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