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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (April 18, 2018)
A10 News Blue Mountain Eagle SMITH Continued from Page A1 Users would sign three- year agreements, which would terminate about one year after the users learned the legislature’s decision about whether to increase the phone tax that supports 911 dispatch centers across the state, Green said. Cost sharing for the $200,000 remaining after using 911 phone tax reve- nue would be based on user charges per call and the as- sessed values of the nine par- ticipating jurisdictions. Un- der this model and average call volume, the city would pay $27,728 for police calls, $1,064 for public works calls and $15,596 based on as- sessed property value, for a total of $44,388. In a related matter, Gov. Kate Brown issued a proc- lamation making April 8-14 Public Safety Telecommu- nicators Week to honor 911 dispatchers across the state. • The council approved an amended ordinance and adopted an intergovernmen- tal agreement establishing the Grant County Digital Network Coalition. The or- dinance was passed under an emergency declaration so the city could meet a dead- line to apply for a 2018 U.S. FINDLEY Continued from Page A1 said he opposed one because it offered property tax ex- emptions, which he believes should be a local decision, and noted that a bill to pro- vide tax breaks for solar developers was tabled be- cause supporting documents lacked real numbers. Land- owners need protection from sophisticated solar develop- ers, he said. A cap-and-trade bill aimed at reducing green- house gas emissions failed to pass. Findley called it “a bad idea for Oregon.” He also called the passage of Senate Bill 1528, which disconnects Oregon from the recent fed- Department of Agriculture Community Connect Grant. Similar ordinances and agreements have been ap- proved by Grant County and Seneca, the other two parties in the coalition. John Day will be the lead entity and have overall responsibility for the coalition’s operations. The Oregon Legislature approved a $1.8 million grant in 2017, enough to run a fiber optic cable from Burns to John Day. The city has signed contracts with Commstructure Consulting to plan the cable route and Fiber Channels to review, validate and update network requirements. The coalition’s board planned to hold its first meet- ing in April to adopt bylaws, but Green later told the Ea- gle scheduling conflicts post- poned the meeting to May. John Day, Grant County and Seneca each will have one voting board member, with two at-large members ap- pointed by the first three. In addition to Smith from John Day, Grant County appoint- ed Dan Becker, and Green said Seneca appointed Public Works Director Josh Walker. • The council approved a resolution to authorize refi- nancing through Washington Federal to pay off $62,000 due on a promissory note for the land used to build the city fire hall and to borrow $300,000 to complete con- struction of the new fire hall. Green said the city could save $10,000 in origination fees and a significant amount of interest by paying off the loan in five years instead of 20 years. A capital loan from the city’s water department to the general fund would be neces- sary to complete the deal. Green said he will meet with representatives of Kirby Nagelhout Construction Co. in April to discuss plans to finish the fire hall. The com- pany built the fire hall and will be making seismic up- grades to Humbolt Elemen- tary School this summer. • The council discussed the need to complete an annual performance review for Green’s work, which Councilor Dave Holland noted was overdue. Once that is completed, the coun- cil could discuss whether to change the city manager contract from one year to multi-year. Holland said a multi-year contract would provide more security for both the city and Green. Anna Bass, of Os- ter Professional Group, said the budget could accommo- date the proposed contract change. Holland said he had worked with Bass and talked to other councilors about the proposed change. eral tax bill that provided a 20 percent deduction for small businesses, “a bad day for small businesses in Ore- gon.” The first bill he ever nom- inated, House Bill 4153, which designates Eastern Or- egon University as Oregon’s Rural University, passed by 60-0, an unusual accom- plishment for a beginning legislator. Findley is familiar with strong local interest in seeing 911 phone taxes increased to help fund emergency dis- patch centers, and he supports the idea of keeping a dispatch center in Grant County, but he wants to find out where the money has been going before seeing the tax raised. At the same time, he recognized the need to fix the funding short- age before the phone tax sun- sets in 2021. While he supports ex- panding broadband internet service to rural areas, Find- ley voted against a net neu- trality bill. The legislation was a “fluff bill,” he said, limited to internet provid- ers that served government agencies in areas where real competition existed. When asked about the high cost of hunting tags, Findley said the problem was that the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife relied too heavily on hunting tags for habitat protection and other purposes. Money for those purposes should come from the general fund, he said. Wednesday, April 18, 2018 Known Oregon wolf packs (As of Dec. 2017) Confirmed pack/individual range Estimated pack/individual range NOTE: Polygons represent estimated ranges for known wolf packs with radio-collared animals. Portland 97 101 197 5 1 Salem 9 10 11 14 15 84 Pendleton 16 7 395 6 12 3 17 5 18 13 OREGON 2 19 82 4 8 26 22 84 26 20 126 20 97 58 5 21 101 N 22 25 miles 199 Medford 5 *At least one breeding pair Pack/area Total 1. White River 2 2. Desolation 2 3. OR30 3 4. Meacham* 3 5. OR52 3 6. Mt. Emily* 5 7. Ruckel Ridge 7 8. N. Emily 2 9. Walla Walla* 7 10. Wenaha* 10 11. Noregaard* 9 12. Minam* 11 (cont.) Total 13. Catherine* 4 14. Shamrock 3 15. Chesnimnus* 3 16. Snake River* 10 17. Harl Butte* 4 18. Middle Fork* 6 19. Pine Creek* 8 20. OR37 1 21. Silver Lake 1 22. Rogue* 7 Lone/misc. 13 Minimum total 124 Source: Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife WOLF Continued from Page A1 Gov. Kate Brown said she is encouraged by the continued recovery of Oregon wolves, though ongoing conflicts with poachers and livestock remain troublesome. “Despite this good news, ongoing issues of poaching and livestock depredation must be carefully considered as we ex- plore more effective manage- ment and conservation practic- es,” she said. Though ODFW removed wolves from the state endan- gered species list in 2015, it remains illegal to shoot a wolf except in limited circumstanc- es, such as in defense of human life or those caught in the act of chasing livestock. Wolves re- main federally protected west of highways 395, 78 and 95. ODFW reported four cas- es of wolves killed illegally in 2017. Three cases are still un- der investigation. The fourth, in Union County, involved a wild- life trapper who shot a wolf he found in one of his traps. David Sanders Jr., 58, pleaded guilty to one count of using unbrand- ed traps, and was sentenced to 24 months bench probation, 100 hours of community ser- vice and a $7,500 fine. The Union County District Attorney’s Office agreed to dismiss one count of illegally shooting a special status game mammal, though Sanders did 20 26 395 Wolf pack population Bend Eugene John Day Alan Kenaga/Capital Press have his hunting and trap- ping license suspended for 36 months and agreed to pay an additional $1,000 penalty to ODFW. In all, 13 wolf deaths were recorded in 2017 — 12 of which were caused by humans. ODFW issued lethal take per- mits that resulted in four wolves being shot from the Harl Butte pack in Wallowa County, and one from the Meacham pack in Umatilla County, to try and curb livestock depredations. Lethal take is allowed under Phase III of the Wolf Manage- ment and Conservation Plan in Eastern Oregon. Meanwhile, OR-48 from the Shamrock pack was unin- tentionally killed by an M-44 cyanide trap that had been set by USDA Wildlife Services on private land; a pup from the Ruckel Ridge pack was killed by a livestock protection dog; and OR-30 was shot by an elk hunter in Union Coun- ty who claimed he was acting in self-defense. The hunter, 38-year-old Brian Scott, was not charged with a crime. Sean Stevens, executive director of the Portland-based environmental group Oregon Wild, was sharply critical of poachers and ODFW killing wolves. Most recently, the agency approved killing two more animals from the Pine Creek pack in Baker County for preying on cattle. ODFW killed one April 10. “The wolf population is stagnant because poachers and ODFW agents are killing more wolves — this despite the fact that ODFW admits livestock depredations are down from last year,” Stevens said. “It de- mands accountability from an agency that insists on killing more wolves every year.” The annual wolf report shows confirmed livestock dep- redations decreased from 24 in 2016 to 17 in 2017. Those cases involved 11 calves, one llama, one alpaca and 23 domestic fowl. Ranchers, however, say they will need more support from the state to ensure they can protect their businesses and their livelihood. George Rollins, a Baker County rancher and co-chair- man of the wolf committee for the Oregon Cattlemen’s Asso- ciation, said the latest depreda- tions by the Pine Creek pack re- sulted in three dead calves, four wounded and another three missing. “The people taking the eco- nomic loss and the emotional stresses are the producers,” Rollins said. “It gets very tire- some. They feel like they’re not being supported. Nobody’s lis- tening to them.” ODFW is still working to pass an overdue five-year up- date of its wolf management and conservation plan. The Fish and Wildlife Commission decided in January to do more stakeholder outreach and try to reach a greater consensus. 50% OFF April 16-21, 2018 Anniversary Coupon On your Anniversary you will recieve 50% OFF ANY AD in the regular Blue Mountain Eagle newspaper during your anniversary month. If It’s a NAPAGold Filter It’s On Sale. John Day Auto Parts 721 W. Main St. John Day, Or 97845 541-575-1850 So stop by, save money, and stock up for the season. Open Mon-Fri 7am-6pm Sat 8am-5pm Closed Sunday Make Best Your Backyard Ny da m’s With the help of our garden section and greenhouse, your backyard can be transformed. Ask our staff about what supplies would be best for YOUR next project! Blue Mountain EAGLE 195 N. 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