REGION
Saturday, April 2, 2022
East Oregonian
A3
Umatilla County again discusses having a professional manager
By JOHN TILLMAN
East Oregonian
UMATILLA COUNTY
— Talk is on the table again
for hiring a professional
manager to administer the
day-to-day operations of
Umatilla County. That’s a
move Commissioner Dan
Dorran favors.
Dorran was a member of
the Umatilla County Char-
ter Review Committee in
2019 that recommended the
county move off having a
board of commissioners run
the county and bring on a
manager.
“After hours of testi-
mony from staff , past staff ,
past commissioners, local
community leaders, outside
county administrators and
others, the charter review
committee brought back
a recommendation to put
a county administrator on
the ballot along with other
recommendations. Although
the commissioners at the
time did not put the recom-
mendation on the ballot,
they did make a commit-
ment to further the discus-
sion. Although four years
have passed, we are having
those discussions now.”
Since Dorran’s 2020 elec-
tion to the county board, he
has led the eff ort to recon-
sider the issue. He will
become commission chair in
January.
Dorran convened a meet-
ing on March 22 to revisit
the committee’s recommen-
dation to employ a county
manager. He reminded
participants of its conclusion.
Commissioners George
Murdock and John Shafer
were there, along with county
counsel Doug Olsen, who
staffed the charter review and successfully manage,
process. Two of the origi- participate and advocate
nal members of the char- for the best advancement of
ter review committee, Sally Umatilla County becomes
Anderson Hansell and a challenge.” Several others
Jerry Baker, also attended, present concurred.
Umatilla County’s budget
as did Hermiston Mayor
David Drotzmann and City last year was almost $124
Manager Byron Smith. million.
Impending
Looking on as well
cha nge s i n t he
was Bill Grable,
composition of the
husband of Michele
Grable, who chaired
commission make
the committee.
this a timely topic.
At the meet-
While there were no
votes at the meeting,
ing, commissioners
agreed to discuss the
there was a sugges-
issue further with
Dorran
tion to hold off hiring
a manager until the
a veteran county
manager, who has yet to be November election, should
identifi ed.
the county even decide to go
“Umatilla County has that route.
The makeup of the
grown in population, reve-
nue and complexity,” Dorran commission in 2023 will be
argued. “With this growth diff erent. Murdock is retir-
and complexity, the commis- ing, and six candidates are
sioners’ ability to eff ectively running for his position.
Shafer is seeking reelection
and has two challengers.
In the meantime, the
county plans to hold discus-
sions with an outside expert.
“To further this discussion
and decision, it is import-
ant for the commissioners
to have the ability to listen,
question and have a conver-
sation with a professional
county administrator consul-
tant to have our options and
parameters defi ned,” Dorran
said.
Oregon counties employ
various administ rative
systems. Gilliam, Sherman,
Wheeler, Crook, Grant,
Malheur and Harney still use
county courts, with a judge
and two part-time commis-
sioners. Such judges serve as
chairs of the county boards
of commissioner. Their judi-
cial authority extends only to
juvenile and probate matters.
These activities are second-
ary to their primary admin-
istrative duties as county
heads.
Umat illa is a mong
those with three, full-time,
co-equal commissioners.
Some counties with far
fewer than Umatilla’s about
82,000 residents hire profes-
sional managers, including
Morrow, Hood River and
Clatsop.
Umatilla’s population
ranks 14th among Oregon’s
36 counties, but is 14,000
higher than number 15 Klam-
ath’s. Number 13 Polk’s is
only slightly higher.
Administrators are the
norm in larger counties,
including Washington,
Clackamas and Marion.
Multnomah County elects
an at-large chair and four
com missioners f rom
geographical districts.
Gettin’ muddy
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian, File
A federal judge on Wednesday, March 30, 2022, warned
prison staff at Oregon’s Two Rivers Correctional Institu-
tion in Umatilla to not retaliate against an adult in their
custody who sued corrections offi cials because they
wouldn’t follow masking rules.
Federal judge warns
prison staff against
retaliation at TRCI
By CONRAD WILSON
Oregon Public
Broadcasting
Kathy Aney/East Oregonian
Members of the Heavy Metal team celebrate on Wednesday, March 30, 2022, after winning Mud Wars at the Happy
Canyon arena, Pendleton. After a two-year hiatus, this year’s slippery tug-o-war competition featured 16 teams of
Pendleton High School girls waging battle on a pudding-like playing fi eld.
Kathy Aney/East Oregonian
A member of the Breast Cancer team slips Wednesday, March 30, 2022, during Mud Wars at the Happy Canyon arena,
Pendleton.
Irrigon making one-person police department
East Oregonian
IRRIGON — Irrigon is
not renewing its contract with
the Morrow County Sheriff ’s
Offi ce for law enforcement
services.
The city council at its
meeting March 15 voted
instead for the city to estab-
lish a one-person police
department.
City Manager Aaron
Palmquist in a memo to the
council explained this has
been a topic of discussion in
the town.
“As Irrigon grows and may
desire to take charge of their
destiny, should they continue
down the road of contracting
or begin the step in moving
in the direction of having
their own law enforcement,”
according to the memo.
He said Mayor Margaret
Anderson wanted the council
to address the issue because
“we are at a good time for all
parties to make any adjust-
ments if needed and desired.”
The Irrigon City Coun-
cil voted unanimously not to
renew.
The small town on the
Columbia River has been
paying the Morrow County
Sheriff’s Office more than
$95,000 a year in a contract
for services, plus the purchase
of a car for the sheriff s offi ce
every three years, which the
sheriff ’s offi ce returned to the
city after three years.
Irrigon now is searching
for a new chief, who will be
the only offi cer in the depart-
ment. The city also will
purchase a new car and reno-
vate an offi ce in city hall for
the new department.
Under the plan, there will
not be 24/7 police coverage
for the town of more than
1,800 people, but per Oregon
law, the county still will have
to provide some services.
Code enforcement and
complaints, however, would
be solely the city’s responsi-
bility.
“This may be an opportu-
nity for Irrigon as we continue
to grow and become more
resilient,” Palmquist told the
council in the memo.
Additionally, he contin-
ued, the Irrigon Municipal
Court “has been a good addi-
tion and is working through to
strengthen lrrigon’s presence
and strength in the region.”
UMATILLA — A
federal judge is warning
prison staff at Oregon’s Two
Rivers Correctional Institu-
tion in Umatilla to not retal-
iate against an adult in their
custody who sued correc-
tions offi cials because they
wouldn’t follow masking
rules.
Following hearings in
federal court this week, U.S.
Magistrate Judge Stacie
Beckerman issued a new
written order Wednesday,
March 30, that told employ-
ees at the prison to not take
actions against Aaron Hanna.
In October, Hanna asked
the court to force prison offi -
cials and correctional offi cers
at Two Rivers to comply with
the Oregon Department of
Corrections’ policy on wear-
ing masks.
That policy requires
correctional officers and
staff to wear masks anytime
they are in the facility, even
as most statewide mandates
for mask wearing were lifted
in March.
On March 21, Beckerman
issued an order that required
prison staff follow their own
rules and wear masks inside
the prison.
“It didn’t take long for that
to really kind of sour things
over at TRCI,” said Juan
Chavez, Hanna’s attorney.
He said the guards and lead-
ers at the Two Rivers prison
“took the judge’s conclusions
that they need to enforce
their masking orders and
amplifi ed that against AIC’s
[Adult in Custody] by several
magnitudes.”
That was not Becker-
man’s intent, a point she
clarifi ed this week, stating
the injunction applied only
to staff and not to the prison’s
policy for adults in custody.
Inmates were forced to
wear masks while chewing
food and only allowed to slip
their masks down to take
bites, Chavez said. They had
to wear masks outside in the
yard and while taking show-
ers.
“They ratcheted up
mask enforcement against
AICs, which made AICs not
happy,” Chavez said. “Staff
were telling people, ‘well
don’t be angry with us, be
angry with Hanna.’”
That put Hanna in a
vulnerable position.
Chavez said the impli-
cation from Two Rivers
was clear: “Come against
us, come get accountability
against us, we’re going to
make you feel the pain even
worse.”
Beckerman said any
violation of her injunction,
or retaliation against Hanna,
could result in civil or crim-
inal contempt proceedings.
A spokesperson for the
Oregon Department of
Corrections said the agency
“cannot comment on the
specifi cs of this case, but the
DOC makes every eff ort to
comply with court orders and
will continue to do so.”
A hearing is set for
May 10 to discuss the
retaliation Hanna faced at
Two Rivers.
CONCEALED CARRY
PERMIT CLASS
SATURDAY
APRIL 16 TH
Hermiston
Ranch & Home
9AM
CLASSES
LOCAL BRIEFING
Oregon DEQ
fi nes M-F Petco
MILTON-FREEWATER
— Petco in Milton-Freewa-
ter faces a $2,700 fi ne from
the Oregon Department of
Environmental Quality for
performing underground
storage tank tests without a
license.
DEQ announced this
and seven other penalties
in a news release Monday,
March 28. The fi nes ranged
from $600 to $15,000 for
a variety of off enses, from
cities not meeting require-
ments of their wastewater
permits to a metal cast-
ing company improperly
handling hazardous waste.
According to the state
environmental regulation
department, Petco in May
2021 conducted a line tight-
ness and a line leak detec-
tion test on an underground
storage tank without first
obtaining a license from the
DEQ, which is a violation of
Oregon law.
Organizations or indi-
viduals must either pay the
fi nes or fi le an appeal within
20 days of receiving notice
of the penalty. They may be
able to off set a portion of a
penalty by funding a supple-
mental environmental project
that improves Oregon’s envi-
ronment.
Dylan Darling, DEQ
spokesperson, reported
Pecto is in discussion with
the department about the
penalty.
— EO Media Group
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Shaun
Shaun Curtain
Curtain 360-921-2071
360-921-2071
or or email:
email: ShaunCurtain@gmail.com
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