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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (March 22, 2017)
News Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, March 22, 2017 A5 Container deposit set to double John Day City Manager Nick Green and councilor Lisa Weigum talk during a city council meeting March 14. Customers can cash in with old cans By Rylan Boggs Blue Mountain Eagle The Eagle Rylan Boggs Progress made on dispatch funding, broadband service John Day entertains idea of lodging tax By Rylan Boggs Blue Mountain Eagle Progress is being made to- ward funding the 911 dispatch center and bringing high- speed broadband to the area. John Day City Manager Nick Green recently traveled to Salem to meet with state Sen. Ted Ferrioli and repre- sentatives from the League of Oregon Cities. Green gave a report on his trip to the city council during its March 14 meeting. “We’re making good prog- ress toward a public stimulus package to fund the 911 defi- cit and create new broadband options for Grant County res- idents,” Green said. The emergency dispatch center is not fully funded by state 911 tax revenue, which leaves John Day residents to fund a disproportionate amount of the $200,000 defi- cit. Green has requested short- term bridge funding from the state, but even if it were to be approved, local action would still needed to maintain the center until possible 911 tax reform during the 2019 legis- lative session. A cost-sharing agreement between cities, a local option tax to fund the center or out- sourcing the service to Con- don are all still on the table. Fiber-optic access would boost internet capabilities and help local residents and businesses as well as poten- tially attract new ones. In- creased connectivity could also play a critical role in public safety. “If we want to recover in John Day, we need to priori- tize access,” Green said. The council commended Green for his work on the is- sue. “We appreciate your ef- forts and testimony,” Coun- cilman Paul Smith said. During the meeting, he also brought attention the fact that the city might be leaving money on the table by not having a transient lodging tax. The tax is levied against those staying in overnight rentals and would have mini- mal effect on residents. While the state and county impose a tax for those staying in hotels and motels, the city could col- lect as much as $40,000 with a 3-percent tax, according to Green. This could also be extended to include Airbnb rentals. Airbnb is an online marketplace for short-term rentals. “It comes down to: Do you want to tax your own res- idents or somebody else’s?” Green said. Starting April 1, empty cans will be worth twice as much. Deposits on cans and bot- tles will jump from 5 to 10 cents in April, and customers will receive double the de- posit they paid before the in- crease. “As of April 1, 2017 all el- igible containers will receive a 10-cent refund regardless of the amount shown on the container,” an Oregon Liquor Control Commission press re- lease said. The increase is designed to improve return rates and pro- mote recycling. “We want to make the tran- sition as smooth as possible for customers, retailers, and manufacturers,” OLCC Ex- ecutive Director Steve Marks said. To encourage recycling in the wake of fewer returns, the 2011 state legislature decreed if return rates dropped below 80 percent for more than two consecutive years the deposit for each container would be doubled. Chester’s Thriftway can process as many as 36,000 containers in a week, accord- ing to manger Robert Hunt, who said the store won’t lose The Eagle/Rylan Boggs A small mountain of cans in John Day. money because of the adjust- ment. The containers are regu- larly picked up by the Oregon Bottle and Recycling Compa- ny, which compensates retail- ers such as Chester’s for the cost of the deposit and ensures the materials are processed. Cans and glass are crushed down and sent to local recy- clers to create new containers, while plastic is sent off to be made into strapping, plastic clamshells and polyester fiber for carpet, filler and clothing. The 5-cent discrepancy be- tween deposits will be passed on to distributors like Co- ca-Cola and Anheuser Busch, according to Peter Spendelow, a DEQ solid waste analyst. Though this could cost them a few million dollars, Spende- low said it had been budget- ed and is just “a little blip for them.” He said the return rate had fallen below 65 percent and cited the low deposit as a ma- jor factor. In 1971, when the bill was enacted, 5 cents had the same spending power as 31 cents today, Spendelow said. He pointed to high rates of return in Michigan and Al- berta, both of which have 10 cent deposits. Oregon’s bottle bill helps ensure containers are recy- cled, which reduces energy re- quired to make containers and greenhouse gases. In 2009, more than one billion bever- age containers were recycled under the bottle bill, which saved 3 trillion British ther- mal units of energy, roughly the same energy as 24 million gallons of gasoline, according to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. The bill has also substan- tially reduced greenhouse gas- es and container litter. While initially successful, returns eventually declined and by 2009, only about three-quar- ters of bottles were redeemed, according to the DEQ. duties of a driver. Lakeview Police arrested a 41-year-old Prairie City resident on two Grant County warrants. March 18: Received a re- port of juveniles drinking beer while driving. Received a report of criminal mischief and a resident’s punctured tires on Canton Street in John Day. Arrested a 50-year-old Canyon City resident for a restraining order violation on Main Street in John Day. • Grant County Sheriff’s Office March 13: Responded to a report of a male subject be- ing verbally threatening. Re- sponded with Oregon State Police to report of a prowler. Investigated a case of illegal possession of a controlled substance. March 15: Took a report of a suspicious vehicle in Can- yon City; investigated a suspi- cious vehicle on Highway 19. March 16: Responded with Oregon State Police to a re- port of a male subject threat- ening to assault someone in Mt. Vernon. March 18: Responded to a report of a dispute and physi- cal altercation. • John Day ambulance March 13: Responded with Prairie City ambulance for a female patient with se- vere shortness of breath. • Oregon State Police March 14: Responded to a report of a horse on Highway 26 near Clyde Holliday State Park. March 18: Advised of sus- picious circumstances at Big Bend Campground. March 19: Advised of ille- gal hunting from a helicopter. • Dispatch March 18: Received report of a pickup driving with no brake lights from a caller in Canyon City, Colorado. The call was transferred to the cor- rect dispatch center. C OPS AND C OURTS Arrests and citations in the Blue Mountain Eagle are taken from the logs of law en- forcement agencies. Every ef- fort is made to report the court disposition of arrest cases. Grant County Circuit Court • Corey Ray Kingsmith was convicted of a probation violation and sentenced to seven days in jail, 40 hours community service and fined $25. • Kristopher Goodwin was convicted of a probation vio- lation, had his probation re- voked and was sentenced to 90 days in jail. Oregon State Police • March 16: Arrested Co- rey Kingsmith, 29, La Grande, for driving under the influ- ence, violating parole, driving while suspended and driving uninsured after responded to assist Grant County Sheriff’s Office with a report of menac- ing in Mt. Vernon. • Scotty M. Ledford, 31, Prineville, died in a rollover accident on Highway 26 near milepost 55. OSP responded with Wheeler County Sher- iff’s deputies and Oregon Department of Transporta- tion at approximately 7:30 a.m. Ledford’s vehicle was headed east, lost control on a left-hand turn and rolled mul- tiple times, coming to rest in a ditch on the opposite side of the road. A following vehicle hit the wreck with little dam- age. Grant County Sheriff The Grant County Sher- iff’s Office reported the fol- lowing for the week of March 9-15: • Concealed handgun li- censes: 9 • Average inmates: 9 • Bookings: 9 • Releases: 9 • Arrests: 1 • Citations: 2 • Fingerprints: 4 • Civil papers: 16 • Warrants processed: 3 • Asst./welfare check: 2 Mitchel Long, 46, John Day was cited for exceed- ing the posted speed, 82/65, March 9. Justice Court The Grant County Justice Court reported the following fines and judgments: Driving Uninsured: George Drossel, 58, Nampa, Idaho, Jan. 8, fined $260; Da- vid James Darling, 42, Can- yon City, Jan. 17, fined $260; Lisa Marie Moss, 24, John Day, Jan. 28, fined $260. No snow park permit: Zachary Walter Bailey, 21, Burns, Feb. 25, fined $30. Exceeding maximum weight limit: Edward Noble Hicks, 26, Prairie City, Feb. 10, fined $200. Minor in possession of marijuana: Jeilen Sayers, driver’s license suspended for one year and fined $260. Dispatch John Day dispatch worked 155 calls during the week of March 13-19. Along with the various traffic warnings, trespassing, injured animals, noise complaints and juvenile complaints, these calls includ- ed: • John Day Police Department March 13: Responded with John Day Fire Department and Oregon Telephone Corp. to an electrical fire. March 14: Took a report of a theft in Prairie City; cited a 28-year-old John Day resident for second-degree criminal trespass. March 16: Arrested a 33-year-old Prairie City resi- dent and a 32-year-old Prairie City resident for domestic vi- olence, assault and disorderly conduct in the Prairie City Trailer Park. March 17: Arrested a 36-year-old John Day resi- dent for disorderly conduct at America’s Best Value Inn. Responded to a report of a verbal dispute on Main Street in John Day. Took a report of harassment in John Day. Advised of an identity theft. Received information regard- ing underage drinking. Cited a 19-year-old John Day resi- dent for minor in possession. Responded to an accident and cited a 71-year-old John Day resident for failure to perform