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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (April 8, 2015)
Wallowa County Chieftain News wallowa.com April 8, 2015 A9 REVIEW: Pendleton chief will lead evaluation Continued from Page A1 evaluation will include “a general overview of the de- partment as a whole” and is basically a free service the police chiefs association is providing the city, an associ- ation member. “As it stands now, there is no charge for Along with formally ac- knowledging Kilgore’s deci- sion to leave, the council vot- ed to authorize a departmental review. According to Lear, the this,” the mayor said. Lear said the review would begin sometime with- in the next two weeks and be completed by month’s end. The city council’s po- lice committee — which includes Lear and coun- cilors Jenni Word and Lar- ry Christman — will then pore through the results and thereafter make a recom- mendation to the full city council, which is scheduled to meet on Monday, May 11. Ostensibly on city of- ficials’ plate is a choice of either keeping or dissolving the city police department. Lear has been tamping down expectations for such a major change, howev- er. He said it’s not unusual to evaluate a department “when you make these tran- sitions.” The mayor also indicated that Pendleton chief Roberts is well qualified for leading the exercise. “He has a lot of experience doing these,” Lear said. EMPLOYMENT: 2I¿FHFORVXUHQRWµZHOOWKRXJKWRXW¶ Continued from Page A1 Mike Lockhart, owner of Wallowa Lake Tramway, expressed his dissatisfaction ZLWK WKH RI¿FH FORVXUH ³:H have one of the higher unem- ployment rates in the state and it doesn’t make sense to close RXURI¿FH,¶PDOOIRUJRYHUQ- PHQW RI¿FHV WULPPLQJ WKHLU budgets, but I don’t think this closure was well thought out,” Lockhart said. Lockhart added he re- OLHG KHDYLO\ RQ WKH RI¿FH for obtaining his employees as many did not have home access to the Internet or even reliable transportation. He also questioned the handling of the shutdown. “They han- dled it horribly. I already had ads in the newspaper telling people to contact employ- PHQW RI¿FH IRU LQIRUPDWLRQ and they were already shut GRZQ7KH/D*UDQGHRI¿FH isn’t working for us. We’re not getting the same level of service. Don’t let them tell you that.” Lockhart said many other local tourist-oriented busi- nesses are also unhappy with the closure. “It’s a real prob- lem for all of us to get quali- ty trained employees, and the HPSOR\PHQWRI¿FHKHOSHGXV screen them, which saved us a lot of time. We adapted, but I don’t think we got access to the best employees available — not just locally, but people interested in working in the area on a part-time basis,” Lockhart said. $V IDU DV WKH HI¿FDF\ RI the transfer of services to La Grande, Lockhart re- mains unimpressed. “The La *UDQGH RI¿FH LVQ¶W ZRUNLQJ for us.” Debbie Gargalis, Work- source Oregon Region 13 PDQDJHU VDLG WKH RI¿FH closure related strictly to economics and also said Worksource Oregon held a number of public forums to allow community members to voice their opinion on the closure. The department also reached out and contacted Wallowa County commis- sioners, job-seekers, em- ployers and other interested parties. Teresa Sajonia, owner of Embers Brew House and member of the Joseph City Council, had mixed feelings DERXW WKH RI¿FH FORVXUH ³,Q all the years I’ve owned my business, I’ve maybe hired two people through unem- COST: Document showed bleak options Continued from Page A1 office for closure as part of an across-the-board, A Chieftain request for 5-percent budget reduc- public records related to tion for the employment the decision to close the department. HPSOR\PHQW RI¿FH \LHOGHG The document offers a only a three-page document, bleak assessment of Wal- dated Feb. 5, 2013, titled lowa County employment, ³%(6 (QWHUSULVH 2I¿FH citing average 10.2 per- Consolidation.” The docu- cent unemployment for ment outlines a preliminary the year 2012 and stating process for deciding the the county “may have the fate of the Wallowa Coun- most seasonal economy in W\RI¿FHZKLFKRSHUDWHGDV the state.” a satellite of the La Grande The office’s total annu- RI¿FH al cost included expenses The document begins for the facility ($20,000) with a paragraph stating and salaries for two part- that “management” had time employees ($38,000 identified the Enterprise combined). ployment, so it doesn’t affect P\ EXVLQHVV VLJQL¿FDQWO\ However, it is a necessity for unemployed people in the county. When you’re look- ing for work, it’s important to have someone in the know to network with and also to have a face to talk to who un- derstands and can help your situation.” Lem McBurney, an em- ployment specialist with the Wallowa Valley Center for :HOOQHVV ZDQWV WKH RI¿FH back. “It would not only help me, it would help the community as a whole. The HPSOR\PHQW RI¿FH LV PRUH than someone at a desk. It’s resources, education, com- puters and community.” 7KH RFFDVLRQDO VWDI¿QJ RI WKH HPSOR\PHQW RI¿FH LV The document lists five possible cost-cutting op- tions ranging from partial to full closure, the course ultimately chosen. The final sentence of the Wallowa County em- ployment assessment reads: “Closing the Enter- prise WSO (Worksource Oregon) Employment De- partment Office will create substantial employment and service barriers, eq- uitable access to services, as well as travel and tech- nological hardships for the residents and businesses already facing economic challenges.” also a source of frustration to McBurney. “There’s no schedule, so you don’t know. It’s like if you ran a grocery store like that, some people would starve.” McBurney added, “I sus- pect this was just a giant spreadsheet down in Salem and I think they read the numbers without seeing the need.” INSURANCE: Tax penalties await Continued from Page A1 pliance penalty would rise for those who have no health insur- “It’s not as many as I thought ance in succeeding years. it would be,” says Johnson, Tax preparation work in who, in addition to preparing Oregon has become even taxes last year, was also selling more intensive this year be- health insurance, an activity she cause of the failure of Cover no longer pursues. Oregon, the state’s ill-fated The penalties assessed for attempt to design and imple- non-compliance with the health ment its own health insurance insurance mandate are deter- marketplace. Johnson says mined by a complex formu- WKRVHZKR¿OHGLQ&RYHU2UH- la that will assess the highest JRQODVW\HDUKDYHWR¿OHDJDLQ amount between a $95 mini- to receive credits that must to mum per person to $285 max- be reconciled to determine if LPXP SHU KRXVHKROG ¿JXUH additional taxes or additional and 1 percent of a household’s refunds are warranted. total income. In addition, it Although not evident to the was announced at the outset of general public, Johnson says in Obamacare that the noncom- 2015 the IRS has implement- SALES: Market up ed many more requirements that, for accountants, equate to “much more work.” Tax season is a stressful time for many accountants when April 15 approaches. “It is horribly intense,” says Johnson. “I’m regularly work- ing, other than taking time for church, from 8 a.m. until mid- night or 1 a.m. seven days a week.” Tax extensions will be granted to anyone who applies, says Johnson, who notes how- ever that such extensions pro- YLGH DGGLWLRQDO WLPH IRU ¿OLQJ without changing the April 15 date when money to be paid to the IRS is due. Glacier Grill Continued from Page A1 Christoffersen suggests two possibilities as to why real estate sale numbers are increasing here. “The econo- my is doing better,” she says, “and people are becoming more realistic on pricing.” The latter possibility relates to 2005 and 2006 values before the economic slump hit Wal- lowa County, which occurred later than in much of the U.S. Physical appraisals made out of the Wallowa County $VVHVVRU¶V 2I¿FH LGHDOO\ done on a six-year rotation, currently are being conducted in the rural Wallowa/Lostine area. At Wallowa Lake 2015 Season Opening Jim Pfarrer, Work- source Oregon’s field operations manager, said the OED comes to Wal- lowa County on occasion for business outreach. He didn’t immediately know how often the irregularly scheduled service occurs, on average, nor could be provide a savings total for the Enterprise office closure that figured in the current costs for business outreach. The state pays travel reimbursement of 51 cents per mile to its employees in La Grande who drive to Enterprise. New Shipment Sanuk! Yoga mat flip flops and shoes New & classic styles Your feet will love you! Smile... pass it on with Sanuk Open Daily 10 am – 5 pm Uptown Clothing & Accessories in Downtown Joseph 12 S. Main St. • 541-432-9653 Sexual Assault is just another word... UNLESS IT HAPPENS TO Your Wife, Your Husband, Your Daughter, Your Son Your SIster, Your Brother, Your Mother, Your Father -YOU- The Weekend of Friday April 10 11:00am to 8:00pm Friday and Saturday Night Dinner Specials Early Spring Hours Thursday thru Sunday 11:00am to 8:00pm 541-432-9292 Connect with customers and increase revenue! No matter what your business is, the Wallowa County Chieftain has the audience you need! We have many options to market your business in an affordable and effective manner. Call Brooke Pace today! 541-426-4567 bpace@wallowa.com Life cannot flourish without Love & Hope April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month Local support groups Friday at Noon Find out how to get involved. Be the change you wish to see in this world. Contact: SAFE HARBORS wallowa.com Office 541-426-4004 | 24hr Crisis Line 541-426-6565