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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (July 18, 2018)
News Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, July 18, 2018 A3 Expanded state program provides more funding for city streets Council mulls project priorities By Richard Hanners Blue Mountain Eagle An expanded program for small cities could mean four times as much funding for city streets, City Manager Nick Green told the John Day City Council at their July 10 meeting. The Special City Allot- ment Grant Program from the Oregon Department of Transportation increased from a maximum of $50,000 per city per year to $200,000 for two projects, Green said. The deadline to submit grant applications has been moved up to Aug. 1, Green told the Eagle. An increase in revenue from fuel taxes will further boost street funds for the city, he said. Both provisions were contained in the 2017 state transportation package. Green said a large number of street projects could bene- fit from the additional money, The Eagle/Richard Hanners Extending Seventh Street through city property toward Patterson Bridge Road is one of the options the John Day City Council is considering for using Special City Allotment grant funds. and he cited several from the 41 listed in the April 2009 John Day Local Street Net- work Plan. Councilor Dave Holland, the former John Day public works director, noted that $100,000 per project might not be enough to complete some of the larger projects Crews engaging small forest fires Southern forest implements Phase A public use restrictions Blue Mountain Eagle Fire crews spent Mon- day afternoon and evening locating and fighting fires sparked by two days of thunderstorms and are ex- pecting additional fires to emerge over the next few days. Efforts by responding crews on the Malheur Na- tional Forest have kept the lightning caused fires to less than an acre in size, ac- cording to a Forest Service press release. Crews will continue to staff and carry out suppres- sion and mop-up efforts on existing fires and initial attack any new fires. Hot spots from lightning strikes can smolder for days before flaring up. Reconnaissance flights were being conducted over the area Tuesday, watching for any new smokes or fires that may flare up as daytime heating sets in. Continued hot and dry conditions forecast for this area will elevate fire dan- ger, which is already high enough across the region that fire starts from light or moderate amounts of light- ning or human sources will challenge initial attack re- sources. The public’s awareness of the increasing fire danger and assistance is essential to a safe fire season. Recre- ationists, firewood cutters, hunters and other forest users can all help by close- ly adhering to restrictions, operating safely and cau- tiously and keeping up-to- date on the latest orders and regulations. Seasonal restrictions are in effect annually from June 1 to Oct. 31 across the forest. Campfires are only allowed in fire pits surrounded by dirt, rock or commercial rings clear of all flammable material at least three feet from the edge of the pit. Campers must have a shovel and gallon of water. Portable stoves are also regulated. On the southern half of the forest, the Emigrant Creek Ranger District, Phase A public use restric- tions are also in effect. Op- erating a chainsaw is pro- hibited except between 8 p.m. and 1 p.m., and a one- hour fire watch is required after operations cease. Op- erators must possess an ax, shovel and fire extinguish- er. Smoking is only allowed in enclosed vehicles or buildings or areas cleared of flammable material with at least 3 feet clearance. Oper- ating a vehicle off-road, on a closed road or where veg- etation comes into contact with the vehicle’s undercar- riage is prohibited. For more information, call 541-575-3000, or visit fs.usda.gov/malheur. suggested by Green. Extending the Ironwood Estates Phase 2 street network or Valley View Drive west to Patterson Bridge Road would provide access to 40 acres of land for house construction, Green said. The Ironwood extension was ranked medium priority and medium term in the 2009 plan, and the Valley View Drive extension was ranked low priority and long term. Holland noted that de- veloping the 40 acres would require expensive infrastruc- ture improvements, such as water and sewer, which the city could not afford. Green agreed but noted that spend- ing $100,000 on a street ex- tension would be a step in the right direction. Councilor Shannon Adair said she’d like to see a commitment from the landowners to develop the land. Extending Seventh Street west to Patterson Bridge Road was another option, but Green said he was concerned con- struction vehicles working on the new sewer treatment plant and the Innovation Gateway project could damage the new roadway. Reconfiguring and im- proving the complex intersec- tion at Charolais Drive, Valley View Drive and Bridge Street was another option. Holland noted that engineering work for that project has already been completed, and Grant County had agreed to assist with that project. Holland noted that $100,000 also could pay for a lot of chip-sealing work on city streets. With three coun- cilors absent that night, he suggested holding off a de- cision on street projects until the next council meeting. Green said he would work up some cost estimates for four options and bring them back to the council July 24. The council also approved two resolutions at their meet- ing related to construction of a 5,000- to 6,000-square-foot commercial greenhouse at the Innovation Gateway proj- ect. A decision to award a bid proposal for the greenhouse was delayed to the council’s July 24 meeting because of the technical nature of the two highest-ranked proposals. A special public works fund loan of up to $350,000 from the Infrastructure Fi- nance Authority of the Ore- gon Business Development Department was approved to pay for the greenhouse. The 25-year loan carries a 3.43 percent interest rate. The estimated total cost for the greenhouse is about $400,000, including engineer- ing, design, construction, con- tingency and legal costs. The city expects to make the loan payments from the sale of produce from the greenhouse. Prairie City officials violated executive session law Employee salary discussion not allowed behind closed doors By Richard Hanners Blue Mountain Eagle The Oregon Government Ethics Commission recent- ly found that the Prairie City Council violated the state’s public meetings law when it went into executive session Aug. 9 to discuss an employ- ee’s salary. In a preliminary finding to a citizen complaint, the commission concluded that sufficient information exists to indicate that a topic not authorized for consideration during executive session had been discussed by the coun- cil. The council had discussed compensation for the city’s public works director, Chris Camarena, during the execu- tive session, which was closed to the public other than news media, of which none were present that night. The commission did not suggest a remedy for the vi- olation, but in a Jan. 2 let- ter provided to the Eagle by Mayor Jim Hamsher, com- mission investigator Michael Thornicroft said his recom- mendation to the commis- sion, based on his preliminary review of the matter, was that the matter “be settled with a Letter of Education and not a fine.” Jim Hamsher The meeting Governing bodies can go into a closed-to-the-public ex- ecutive session if the subject matter fits within a narrow list of exclusions allowed in the state’s open meetings law. No executive session was on the agenda for Prairie City’s Aug. 9 meeting. According to the official minutes for the meeting, Ca- marena requested the execu- tive session at 7:41 p.m. and handed his request to City Recorder/Treasurer Taci Phil- brook. The commission learned from an audio recording of the executive session that Hamsher read the required script used to announce an executive session, stating that the purpose of the meeting was to consider employment of an employee or individual agent and to conduct labor ne- gotiations. According to the record- ing, Camarena told the coun- cil during the executive ses- sion that he had been offered a higher-paying job by the city of Joseph, and they need- ed an answer in two days. No decision was made during the executive session, the com- mission learned from the re- cording. When the council recon- vened in open session about 20 minutes later, the official minutes state, a motion was made to increase Camarena’s annual salary to $72,000 in 2017 and to $75,000 in 2018 as long as he agreed to stay with Prairie City for five years without taking any offers from other cities. The motion passed unanimously. The complaint Prairie City resident Dan Becker’s complaint about the executive session was received Nov. 9. He later ex- plained that he wanted to get the attention of the council without causing a financial hardship and get them to obey the state’s open meeting laws. Attending the executive session were Hamsher and Councilors Carole Garri- son, Georgia Patterson, Les Church, Frank Primozic and Joe Phippen. They respond- ed to Becker’s complaint in a Nov. 29 signed statement to the commission. In their statement, the mayor and councilors said Attention Grant County Veterans: Philbrook notified Hamsher less than 30 minutes before the council meeting began “that she had arranged for an executive session to negotiate the employee’s new contract.” “The mayor trusted that the recorder/treasurer had act- ed with due diligence on our behalf and that her informa- tion was correct,” the state- ment reads. The commission did not address Becker’s complaint that proper notice was not given for the executive ses- sion, noting that the commis- sion had no jurisdiction over that matter. Citing the Oregon Attor- ney General’s Public Records and Meeting Manual, the commission found the Prairie City executive session was not authorized as a labor ne- gotiation because those “take place only between employee representatives, such as labor organizations, and employ- ers” and that discussion about an employee’s salary is not authorized under the excep- tion for considering a person for employment. “We have no other defense except to say that in the future we will make every effort to be better informed and con- sult the city attorney prior to future executive sessions,” the statement from the Prairie City officials concludes. Monday - Thursday 7am- 6pm Friday 8am - 5pm Did you know Grant County Veterans Services Officer is available to assist YOU in applying for all VA benefits you may be entitled to? Mendy Sharpe FNP Apppointments available Katee Hoffman 66170 See your Grant County Veteran Services Officer today for more information, located at Grant County Court House. 10am-4pm Monday-Friday • 541-620-8057 530 E. Main, Ste. 5, John Day, OR 65198 66167 The City of Prairie City and the Parade Committee would like to give a special thank you for all the people who volunteered and helped to make the parade a success this year! Nice job! Anna Smith, Andrea Moles, Glenda Harvey, Hannah Wall, Pat Amling, Taci Philbrook, Tori Lake, Kathy Moss, Riley Emmel, and Melanie Dejong. The City of Prairie City would like to thank the following people who helped put on and clean up after the Grant County 4 th of July fireworks and event. Awesome job! Josh Zeigler, Mayor Jim Hamsher, Prairie City Public Works, Undersheriff Zach Mobley and Grant County Sheriff’s Deputies, Grant County Search and Rescue, Chief Marvin Rynearson, Prairie City Volunteer Fire Department, Jay Burril and the Oxbow Ranch. Thank You All! 541-523-6377 68843 541-963-6577 541-573-6377 541-576-2160 66164
