A4
Opinion
Blue Mountain Eagle
911 measure
well worth
minimal cost
G
rant County is in
danger of losing its 911
dispatch center, but
residents can save it.
Ballot measure 12-69
would create a temporary tax,
providing funds to keep the
local dispatch center open, that
would cost taxpayers about
$38 per year per $100,000 of
assessed property value. If the
measure fails, the local dispatch
center will likely close and
dispatch services for the entire
county will be outsourced.
The need for funding stems
from the fact the state 911 tax
collected through a monthly 75-
cent fee on phone bills has not
changed since 1995, providing
the same amount of funding as
20 years ago, despite increasing
costs.
While the simplest solution
would be for state lawmakers to
increase the 911 tax to provide
enough funding to operate
dispatch centers in rural areas,
common sense does not always
prevail in Salem. And the
legislation would likely take
longer than our local dispatch
center has before closure.
If a local dispatch center
staffed with local dispatchers
who have knowledge of the
local area is important to
residents, now is the time to
support it through this ballot
measure.
While it is also true state
Public Employees Retirement
System costs are contributing to
the dispatch center’s operating
costs, the local center and its
local employees should not be
punished for the failure of state
legislators to fi x the retirement
system.
Many changes are needed
at the state level, but little can
be done about that locally right
now. Locals can, however,
provide the fi nancial support to
maintain this local service.
Some may not be aware
John Day taxpayers have been
subsidizing dispatch services
for the rest of the county for
years — at an increasing rate
each year as costs continue
to rise. The dispatch center
operated by the city provides
services for everyone in the
county, but John Day residents
have been shouldering a larger
share of the cost because the
city is covering most of the
funding gap. This cannot
continue.
Although the city provides
the service, the dispatch center
benefi ts everyone in the county.
This is not a John Day issue.
This is a Grant County issue.
Without support from county
residents, the local dispatch
center — and its local jobs
and the economic benefi t they
provide — will fade away.
Another local industry lost.
Like the mills, once shuttered,
the center and the jobs will
never return.
But county residents can
support this service now to
keep the center open. At $38
per $100,000 of assessed
property value, we believe the
value of maintaining a local
dispatch center far exceeds the
price tag associated with this
ballot measure.
It is also important to note
that voting yes on this ballot
measure will not increase taxes
forever. The local option tax on
the ballot can last a maximum
of fi ve years. After that, it drops
off the books.
This ballot measure will not
solve all of the problems, but
it will prevent the closure of
the local dispatch center while
statewide solutions are sought.
And work is certainly
needed at the state level to fi x
the 911 tax and state retirement
system.
Until then, we hope county
residents agree the local
dispatch center is worth saving
and vote yes on ballot measure
12-69.
USPS 226-340
Blue Mountain
EAGLE
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Wednesday, October 18, 2017
L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR
Zoning laws
limit housing
To the Editor:
As a recent retiree desirous
of relocating to Eastern Oregon,
I have been astoundingly unsuc-
cessful at fi nding either a “livable”
house for sale in Grant, Malheur,
Harney, Baker, Wallowa, Union,
Wheeler, Wasco, Gilliam, or Mor-
row counties, or a city lot with city
utilities, on which to place a newer
single-wide manufactured home.
I would think a far-seeing coun-
ty government would realize that
the coming tsunami of retirees
would appreciate a loosening of the
zoning laws in your counties that
would result in an almost immedi-
ate increase in population. Retirees
do not abuse the roads, nor require
much in police or fi re protection.
They participate in local elec-
tions, donate to local charities and
in general enhance the areas they
live in.
Yet the stranglehold exerted on
the zoning laws mystifi es me. I can
only assume that the powers that be
in local government will not allow
progress in this area because there’s
no direct profi t in it for them. Alas,
on to Idaho I go.
Linda Everett
Oak Grove
Eastern Oregon does
not need reinvention
To the Editor:
We are appalled at the city man-
ager’s comment in the Oct. 11 is-
sue of the Blue Mountain Eagle on
page A3: “This is going to reinvent
Eastern Oregon...” Where does he
get the authority to reinvent all of
Eastern Oregon? The 911 issue is
countywide, so the County Court
has jurisdiction over that, if there is
a problem.
It is in good hands now, so if it
isn’t broke, why fi x it? How can a
city manager impose a tax on the
whole county where the biggest
property owners out of the city pay
the most taxes? For sure, we will
vote an astounding no vote on this
tax as will many of others. So why
go to the expense of putting it on a
ballot?
Then this big money spender
sitting in city hall wants this green-
house on the DR Johnson property
(which there was no need for the
city to buy) that will be in compe-
tition with the individuals who de-
pend on the farmers market every
Saturday to market their produce. It
is not the city’s responsibility to in-
terfere and/or compete with private
enterprise. Furthermore, who wants
to eat produce raised in sewer wa-
ter?
This man just wants to break the
city with his big city ideas. Eastern
Oregon, including John Day, does
not need to be reinvented. The ru-
ral lifestyle is why we and so many
others love Eastern Oregon.
The best move the John Day
City Council can do now is to give
this big spender with his big city
ideas a one-way ticket out of Grant
County.
Harriet Crum
John Day
Editor’s note: John Day City
Manager Nick Green’s comment
referenced in this letter referred
to the city’s strategy for growth,
specifi cally a proposed housing
incentive program. In a separate
interview, Green said the city of
John Day currently provides 911
emergency dispatch services for
all of Grant County, but state 911
tax revenues distributed to the city
do not cover the operating costs.
Green lobbied the state legislature
and was awarded $420,000 from
the state to cover the funding gap
for the next two years but said, un-
less voters approve a local option
tax for future funding, the city will
likely shut down its dispatch center,
outsourcing 911 services to Fron-
tier Dispatch, a regional center in
Condon. The local option tax will
be on the ballot in the upcoming
election.
Residents support
the John Day 911
dispatch center
To the Editor:
Taxpayer funding for the 911
dispatch center is something that
we should all support, no matter
where you live in Grant County.
Why support a service that is based
in John Day if you live beyond the
city area? If you live at the outer
reaches of Grant County like we
do, you understand that the 911 dis-
patch center provides service that
extends way beyond the city lim-
its. They know and serve the entire
county.
When a plume of smoke pops up
after a lightning strike on the North
Fork (75 miles from John Day), we
can call 911.
If it is the middle of the night,
we don’t doubt that someone will
be there, someone who knows the
region and has situational aware-
ness of current local conditions
that may be critical in determining
a response. Several years ago, the
local 911 dispatcher informed us
that there were many current fi re
startups in the area after a severe
electrical storm.
That affected the decision of
neighbors in our end of the coun-
ty to team up, attack fi re starts and
monitor things until help arrived. A
dispatcher in another county would
not have had critical information
about what was happening locally.
It is also an advantage that local
dispatchers are likely to know loca-
tions of emergency events based on
descriptions of county landmarks. I
may not know the mile post number
near a road emergency, but by de-
scribing a roadside house and barn,
the local dispatcher could identify
the location.
This has happened. A local agent
has situational awareness that a dis-
tant 911 agent would lack; and poor
situational awareness is a major
cause of worker errors.
Residents in Ritter go to John
Day to shop, seek professional
help, bank, visit doctors, attend
community events. We spend a lot
of time there. We think of the 911
dispatchers as good neighbors. We
greet them in Chester’s. It’s person-
al; they know us and care about us.
For the security of the entire county,
I’m willing to pay my share to keep
911 local in John Day.
Kay Steele
Ritter
Dispatch keeps
community safe
To the Editor:
So for Grant County to lose our
local dispatch system would crit-
ically hurt our whole community
and the county. The other smaller
communities depend on our dis-
patch system.
To even think about losing our
dispatch system is not an intelligent
move because our people deserve
to have a dispatch system that they
can feel comfortable with, not some
system that is located however far
away.
Our local dispatch system is a
major part of keeping this commu-
nity safe and thriving, so to take that
away would take everything else
away too — like feeling safe.
Alexis Hafer
John Day
Vote no on 911
local levy
To the Editor:
The advocates of increasing
property taxes for expanded 911
funding want you to believe that we
should make a decision on the levy
based on emotions — that some-
how regionalization means when
you make an emergency call no
one will be able to fi nd your home
and that taxpayers are obligated to
give every government employee
a job no matter the cost. The up-
coming ballot initiative, though, is
only about one thing — the Public
Employee Retirement System and
state and local governments’ refusal
to address the unreasonable burden
that uncontrolled costs have placed
on taxpayers.
The city of John Day has been
warned for over a decade that their
borrow-and-spend policies were
not sustainable. In the words of City
Manager Nick Green, “...the city is
not in a fi nancially sustainable posi-
tion with regard to its public safety
spending.”
Instead of addressing this issue
when they had a chance, the city
chose to increase benefi ts to em-
ployees and throw money at foolish
projects. Now the bill has come due
and, like always, they expect prop-
erty owners to step up and bail them
out.
Of course, the tax increase pro-
ponents will argue that it is only
a few pennies a day, which seems
reasonable if you can ignore the
already enormous burden of repay-
ing loans for all the city borrowing
and uncontrolled costs for other
local governments (such as the
$3,000,000 we are paying in bene-
fi ts for School District 3 employees
alone).
Regionalization will allow mon-
ey that currently is being spent on
employee benefi ts to be spent on
new technologies. Our police, fi re
and EMTs are still local people with
local knowledge.
City dispatchers are union pro-
tected and will land on their feet.
Government employees are valu-
able members of our community
and government employment is im-
portant to our economy, but nobody
is entitled to a job with endless ben-
efi ts.
We can’t continue to kick the
PERS can down the road, and gov-
ernments’ unwillingness to address
this issue doesn’t mean that voters
cannot.
Vote no on increased taxes; vote
no on the 911 local levy. Restore
some fi scal sanity to Grant County.
Shaun W. Robertson
John Day
Vote yes on
Measure 12-69
for local dispatch
To the Editor:
Vote yes on Measure 12-69 and
keep 911 local. It’s a bargain, and
someday your life may depend on
it.
A yes vote on Measure 12-69
will keep our emergency dispatch-
er jobs right here in Grant County,
rather than outsourcing our 911
calls to another part of the state. Lo-
cal dispatchers know our county’s
geography and its people. They can
help lost hunters and tourists fi nd
their way from personal knowledge
of the terrain, not just Google Maps.
In contrast, dispatchers elsewhere
won’t know the backstory behind a
given call or what road washed out
a year ago.
Dispatch at a distance also means
increased downtime if communica-
tions to other parts of the state fail.
A phone system glitch somewhere
else in the state could take down our
911 capacity. Lives could be lost.
Jobs will certainly be lost if we
lose our dispatch. Our county does
not need to lose good, professional
jobs and their benefi t to our local
economy.
This measure is a stopgap mea-
sure, which is only needed because
the state telephone tax is out of date.
If local governments can per-
suade the legislature to update the
phone tax before 2019, the $38 per
$100,000 of assessed value will
never even be collected, but our
safety and our local economy will
be better.
That’s less than $40 a year for a
$100,000 property! Pretty cheap for
a security system that covers the en-
tire county.
I’m voting yes on 12-69, and I
hope you will, too.
Janine Goodwin
Prairie City
Local 911 cost is
a great bargain
To the Editor:
At 38 cents per thousand dollars
of home value, I consider keeping
911 local a great deal. I live in Bear
Valley and believe that this county-
wide service should be paid for by
all county residents. It’s worth ev-
ery cent. Several years ago, I mis-
dialed while making a call to a 919
area code.
I realized that I didn’t have the
correct number, and not realizing
that I had dialed 911 as the area
code, I dropped the call and went
outside to work.
Apparently the call rang through
to dispatch, so the dispatcher called
back. Receiving no answer, she then
called my wife whom she remem-
bered worked at Seneca School to
verify.
I was working on the roof that
day, so my wife called a neighbor to
check on me. He immediately came
over and found that I was OK, and
I called dispatch to let them know
that no help was needed.
Time elapsed? Less than 10 min-
utes. If it had been a critical situa-
tion, the dispatcher’s knowledge of
the local contacts would have saved
my life.
As it was, her local expertise
saved emergency personnel from
an unnecessary trip. It’s obvious –
local dispatchers are familiar with
local geography and people.
They work for us and help us
professionally every time. It’s in all
of our best interests to vote yes on
12-69!
Mark Cerny
Bear Valley
First responders
need to fi nd callers
To the Editor:
Short and to the point! I believe
that meeting local 911 assistance
needs requires fi rst responders to be
able to fi nd the callers!
We live in a one-of-a-kind com-
munity — many are “on the fring-
es” of the phone book!
Nicky Essex
John Day