A4 BAKER CITY HERALD • SATURDAY, MAY 7, 2022
BAKER CITY
Opinion
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Baker City, Oregon
EDITORIAL
City Council needs
to act on fire dept.
T
here’s little time left to prevent the
Baker City Fire Department from be-
ing gutted, and the Baker City Council
needs to act.
The seven councilors are the bosses. They
— not City Manager Jon Cannon — set the
city’s policies, and they represent citizens.
Councilors, who meet Tuesday, May 10, at
7 p.m. at City Hall, 1655 First St., need to rec-
ognize that the city can continue to operate
ambulances for at least the next fiscal year,
starting July 1, without plundering other de-
partments within the city’s general fund. The
city’s financial records show this to be the case.
But if councilors continue to accede to
Cannon’s plans, they will preside over a dis-
mantling of the city’s fire department with-
out precedent, at least in modern times.
This is neither necessary nor acceptable.
It’s also not likely to be reversible. If the
city drops ambulance service and cuts its fire
department staff, even a new, sustainable
revenue source probably would be a moot
point, arriving too late to restore the level of
public safety service that city residents have
paid for, and have reasonably come to ex-
pect, over the decades.
The issue directly involves Baker County
as well as Baker City, and city councilors and
county commissioners share a responsibility
for working together to craft a solution.
Baker County is responsible, under state
law, for providing ambulance service in the
county. If the city follows through on the
current plan, which calls for the fire depart-
ment to cease operating ambulances Sept.
30, 2022, the county would need to find a
different ambulance provider, likely a private
company. To that end, the county recently
released a request for proposals for ambu-
lance service in the Baker Ambulance Ser-
vice Area, which includes Baker City and
about two-thirds of the rest of the county.
The deadline to respond is June 3.
If Baker City fails to submit a proposal by
that date, then it might become a foregone
conclusion that the city will not only shut
down ambulance service but also — due to
the loss of about $1 million annually in am-
bulance revenue and because most of the
department’s service calls are for ambulances
rather than for fires — lay off six firefighter/
paramedics, half the number who work reg-
ular 24-hour shifts now.
The City Council seems to be plodding
meekly toward that dismal outcome. On
Tuesday, May 3, the city’s budget board,
which includes the seven city councilors and
seven city residents, approved a proposed
budget that includes the fire department
layoffs. The City Council, which has the fi-
nal authority on the budget, must adopt the
spending plan by June 30.
During budget board meetings earlier this
week, Cannon described a mounting finan-
cial problem that has reached a crisis point.
“We just don’t have the money for it,” he
said, referring to the ambulance service.
But the city’s budgets over the past several
years don’t justify an action so dramatic as
slashing the fire department.
Ambulance billing is hardly a new issue —
Cannon is right about that.
And although Baker City probably will
never come close to recouping its full costs
for operating ambulances — not in an aged
community where about 80% of patients
transported are covered by Medicare or
Medicaid, which pay about 20% of typical
bills, and who don’t have the means to make
up the difference from their own coffers —
the city can, and has, boosted its collection
rates and its overall ambulance revenue.
In calendar year 2019, the city billed $2.45
million for ambulance services and collected
$801,000 — 32.7%.
In calendar year 2021, the collection rate
rose to 50.8% — the city collected $1,124,000
from billings of $2.21 million.
The city has botched ambulance billing in
the past, to be sure.
In 2016 the city hired a private company
that promised to boost ambulance collection
rates. The opposite happened. The city col-
lected about $88,000 less than the previous
fiscal year, while projecting that it would get
about $200,000 more.
But that was a one-year mistake, sev-
eral years ago. And more to the point, even
with that lost revenue the city has collected
enough from ambulance bills over the past
several years to operate a full-service fire de-
partment, one that responds to all manner of
emergency calls, without having to signifi-
cantly subsidize the department from else-
where in the general fund.
And, as the recent increase in collection
rates shows, the situation is improving.
The city will need a new revenue source in
the future to accommodate increasing costs
and, likely, the need to hire more firefighter/
paramedics to handle increasing call volume.
That source must include money from
residents who live outside the city limits who
benefit from the city’s ambulances. The city
is in effect subsidizing ambulance service for
much of the rest of the county.
The city’s costs will continue to grow.
The last time the city hired three new fire-
fighter/paramedics to handle increased
call volumes — and avoid a big boost in
overtime cost, which is the inevitable re-
sult when demand for a service rises but
the staffing stays the same — the city had
a three-year federal grant that paid about
two-thirds of the cost. That money is gone,
and if the city needs to hire more firefight-
ers, there might not be any federal dollars
to help. The union representing firefighters
wants higher salaries, as well.
But all that lies in the future.
The City Council’s chance to preserve the fire
department might end in less than a month.
Of course it would have been preferable to
have the city and county during the past few
years agree on a proposal to take to voters in
the Baker Ambulance Service Area, asking
them to increase property taxes, or possibly
institute a household fee, to ensure that the
Baker City Fire Department has enough rev-
enue to operate ambulances and maintain its
firefighting capacity.
But even though this situation has fes-
tered, that doesn’t mean the city has been
slashing other departments in its general
fund to feed a voracious fire department
over years of neglect. The city’s budgets
show otherwise.
Blaming county officials, and previous city
councilors and city staff members, for this
situation is not leadership by current coun-
cilors. It’s true that councilors can’t solve this
problem, for the long term, on their own —
voters, within the city and outside, will need
to decide how much they value the current
Baker City Fire Department.
But only city councilors can give voters
that chance.
And due to councilors’ failure to strongly
question Cannon’s contentions about
the city’s financial situation, time is very
short indeed.
— Jayson Jacoby, Baker City Herald editor
YOUR VIEWS
I’m supporting Witham,
Garrick for commission
Oregon needs Kerry
McQuisten’s leadership
The Baker County Commis-
sion position races, what will
be our choice to fill the two up-
coming vacancies?
Position No. 2, Christina
Witham has my full support
for many reasons. First, but
not the only reason for sup-
porting Christy is her unfail-
ing support the past 15 plus
years to preserve our historical
open forests. The desire to once
again see our economy thrive
and hopefully benefit from the
abundant natural resources we
are blessed with. It was very
apparent at the commission
forum she will meet the immi-
nent challenge of the ambu-
lance debacle facing the county.
Christy has developed a very
successful business in Baker
City, building it from the bot-
tom. She will have this knowl-
edge to utilize and draw upon.
Christy is an all around great
choice for the challenges the
county will be facing.
Dan Garrick will get our vote
for position No. 3. I found his
responses at the forum most in
line with our concerns.
Wanda Ballard
Baker City
I completely support Kerry
McQuisten as Oregon’s next
governor. These days, I am
much more diligent in inves-
tigating and researching those
who wish to serve in an elected
capacity. I think the key to this
is to learn what it is that they are
supposed to know, and to then
ask well-positioned questions.
The office of governor must be
held by someone who is famil-
iar with both our federal and
state constitutions. They must
understand, defend, and com-
ply without exception.
The position of governor is
a leadership position. As such,
the person in this position must
know how to work honorably
and lawfully with those from
both the Oregon House and
Senate and with those who rep-
resent a multitude of ideologies
beyond. A governor must set a
standard that is above reproach.
This, I see in Kerry McQuis-
ten. This candidate is not a new-
comer to Oregon. She has deep
roots and understands, well be-
yond her roots in Eastern Ore-
gon, the whole of the state. She
has also piqued the interests of
many in leadership across the
country, which she did early on.
This is a good thing.
Speaking for myself, I want
a governor with grit, courage,
stamina, intelligence, and broad
insight. I want a governor who
will research the issues and then
show fearless resolve to debate
those issues when necessary. I
want a governor who will in-
spire conversational engage-
ment. I want a proactive, work-
ing governor — not simply a
placeholder. Again, I see this in
Kerry McQuisten.
Just as she has taken Baker
City to unprecedented heights
as mayor, I believe she will do
the very same, and more, for
our beautiful State of Oregon.
Oregon deserves much better
than what we have had over the
past several decades. Oregon
deserves much better represen-
tation. The whole of Oregon de-
serves better. That said, the bur-
den is on each of us to ensure
such an improvement. That im-
provement is Kerry McQuisten,
and we are fortunate to have her
as a candidate in this race.
Please join me in casting
your ballot in the Republican
primary for Kerry McQuisten
for governor.
Elizabeth Boudreaux
Baker City
CONTACT YOUR PUBLIC OFFICIALS
President Joe Biden: The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.,
Washington, D.C. 20500; 202-456-1111; to send comments, go
to www.whitehouse.gov.
Avenue Suite 112, Medford, OR 97850; Phone: 541-776-4646;
fax: 541-779-0204; Ontario office: 2430 S.W. Fourth Ave., No. 2,
Ontario, OR 97914; Phone: 541-709-2040. bentz.house.gov.
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley: D.C. office: 313 Hart Senate Office
Building, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C., 20510; 202-224-3753;
fax 202-228-3997. Portland office: One World Trade Center, 121
S.W. Salmon St. Suite 1250, Portland, OR 97204; 503-326-3386;
fax 503-326-2900. Baker City office, 1705 Main St., Suite 504,
541-278-1129; merkley.senate.gov.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown: 254 State Capitol, Salem, OR 97310;
503-378-3111; www.governor.oregon.gov.
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden: D.C. office: 221 Dirksen Senate Office
Building, Washington, D.C., 20510; 202-224-5244; fax 202-228-
2717. La Grande office: 105 Fir St., No. 210, La Grande, OR 97850;
541-962-7691; fax, 541-963-0885; wyden.senate.gov.
U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz (2nd District): D.C. office: 1239
Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C., 20515,
202-225-6730; fax 202-225-5774. Medford office: 14 N. Central
Oregon State Treasurer Tobias Read: oregon.treasurer@ost.
state.or.us; 350 Winter St. NE, Suite 100, Salem OR 97301-3896;
503-378-4000.
Oregon Attorney General Ellen F. Rosenblum: Justice
Building, Salem, OR 97301-4096; 503-378-4400.
Oregon Legislature: Legislative documents and information
are available online at www.leg.state.or.us.
State Sen. Lynn Findley (R-Ontario): Salem office: 900 Court
St. N.E., S-403, Salem, OR 97301; 503-986-1730. Email: Sen.
LynnFindley@oregonlegislature.gov
COLUMN
Digging into Baker City’s heated climate history
A
nyone who endured Oregon’s re-
cord-breaking heatwave in late
June 2021 probably wouldn’t be
shocked that the year was one of the
hotter ones on record.
Although we in Baker County, in a
somewhat rare reversal of typical tem-
perature trends, didn’t swelter nearly
so terribly as residents west of the Cas-
cades did.
Salem reached 117 degrees on June
28, beating its previous all-time record
by nine degrees.
Portland topped out at 116 degrees
that day, also nine degrees hotter than
its former record.
Both the temperatures — more typ-
ical of Death Valley than of the tem-
perate inland Pacific Northwest — and
those nine-degree margins are stun-
ning.
Of course records, as the saying
goes, are made to be broken. And quite
often during any year at least one day
will bring a record high or low. This
is hardly surprising, what with 730
chances to set a new standard.
But typically the new record bests
the old by at most four or five degrees,
and not rarely by only one.
Baker City, meanwhile, could mus-
ter no more than 103 degrees, on
June 29.
That was downright modest com-
pared with what happened not only
in Western Oregon but also in the Co-
lumbia Basin of Oregon, where Pend-
leton got to 117, and Hermiston to 118.
That 103-degree high was, however,
the hottest temperature ever recorded
during June at the Baker City Airport,
where records date to 1943.
Based on temperatures collected
across the state, 2021 was Oregon’s
fifth-warmest (records dating to 1895,
although obviously not including every
measuring station around today, in-
cluding the Baker City Airport).
The statewide average temperature
for the year — a calculation that in-
cludes each day’s high and low tem-
peratures at all recording sites — was
49.2 degrees. That’s 2.5 degrees warmer
than average.
Temperature trends also clearly illus-
trate the effects of a warming climate.
Of Oregon’s 12 hottest years since
1895, eight have happened since 2000,
and six since 2010.
“What’s most concerning is that
this was a La Nina year, when we’d
traditionally expect colder or at least
historically normal temperatures,” Or-
egon state climatologist Larry O’Neill
told the Salem Statesman-Journal,
referring to 2021. “Instead, we got
extreme heat in the summer. We did
have somewhat cooler weather in the
winter, which is why this year didn’t
end up as the hottest.”
Statewide statistics are interesting,
to be sure.
47.68 degrees), sixth-hottest (1981,
47.56), seventh-hottest (1986, 47.51),
eighth-hottest (1958, 47.3), and
10th-hottest (1967, 47.15).
Yet Baker City’s heat hall of fame,
So are national and, indeed, global like Oregon’s, also is well represented
temperature records, the latter fre-
among years of recent vintage.
quently cited in stories about climate
Of the four most recent years, three
change.
rank among the 12 hottest, including
But weather and climate, like poli- both the hottest year on record —
tics, are also local phenomena.
2020, 48.27 degrees — and the run-
And being a provincial sort I like to ner up — 2018, 47.99.
nose around in Baker City’s numbers
Gauging climate change naturally
occasionally and see how they com-
requires more than the snapshot of
pare with Oregon as a whole.
a year or two — climate, after all, is
It happens that our numbers bear
a long-term concept quite different
some similarities with Oregon’s.
from weather.
But they also show what strike me
(This is why anyone who makes
as interesting differences.
claims of any sort about climate change
The concentration of hotter years, based on a single year or season or, at
for instance, is not so acute in Baker the extreme end of the ludicrous scale,
City as in Oregon.
a single day, is engaging in propaganda,
Unlike the state as a whole, with
not thoughtful discussion.)
eight of the 12 hottest years coming
Looking at longer term trends
in the past two decades, Baker City’s shows that Baker City’s average tem-
noteworthy heat is somewhat more
perature has warmed by about a de-
evenly distributed over time.
gree over the past half century or so.
Of the dozen hottest years at the
For the first 25 years of record-keep-
Baker City Airport, four have hap-
ing at the airport, 1944-68 (1943 re-
pened since 2000 — half as many as
cords aren’t complete), the average
the Oregon total in that category.
temperature was 44.93 degrees.
Six of the hottest years at the air-
Over the next quarter century —
port happened before 1992. And
1969-93 — the average temperature
most of those are quite a bit older,
rose almost 1 degree, to 45.80.
including the fourth-hottest year
Since then, a period of 28 years, the
(1973, average temperature of
average temperature has continued
Jayson
Jacoby
to rise, albeit at a negligible pace. The
average temperature from 1994-2021
was 45.83 degrees.
Another way to track long-term tem-
peratures is to look not at the annual
average temperature — which takes
into account the apex of July heatwaves
as well as the depths of January arctic
outbreaks — but to focus specifically
on average high temperatures. This, of
course, is what we usually mean when
we talk about heat — are daytime tem-
peratures, by and large, getting higher?
In Baker City the answer is yes.
A useful dividing line here is an av-
erage annual high temperature of 60
degrees (the average high is derived by
adding the high temperature for each
day of the year and dividing by 365).
The average annual high has ex-
ceeded 60 degrees on 37 of the 77 years
since 1944 at the Baker City Airport. Of
those 37 years, 19 have happened in the
past 30 years, while just 12 of the previ-
ous 46 years surpassed that threshold.
To put it another way, since 1991 it’s
been more than twice as likely to have
a “warm” year around here — based on
that 60-degree line — than it was in the
preceding nearly half a century.
Which doesn’t, sadly, keep your
hands warm when you’re out in the
latest May snowstorm.
Jayson Jacoby is editor of the
Baker City Herald.