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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