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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 27, 2019)
PREP FOOTBALL: Heppner’s offensive line key to successful season | SPORTS, B1 E O AST REGONIAN NOvEMbER 27-28, 2019 143rd Year, No. 289 $2.00 WINNER OF THE 2019 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD PENDLETON Council proposes fees, gas tax to fix roads By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian PENDLETON — The Pendle- ton City Council has sketched out a roadmap to generate an extra $1 million for road funding, but some parts of the plan will take longer to execute than others. After deliberating for a lit- tle less than an hour, the council agreed to a multi-layered plan. • A 4-cent gas tax with a 10-year sunset Hermiston council OKs first step for subdivision • A $2 hotel room fee • A $3 increase to the street utility fee • An additional $110,000 from the general fund The council also endorsed the idea of a large event ticket fee, but Mayor John Turner said it might not be implemented for a year or more as the city creates a com- mittee to study the issue. The council will aim to put the gas tax on the May ballot with the hope that it will be more success- ful than the 2015 gas tax proposal, which was defeated handily. The hotel room fee has an interesting wrinkle because the state requires 70% of lodging fees go toward tourism promotion while the other 30% can go in the general fund, the city’s only dis- cretionary fund. City Attorney Nancy Kerns said the city can work around that by using the lodging fee to pay for a “tourism facility,” like the Pendleton Aquatic Center. This would free up general fund money for streets that would nor- mally go toward a recreational use. The hotel room fee has been opposed by multiple, local hote- liers and the Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association, the industry’s statewide lobbying organization. Under the council’s suggestion, the $3 increase in the street util- ity fee would be on a sliding scale based on poverty level. Councilor Dale Primmer was in favor of making it completely forgivable for low-income households. The rest of the new street fund- ing would either come through cuts or fee increases in the gen- eral fund. Mayor John Turner said he would like City Manager Robb Corbett to come back next week with a proposal the council could formally vote on. The next regu- lar council meeting is scheduled for Dec. 3. STILL GOING STRONG Project would turn 36 acres into multi-use neighborhood By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian HERMISTON — The Herm- iston City Council approved an annexation and zoning changes Monday that could transform the northeast entrance to town. Developers Lloyd and Lois Piercy of Hat Rock, who have completed projects around Herm- iston in the past and helped revital- ize downtown Echo, hope to turn 36 acres at the intersection of Elm Avenue and Diagonal Road into a multi-use neighborhood. Their vision includes 25 acres of “moderate” single family homes, plus walking trails, a few “neighborhood” businesses, such Staff photo by Ben Lonergan Amanda Terry stocks wet/dry vacuums at Smitty’s Ace Hardware in Hermiston on Tuesday afternoon. Heading into the holi- day season, the retailer expects to see a similar number of customers as recent years. Despite some concerns, Oregon’s economy remains strong heading into the holiday season See Subdivision, Page A8 Due to the postal holiday, there will be no newspaper delivered on Thursday. By JAKE THOMAS, SAPHARA HARRELL AND SAM STITES Oregon Capital Bureau S ALEM — It’s a good time to be a holiday shopper in Oregon. Despite fears of a recession earlier this year, Oregon’s econ- omy remains stronger than much of the country. Unlike a decade ago, when the economy was reeling from a recession, Oregonians have jobs and money. That puts them in a better position to be gen- erous this holiday season. Hovering at 4%, the state’s unem- ployment rate is at historic lows. Oregon had the second-fastest growing median income in 2018. At 13%, Oregon’s pov- erty rate is below the national rate and the lowest since 2000. “We’re in unprecedented times right now,” said John Tapogna, president and economist at Portland-based consult- ing firm ECONorthwest. “We’re in the Staff photo by Ben Lonergan See Economy, Page A8 Customers pass through the checkout lines at Smitty’s Ace Hardware in Hermiston on Tuesday evening. Saturday DECEMBER 7 th , 2019 Friday DECEMBER 6 th , 2019 Evening Gala | 6:00 pm Family Day | 10am-2pm LOCATED AT THE Pendleton Convention Center For more information or to purchase tickets: sahpendleton.org/winterfest or 541-278-2627
