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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 19, 2018)
News Blue Mountain Eagle New 911 dispatch agency taking shape Commissioners have concerns about fairness By Richard Hanners Blue Mountain Eagle With remodeling at the John Day Fire Hall and installation of emergency communications equipment underway, the Grant County Emergency Communi- cations Agency is slated to take over 911 dispatch services from the city of John Day on Jan. 1. An intergovernmental agree- ment between the county, eight cities, one community and three rural fire districts spells out how the new agency will operate and be funded under an Intergovern- mental Council. The IGC approved the agree- ment Aug. 13, and the John Day City Council approved the agree- ment along with an ordinance ratifying the creation of the new dispatch service Sept. 11. Agency structure The Intergovernmental Coun- cil will oversee the agency’s bud- get and determine each member’s share of the operating costs. The IGC cannot impose taxes or ex- pend more funds than it receives. A User Board made up of 12 fire departments, the John Day police, sheriff’s office, county road department, Oregon Depart- ment of Forestry, Forest Service and Blue Mountain Hospital Dis- trict will develop and recommend operational priorities, policies and procedures, advise on budget matters and conduct an annual review of the dispatch center for quality assurance. Nonvoting User Board mem- bers will include Life Flight, AirLink, Bureau of Land Man- agement, National Park Service, Oregon State Police and Commu- nity Counseling Solutions. Under a cost-sharing formula included in the intergovernmental agreement, the county’s share of the statewide 911 phone tax and any other payments to the dis- patch agency will first be applied to pay for operational costs. The remaining cost share will be paid by user fees and taxing jurisdictions. Dispatch users will be charged $10 per projected call based on a five-year rolling aver- age, with Blue Mountain Hospital District being charged $50 per call. Grant County and the eight cities will pay their portion of the cost share based on the property tax assessed value of each taxing The Eagle/Richard Hanners From left, John Day Police Chief Mike Durr and John Day Emergency Communications Center Dispatch Manager Valerie Maynard listen as the city council adopts an ordinance to create the Grant County Emergency Communications Center Sept. 11. jurisdiction. In an example provided in the agreement, the total cost of operations was $470,000 and the county’s share of the 911 phone tax was $270,000, leaving a $200,000 cost share. User fees totaled $76,706, or about 38 percent of the cost share. The sheriff’s office, for exam- ple, averaged 2,856 calls, which amounted to 14.3 percent of the cost share at $10 per call. Blue Mountain Hospital District aver- aged 665 calls, which amounted to 8.3 percent of the cost share at $25 per call. The remaining cost share after user fees totaled $123,294. Grant County’s portion of the cost share came to $88,953 or about 43 per- cent of the cost share. John Day’s portion came to $15,830 or about 7.8 percent. The individual por- tion of the cost share for the other seven cities was 3 percent or less. County concerns The Grant County Court held a public hearing and first reading on the intergovernmental agree- ment and an ordinance to ratify creation of the new dispatch ser- vice Sept. 12. A vote will take place after a second reading at their Sept. 26 meeting. The court’s reaction was not all positive. Commissioner Jim Hamsher noted that County Counsel Ron Yockim had ques- tions about the agreement, includ- ing how property tax assessed value was determined. Commissioner Rob Raschio said he recognized the need for a 911 system, but he had concerns about the structure of the Inter- governmental Council. Both John Day and Prairie City would each have two votes — one for 911 tax bill It was lobbying by local of- ficials to change the state 911 phone tax that persuaded state Rep. Lynn Findley to take action, he told constituents in John Day on Sept. 13. Citing his experience as a city manager in Vale, Findley said he was “flabbergasted” that the dispatch center in John Day could operate on its small budget. Findley said he spoke to state Sen. Cliff Bentz about carrying a bill in next year’s legislative ses- sion to increase the tax and was advised that the 911 tax comes up every session and he should ex- pect some opposition. Findley said he fundamentally opposes raising taxes, but dou- bling the 911 phone tax from 75 cents to $1.50 was the right thing to do. It’s been more than 30 years since the bill was created with no change to the tax, and many peo- ple who benefit from 911 dispatch service are visitors to Eastern Or- egon’s rural areas, he pointed out. The 911 tax bill needs to be put on the radar to generate legis- lative support, Findley said. The current tax will sunset in 2021, a provision he wants to remove from the new bill. Findley said he also wants to change how 911 tax revenue is distributed so more of the “new” money from the increase goes to small com- munities. Findley said Bentz will carry a similar bill in the senate. It was too early to judge the likelihood of the bill’s passing, he said. A3 High-tech solutions to water storage Pilot project could involve underground 3D mapping By Richard Hanners Blue Mountain Eagle One of the biggest issues facing farm- ers and residents in Grant County’s high desert region is water. The John Day River Basin receives a significant amount of water in winter when demand is low, Grant Soil & Water District Manager Jason Kehrberg said, but much of it runs off in spring, leaving a shortage in late summer when demand is high. Finding a way to retain that spring run- off so it can be utilized by farmers and residents throughout the year is a techni- cal problem that involves geological, en- gineering, ecological and even political factors. The conventional solution over the past century has been dams and reservoirs. Interest in constructing a water impound- ment in Grant County increased after the state removed the Canyon Meadows Dam following the 2015 Canyon Creek Com- plex fire. Built in the 1960s, the dam was owned by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and was located on Forest Service land. During a public hearing in Canyon City in October 2015, state officials said multiple studies over the years concluded that the dam was unsafe and should be re- moved. Residents and county officials criti- cized the decision, noting that the Canyon Meadows Dam was an important resource and scenic recreational area. Grant Coun- ty Judge Scott Myers told the Eagle the governor’s office offered to support the county’s effort to fund a new dam and im- poundment, either at the same site or else- where. But dams are barriers to fish passage, and sunlight can warm reservoir water, which also negatively impacts fish. Any streams that are habitat for fish listed un- der the Endangered Species Act are not likely to be considered for an impound- ment project, Kehrberg said. High-tech mapping New technology has presented an al- ternative solution for water retention — storing water undergound. High-tech three-dimensional geological mapping can identify permeable or fractured subsurface layers where water could be stored. Aqua Geo Frameworks, a Nebraska company that performs this kind of map- ping, gave a presentation about its airborne electromagnetic surveys to local officials last year, Kehrberg said. The company uses helicopters equipped with a large diamond-shaped net hanging from a cable to survey geological features hundreds of feet below the surface. Power lines interfere with the signal, so surveys can’t be conducted over certain areas, Kehrberg said. The mapping can be expensive, but the Grant Soil & Water District is considering a pilot project in Grant County that would involve redirecting spring runoff to an area where an underground aquifer could be re- charged through percolation. Once underground, the water could then move to other locations over time, re- charging other aquifers or reaching surface water such as streams. Ecological benefits are possible in addition to increasing water availability to farmers and residents. To prove the feasibility of the new tech- nology, the Grant Soil & Water District would choose flatter terrain, which is best for water storage and a site where irriga- tion is already in place, Kehrberg said. The Oregon Water Resources Depart- ment offers feasibility grants that could fund such a pilot project, as well as im- plementation grants that could assist with any infrastructure costs, Kehrberg said. The grants typically require a match, so the district would need a partner for the project, he said. Water committee The new technology is also supported by a group of citizens interested in form- ing a water resource committee to advise the Grant County Court. Commissioner Rob Raschio told the court Sept. 12 that he had met with Grant County Watermaster Eric Julsrud and Shaun Robertson about establishing such a committee and asked that the proposal be placed on the court agenda in October. Julsrud said committee proponents presented creative “out of the box” ideas to increase the timing when water would be available, mostly by holding back spring runoff. He noted, while the ideas were reasonable, changing infra- structure and the status quo could be difficult. The committee would not need spe- cific state authority to operate and could present demonstration projects to the state for funding, Julsrud said. Commissioner Jim Hamsher pointed out that Dixie Creek, which is an import- ant water source for Prairie City, floods in the spring but runs dry in drought years by late summer. The John Day River Basin is over-ap- propriated, meaning water rights and claims amount to more than the known availability of water. Computer modeling programs could be used to determine if certain subbasins could sustain new reser- voirs, Julsrud said. Myers told the Eagle that a creek in the Izee area had been studied for a potential impoundment, but the creek could only recharge the reservoir for about a month. The limited recharge time made the site infeasible, he said. Hello Grant County, It is sure starting to feel like fall! School has started and the mornings and evenings are cooler. There was even some snow on some neighboring mountains last week! A man wakes up in the morning after sleeping on an ADVERTISED BED, in ADVERTISED PAJAMAS. He will bathe in an ADVERTISED TUB, shave with an ADVERTISED RAZOR, have a breakfast of ADVERTISED JUICE, cereal and toast, toasted in an ADVERTISED TOASTER, put on ADVERTISED CLOTHES and glance at his ADVERTISED WATCH. He’ll ride to work in his ADVERTISED CAR, sit at an ADVERTISED DESK and write with an ADVERTISED PEN. Yet this person hesitates to advertise, saying that advertising doesn’t pay. Finally, when his non-advertised business is going under, HE’LL ADVERTISE IT FOR SALE. Then it’s too late. AND THEY SAY ADVERTISING DOESN’T WORK? DON’T MAKE THIS SAME MISTAKE 79491 Advertising is an investment, not an expense. Think about it! Blue Mountain Eagle MyEagleNews.com the city and one for the rural fire department — while the county would have only one, he said. Raschio noted that the state legislature might consider dou- bling the 911 phone tax from 75 cents per phone per month to $1.50. In that case, the local dis- patch agency’s share of the state- wide revenue could increase from $270,000 to $540,000, which would more than cover the cur- rent annual operational costs. With concerns to iron out and a Jan. 1 effective date, Hamsher suggested delaying the vote if necessary and approving the new agency with an emergency ordi- nance. Grant County Judge Scott Myers, however, noted that he preferred to use emergency ordi- nances for emergencies and not for time-saving measures. He said the agreement seemed reasonable and was not a money-maker for anyone — it would make the 911 system solvent. Wednesday, September 19, 2018 Don’t get left behind, call today! Kim Kell 541-575-0710 This time of year brings something else too, the annual Chamber of Commerce Installation Dinner. This year the dinner will be held September 26th. We will have it at the John Day Elks Lodge again this year. Dinner will be provided by the Chamber. All members are invited and encouraged to bring a guest. Social hour is from 5:00 to 6:00. Dinner will be served at 6:00 PM. Please RSVP by Friday, September 26th. You can call or email us at the Chamber office - 541-575-0547 or gcadmin@gcoregonlive.com. Our guest speaker this year will be Colby Marshall from the Silvies Valley Ranch. We will have a raffle following the dinner and we are accepting items for the raffle. If you would like to donate a raffle item, please give us a call. With Fall, our spring and summer tourist season is wrapping up and the local museums will be closing. I believe we had a very good year! Records for the number of visitors have been broken at all of our museums. Visitors have told us that they love visiting Grant County and many of them will be coming back. Committees are formal public bodies required to comply with Oregon Public Meetings Law ORS 192.610. ORS 410.210. Five members serve three year terms and meet semi-annually to define the needs of older adults, promote special interests and local community involvement, and represent senior citizens as an advocate to the local, state and federal government and other organizations. 78358 The hunting seasons bring more folks and we will be ready for them as always. Let’s show them why Grant County is such a great place to be. See everyone at the next meeting on Thursday @ Noon no-host lunch at the Outpost. Enjoy Fall in beautiful Grant County! Tammy Bremner Manager Grant County Chamber of Commerce 79495
