A18
News
Blue Mountain Eagle
JUDGE
Continued from Page A1
“Chief petitioner Tray-
lor and the voters, even if
they read only the summary,
were without doubt voting
to manage public lands,”
Cramer said in the opinion.
“To assert or argue other-
wise demeans Mr. Traylor
and the voters (sic) abil-
ity to express themselves
and comprehend what is
written.”
The summary that ap-
peared on the 2002 ballot
stated, in part, “The com-
mission would be charged
with the responsibility of
managing all public lands
and natural resources with-
in Grant County.”
Cramer also cited part of
the full text of the measure
that stated “catastrophic
fires are imminent” and
said voters intended to
remedy that threat, not to
set up a commission to
manage lands that didn’t
exist.
“To find that the pur-
pose was to set up only a
Forest Commission with
no lands to manage would
require this Court to twist
the language of the mea-
sure,” Cramer said. “That
interpretation is not believ-
able, not true, and would
the
ask this Court to manufac-
ture a legal fiction.”
Cramer said the mea-
sure sought to manage
public lands, including
lands managed by the For-
est Service and BLM, and
created a commission to
do so. He said this vio-
lates the federal Constitu-
tion, federal statutes gov-
erning the Forest Service
and BLM lands, the Or-
egon Admission Act and
statutes defining the le-
gal limits of county
measures.
“As a judge, my job
is to fairly and accurate-
ly apply the law,” Cramer
said. “... In a nut shell, a
judge should not engage
in creating law, should not
engage in legal fictions to
promote an outcome, or
engage in forms of judicial
activism.
“So while I may have
personal views that align
with many on how pub-
lic lands are managed (or
not), and views on how
those who live close to
the land should be heard
and listened to by those in
authority, personal views
cannot be a part of a de-
cision making process if
a judge is to be fair and
impartial. Again it is the
facts and law that dictate a
decision.”
corner’s
HOT
EEK
OF THE W
CAUY WEAVER
School: Grant Union
Grade: 11
Parents: Natalie and Clint
Weaver
Sport: Football
Position: Running Back/
Linebacker
What I like best about my sport: “This season
we had our goals, and we fulfilled them to the best of
our ability. I wouldn’t have chosen another team to
play football with. We’re looking forward to next
year.”
Coach’s Comment: “Cauy has done a
great job all season as the leader of our
defense and filled in as a running back
last week when he was needed. He is
a fierce competitor and good
teammate.”
-Coach Jason Miller
PROUD SPONSOR OF GRANT COUNTY ATHLETES
100 E. Main • Stoplight in John Day
541-792-0425
eca and Long Creek do not use
PERS.
PERS
Continued from Page A1
cost the district an additional
$190,000 annually.”
Monument, Dayville, Long
Creek and Prairie City school
districts’ PERS rates will in-
crease to 27.20 percent, and
Oregon Public Service Retire-
ment Plan employees contri-
butions will increase to 21.87
percent.
“Bottom line, yes it will
impact us, and the impact will
pull money away from class-
room supply budgets, tech-
nology, building maintenance,
cost of living increases, etc.”
Julie Gurczynski, the Prairie
City School District superin-
tendent, said in an email.
Dayville School District’s
PERS payments will increase
$23,382.86, from $110,891.46
to $134,274.32.
Long Creek School Dis-
trict is spending approximately
$100,000 on PERS and ex-
pects a significant increase in
spending.
Cities
PERS contributions are cal-
culated to increase by roughly
$50,000, from $92,342 to
$142,061, for John Day in the
2017-18 fiscal year.
The city is prepared for the
current increase, thanks to a
previous error, City Manager
AWARD
SH T
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Continued from Page A1
entire life,” Horning said.
“She represents everything
that is good about our indus-
try and about her community.
She’s very selfless, very out-
going and very willing to do
whatever it takes to help her
industry do better.”
Livingston is certainly
appreciative of the recogni-
tion, but that’s not what she
strives for in her work. She
gets her satisfaction from be-
ing a steward of the land, a
provider for her community.
“I just try to pay my bills,
be a good citizen, honor the
Constitution and flag and
vote,” she said.
Livingston, like many
in the area, is conservative.
She said many in the agri-
cultural industry are excited
about President-elect Don-
ald Trump and the chance
to have a Republican in the
White House.
However, she is worried
about Trump’s stance against
the Trans-Pacific Partner-
ship, which would help the
industry export products in-
ternationally.
She believes deeply in the
Constitution, so much so she
Eagle file photo
Eagle file photo
John Day Police Chief
Richard Gray poses
for a photo. The city
of John Day is braced
for increases in PERS
payments in 2017-19
because it budgeted for
the increases this year.
County Judge Scott
Myers, left, and Doug
Ferguson, the engineer
in charge of a flood
mitigation plan, look
over maps of the project
at a town hall meeting
Dec. 16 in Canyon City.
Nick Green said.
City Recorder Anna Bass
budgeted for the increase to
happen in 2016-17, when in
reality it would happen in
’17-18. This mistake actually
braced the city for the increase,
and, when it was realized,
Green made the decision not
to change the budget they had
balanced.
The city contributes 6 per-
cent on behalf of all employ-
ees and then a varying amount
based on position. Green said
the city is prepared for the con-
tribution increase but is con-
cerned about the next jump.
“We’re OK for now, but it’s
hard to know what the future
is going to look like,” Green
said.
Other cities in the area are
also seeing an increase.
Canyon City’s Tier 1 and
Tier 2 rates will increase from
20.91 percent to 24.2 percent.
Prairie City’s Tier 1 and
Tier 2 rates will increase from
9.26 percent to 12.89 percent.
Mt. Vernon’s Tier 1 and
Tier 2 rates will increase from
13.21 percent to 18.46 percent.
Monument, Dayville, Sen-
buys pocket-sized versions
by the hundreds to give out.
A former English teacher,
she describes the Declara-
tion of Independence as “the
most well written essay” she
has ever read.
She is committed to help-
ing give agriculturalists a
voice in state government in
a time where she says they
deal more and more with
government regulations and
oversight. Livingston cites
the Agricultural Water Qual-
ity Management Act, also
known as Senate Bill 1010,
as a prime example.
The bill requires the Or-
egon Department of Agri-
culture to help reduce water
pollution from agricultural
sources to improve the health
of watersheds throughout the
state. Livingston has stayed
involved with the board of
agriculture to make sure they
are able to use water to pro-
duce crops and sustain their
industry.
“Land ain’t no good with-
out water,” she said, quoting
a line from her favorite book,
“Half Broke Horses.”
Livingston said she will
always be an advocate for
taking care of water and us-
ing it in a sustainable way.
Livingston has watched
the community she grew up
in slowly dry out. She said
the evidence is all around her:
Smaller classes in schools,
fewer open businesses and
a lack of jobs are all proof
Long Creek is hurting.
“It’s a whole different so-
ciety, a different area, a dif-
ferent community,” she said.
However,
Livingston
believes the town has a fu-
ture, which is something that
drives her to advocate for the
needs of local agricultural-
ists.
Livingston said she will
continue to work in agricul-
ture as long as she can but is
uncertain to whom she will
pass on the tradition. She lost
her husband, Fred, in 1992
to cancer and her oldest son,
Clayton, to a heart attack
in 2013. Both had been in-
volved in the ranch. She has
two other children who have
moved away but is hopeful a
grandchild will show interest
in the tradition.
Livingston said she never
intended to get rich and plans
to hang on to the ranch as
long as she can.
“It’s my life, and it’s what
I do,” she said. “I’ll do it as
long as I can.”
Grant County
Grant County PERS is
doing just fine, according to
county treasurer Kathy Smith.
While rates for Tier 1 and Tier
2 employees have jumped
from 1.21 percent to 5.55
percent and police rates have
jumped from .45 percent to
2.12 percent, the county has a
massive $5 million surplus in
the system.
“Our county is looking
good even though our rates
tripled or quadrupled ...”
Smith said. “It doesn’t hit us
the way it hits other entities
because we have that surplus,
and I’m sure we’re going to
have that many years into the
future.”
The surplus is left over
from former county em-
ployees leaving the county’s
contributions when they left.
Smith says Grant County is
one of only a few entities in
the PERS system that has a
surplus, while most entities
are underfunded. She said this
surplus is why rates can be
kept relatively low.
Smith expects a $60,000
increase in contributions from
the county. She was unable to
say how this expense would
affect operations in the county
as budgeting is not until Jan-
uary.
COURT
Continued from Page A1
Dinner tickets are avail-
able to purchase from the
court and are available at
Wild West Hair Co. at 131
S. Canyon Blvd., or the
fairgrounds office at 411
NW Bridge St., 541-575-
1900.
The coronation event will
also feature a live auction, si-
lent auction and dessert table.
A rustic cowboy theme
will include centerpieces
made by A Flower Shop N
More, which will be sold after
the event.
To contribute items for one
or more of the auctions, or to
give a monetary donation, call
Israel at 541-620-2624.
Carter said she and Hutchi-
son will promote not only the
fair and rodeo but also ag-
riculture, 4-H, FFA and the
county’s businesses while
they are at the local event and
while visiting other counties.
She said she hopes the com-
munity will support the coro-
nation event.
“It’s going to be a great
time with good food, and we
hope to see everyone there,”
Carter said.
04807
R obbins Farm Equipment
3850 10th St.
Baker City
10218 Wallowa Lake Hwy.
La Grande
1160 S Egan
Burns
86812 Christmas Valley Hwy.
Christmas Valley
541-523-6377
541-963-6577
541-573-6377
541-523-6377
TREAT
YOUR
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• Pedi-Spa treatment for your feet
• Particular attention to Diabetic Foot
• Multifunctional massage chair
• Skin Inspection • Callus Removal • Nail Cutting
We also check your blood pressure, blood sugar level and oxygen saturation.
Call
541- 575-1648
for an appointment
$35 00 fee
Blue Mountain Hospital
FOOT CLINIC
www.bluemountainhospital.org
Services available at the
Home Health Office,
422 W. Main, John Day.