforts have included changes in zoning and reduc- ing some requirements for rules, such as lot coverage. City Councilor Jackie Myers said the city’s efforts to build and improve infra- structure in town can also help incentivize develop- ers. For example, the new water tower and water mains the city is installing in the northeast part of the city will provide the water pres- sure developers need to build housing on acres that were previously too cost-prohibi- tive to develop. Several new hous- ing projects have been announced in Hermiston this year, including a sub- sidized apartment complex under construction off of Southeast Fifth and Sixth streets and subdivisions off of Theater Lane and Elm Avenue. “We probably had like a hundred different ideas,” Waldher said Wednesday. Next month, the commit- tee will meet to determine which of those are the most viable, which could mean which are the most afford- able. He said the commit- tee has a budget of about $10,000. County Commissioner George Murdock also attended the Tuesday ses- sion. He said during a recent trip to Washington, D.C., with the National Association of Counties he learned the census helps the federal government distrib- ute more than $1.5 trillion. “That’s $4,000 per per- son,” he said, and thus a major reason to get as accu- rate a count as possible. In addition to the the federal funds, Oregon also stands to gain a sixth representa- tive in Congress. Murdock also told par- ticipants Umatilla County is not just leading Oregon in preparing for the census, it’s leading the nation. Out of 500 county commission- ers at the meeting in D.C., he said, Umatilla County was among the 10 who could say its county has a complete count committee. BRIEFLY Judge decides if manslaughter defendant’s slurs, photos are evidence PENDLETON — Uma- tilla County Circuit Judge Jon Lieuallen could rule Friday on whether a jury hears derogatory comments John Mattila made about the woman who died in the crash he was in. Mattila The state has accused Mattila, 24, of Weston, of driving drunk the evening of Feb. 22 and killing Adelaida Solis Torres in a car crash on Highway 11 near Weston. She was 52, worked for the Oregon Department of Human Services and was driv- ing a state vehicle at the time. Mattila has pleaded not guilty to charges of manslaughter, hit-and-run on an injured per- son, driving under the infl uence of intoxicants and more. Deputy District Attorney Daniel Pachico fi led a motion with the court to allow the com- ments at Mattila’s trial Nov. 4-8. Pachico also wants the jury to see the county jail mug shots showing Matilla grinning after his arrest. But Defense Attorney Jody Stutsman Vaughan, of Pendleton, fi led an argument with the court to prohibit the profanity and photos. Rather than hearing Mattila called Torres slurs, Vaughan argued, “the state can offer this evidence in a non-infl ammatory and non-prejudicial way by stating that the defen- dant referred to the other driver as a female.” Likewise, she asserted, the use of the pho- tos showing her client is too prejudicial for the jury to see. Lieuallen during the hearing at the Uma- tilla County Courthouse, Pendleton, also will consider a motion from Pachico to allow Mat- tila to wear non-visible restraints during the trial. Umatilla Bridge crash injures three from Hermiston BENTON COUNTY — A three vehicle crash on the Umatilla Bridge, involving a trac- tor and a semitruck carrying a load of salt, left three injured Wednesday morning. All three vehicles were westbound, accord- ing to a press release issued by the Washing- ton State Patrol. Asa Gbur, 43, of Arizona, was driving a red semitruck with a trailer when he struck Alonzo Alonzo-Simon, 28, of Hermis- ton, who was driving a 1998 Toyota Camry. Rosa Antonio-Alonzo, 27, of Hermiston, was a passenger in the Camry. The Tri-City Herald reported that Gbur was checking his GPS at the time of the crash. Alonzo-Simon then struck Edith Flores- Pinto, 31, of Hermiston, who was driving a John Deere tractor. The force of the crash caused the tractor to drive part way over the edge of a bridge barrier. Alonzo-Simon’s vehicle was totaled, and Flores-Pinto’s tractor received reportable damage and required towing. Alonzo-Simon, his passenger and Flores- Pinto were transported to Trios Health in Ken- newick, Washington, after the incident. WSP Public Information Offi cer Chris Thorson said the three suffered minor injuries. Gbur was not injured, and the semi-truck was able to be driven from the scene of the crash. WSP said Gbur was cited for second-de- gree negligent driving. Mike Turner new OSP captain over Eastern Oregon PENDLETON — Oregon State Police promoted Lt. Mike Turner to captain of its East Region Operations. Turner took over the region, which includes Cen- tral and Eastern Oregon, from Capt. Rob Edwards, Turner who retired at the end of September. “It was not something I was expecting any- time soon,” Turner said. Edwards worked in Bend, but state police are allowing Turner to remain in Pendleton. Turner said he is invested in the community and his family is here, and Pendleton is in the region. Additionally, technology has made it easier to work remotely at times. State police also is working to fi ll the lieu- tenant slot the promotion created. Turner said applications were due Wednesday, and he knew of two locals who applied, but OSP human resources could have more applicants. Next, state police will convene an inter- view panel. Turner said he hopes to have a new lieutenant soon. — East Oregonian staff Pendleton City Council approves millions in airport grants By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian PENDLETON — The Pendleton City Council spent Tuesday accepting and doling a fl urry of grants. In both their roles as the city council and the Pend- leton Development Com- mission, members accepted millions of dollars of grants for the airport and approved hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of grants for downtown projects and an art installation. The big ticket items were related to the Pendleton Unmanned Aerial Systems Range. The council voted to accept Business Oregon’s offer to designate the range’s upcoming UAS industrial park a “Regionally Signifi - cant Industrial Site.” The designation will allow the city to apply for a 50% income tax reimburse- ment from the state for each job created on the site, up to $18 million. The council also voted to accept a long-awaited $3 million grant from the U.S. Economic Develop- ment Administration, which will also go toward the UAS industrial park. Other actions from the council included: • The council approved a $65,000 grant to help estab- lish the Pendleton Veter- ans Memorial Park near the corner of Highway 11 and Southeast Court Avenue. A collaboration between the Pendleton Arts Com- mittee and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 922, the VFW has already acquired some of the materials that will complement the planned art installation. Johnny Blagg, a mem- ber of both the VFW and the arts committee, said the planned centerpiece will be patriotic without referenc- ing a specifi c gender, time period, or branch of the military. • As the Pendleton Devel- opment Commission, coun- cil members agreed to give grants to Sister’s Cafe and the Bowman Building in the downtown area. Charles Denight, associ- ate director of the commis- sion, said the $61,390 would go toward roof repairs at the cafe, which is histori- cally known as the Bond Building. Denight said the roof is being repaired with the idea of turning the second story of the restaurant into a bou- tique hotel, and the commis- sion should expect another grant application for inter- nal renovations at a later date. The Bowman Building will get $98,317 for devel- oper Al Plute to build fi ve apartments on its second fl oor. After thanking the com- mission, Plute said he expects to submit another application for another of his properties, the Odd Fel- lows building, in the next month or two. • It wasn’t a grant, but the council also agreed to award DW Excavating of Davenport, Washington, a $1.6 million bid to replace a gravity sewer line at South- east Fourth Street. 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