News
Blue Mountain Eagle
Applications
sought for
advisory group
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
The establishment of
a committee to advise the
Grant County Court on wa-
ter issues took a big step
forward after it was dis-
covered that a similar com-
mittee was created in June
1992.
The court formed the
Grant County Riparian and
Water Management Board
to “serve as a forum to en-
courage dialogue between
those entities and individ-
uals with interest in water
and riparian management”
and to monitor and report
on progress toward attain-
ing the county’s goals. The
board “shall not be consid-
ered a planning, zoning or
development commission,”
the 1992 resolution stated.
The idea of establish-
ing a committee to advise
on water issues came up
during the court’s Sept. 12
meeting.
Commissioner
Rob Raschio said he had
met with Grant County Wa-
termaster Eric Julsrud and
Shaun Robertson about es-
tablishing such a commit-
tee. Julsrud said committee
proponents presented cre-
ative “out of the box” ideas
to increase the timing when
water would be available,
mostly by holding back
spring runoff.
Elaine Eisenbraun elab-
orated on the origin of the
proposed committee at the
court’s Sept. 26 meeting.
Recognizing that water
shortage issues were in-
creasing around the globe,
she said she saw an oppor-
tunity for Grant County to
be a leader in this field by
turning to innovative high-
tech solutions.
A volunteer group met
to brainstorm ideas, and
Shaun Robertson urged
her to present the idea of
forming a committee to the
court. Robertson said he
was concerned about “out-
side interests” driving wa-
ter discussion in the past.
Eisenbraun and Rob-
ertson told the court they
could begin committee
work under the authority
of the 1992 resolution, but
some amendments would
be necessary. Robertson
noted that the 1992 reso-
lution established a board,
not a committee, and the
term “water board” had
a defined meaning under
state law.
He also noted that the
intent of the 1992 resolu-
tion was to address federal
grazing regulations. Eisen-
braun said having the word
“riparian” in the title could
lead to conflicting issues.
Raschio noted, even
though the committee was
called a board, it had no
regulating authority. Grant
County Judge Scott My-
ers said the name could be
amended at a later date.
The court agreed to
open up applications for
the five- to seven-member
committee with the goal
of filling the positions by
November.
A7
Marijuana regulations tabled over variance issue
Emergency plan
for courthouse
reviewed
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
A county ordinance estab-
lishing regulations for mari-
juana businesses was tabled
until Oct. 17 after County
Commissioner Rob Raschio
asked for several modifica-
tions to the regulations ap-
proved by the county plan-
ning commission on July 19.
The intent of the ordinance
was to bring the county’s
land development ordinanc-
es and regulations in confor-
mance with the state’s when it
comes to marijuana business-
es, Planning Director Hilary
McNary said.
In addi-
tion to setting
standards for
how business-
es operate and
facilities are
Ted
constructed,
Williams
the proposed
ordinance
prohibits certain marijuana
businesses from operating in
specific zoning districts.
The ordinance was brought
to the court as an emergency
measure because marijuana
businesses currently in oper-
ation or planning to operate
in Grant County are in limbo,
McNary said.
A marijuana grower in the
Monument area had emailed
concerns to the county about
the cost of a ventilation sys-
tem required under the pro-
posed regulations. The green-
house in question was opened
up to the ambient atmosphere
in summertime but was isolat-
ed from any neighbors who
might be impacted by nui-
sance smells.
McNary suggested a vari-
ance could be requested on
a case-by-case basis to ad-
dress concerns of businesses
in rural areas with no nearby
neighbors, but Raschio noted
that the variance process can
be costly and time-consum-
ing. He suggested language
that could be added to the or-
dinance to protect rural oper-
ations.
Raschio also suggested
removing all references to
federal law in the ordinance.
Marijuana businesses and
consumption are prohibited
by federal law, he said. Mc-
Nary noted that the language
came from the county coun-
sel.
The ordinance will be
brought back to the court Oct.
17.
In other county court news:
• Grant County Emergency
Management Coordinator Ted
Williams updated the court
on the county’s Continuity
of Operations Plan, which
will protect records and help
county government return to
business within 12 hours of a
major fire or flood.
Specialized trucks can
be brought in to freeze wa-
ter-soaked documents and
then scan them into a com-
puter, he said. The county
doesn’t have a full-time archi-
val person to implement doc-
ument-retention regulations,
he noted.
Myers commended Wil-
liams’ work and noted that a
mad scramble could follow a
catastrophe in the courthouse
to get the clerk’s, sheriff’s and
assessor’s offices back in op-
eration.
• A request by Justice of
the Peace Kathy Stinnett to
appoint Robin Ordway of
Wheeler County to be a jus-
tice of the peace pro tem was
tabled by a 2-1 vote.
Raschio said he wanted to
see a local person appointed to
the position. Judge Scott My-
ers opposed the motion, say-
ing Stinnett was in a position
to say who was fit to fill the
position. The matter is sched-
uled to come back Oct. 17.
• The court’s schedule has
changed. It will meet Oct. 17
instead of Oct. 10 and Nov.
14 instead of Nov. 7.
Spec home builders left out of incentive plan
Benefits could
go to new owner,
not builder
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
The city’s new urban re-
newal housing incentive plan
may not help contractors who
build spec homes, contractor
Joe Madden told the John Day
City Council Sept. 26.
He said he was concerned
that, because of the lag in
awarding incentives, benefits
could end up going to new
owners and not the builders
who took the risk to construct
new homes or invest in ex-
pensive remodeling projects.
The council approved the
housing incentives plan June
12 with the goal of seeing
100 new homes built in the
20-year life of the program.
To encourage new home con-
struction, the city will waive
system development charges
for water and sewer service
and provide property own-
ers a 7-percent rebate on the
increase in the property’s as-
sessed value. The plan also
creates an incentive for home
remodeling.
According to Elaine How-
ard, the consultant who helped
draft the urban renewal plan,
property owners will not see
incentive payments until af-
ter the next fiscal year starts
in 2019. The county assessor
will certify tax bills in Octo-
ber based on what occurred in
the prior year, she said.
City Manager Nick Green
noted that Madden raised val-
id points and proposed sev-
eral solutions. He said the
incentive program wasn’t
designed for spec homes
but could be amended.
Negotiating in advance
The Eagle/Richard Hanners
John Day City Manager Nick Green, left, and Mayor Ron
Lundbom listen to discussion about the city council’s
procedures manual during the Sept. 25 city council
meeting.
with a buyer would be diffi-
cult to make legally binding,
and raising the sale price to
include the incentive won’t
work because banks won’t of-
fer larger loans, Madden said.
Another option was for the
city to estimate the new as-
sessed value before the coun-
ty assessor’s office and to
make a payment in advance.
Green said the city will ac-
cept an assessed value for the
incentive program but not an
appraised value.
Madden said he was will-
ing to wait for the incentive
payment so long as he re-
ceived it. He also suggested
allowing the city and builder
to correct an estimated assess-
ment by paying back the dif-
ference.
Madden noted that numer-
ous remodeling opportunities
exist in John Day. The coun-
cil agreed to bring the matter
to the urban renewal agency
board for discussion.
In other city council news:
• Green said the city
learned several hours before
the council meeting it had
been awarded a $70,000 fed-
eral Economic Development
Administration
planning
grant. The total project cost
for the partnership planning is
$142,000.
The award is one of four
anticipated planning grants.
A grant from Travel Oregon
will be announced Oct. 17.
The city has been awarded a
$50,000 grant from Business
Oregon to assist with eco-
nomic resiliency planning.
The city also received no-
tice from the state Department
of Land Conservation and De-
velopment that an economic
opportunity analysis grant had
been awarded to Grant Coun-
ty on behalf of the county’s
eight cities. DLCD Commu-
nity Services Division Man-
ager Gordon Howard said the
state will hire an analyst to
conduct the work, but there
will be coordination with oth-
er grant-funded analysis.
Green said the grants will
be used to look at a variety of
socio-economic conditions
related to the city’s econom-
ic development projects and
inadequate housing stock. He
described a demand for sin-
gle-floor homes for the city’s
aging population and new
ideas about how neighbor-
hoods could determine build-
ing standards.
He also noted that sev-
eral businesses had passed
on coming to John Day and
chose Baker City, Prineville
or Burns instead. It was im-
portant for the city to learn
why and be proactive about
attracting new business to the
area, he said.
• Green suggested a re-
view of the city council’s pro-
cedures manual to ensure the
council is consistent in how it
implements its responsibili-
ties. He said he found specific
procedures for what to do but
not how to get them done.
Green noted, for example,
that the city had a procedure
for requesting applications to
fill council vacancies but no
procedure for how to eval-
uate and choose applicants.
He suggested the councilors
review the manual for further
discussion.
• Councilor Shannon Adair
reported on exploratory dis-
cussions she had with local
business owners about form-
ing a downtown merchants
association. One goal of the
association would be to im-
prove the look of downtown
and cooperate in decorating
the area with flower baskets
in spring and holiday deco-
rations for Christmas. These
small efforts can make a dif-
ference, she noted.
She said she also talked to
people in other cities about
their merchants associations
and discovered how complex
the issue could become. With
many local merchants al-
ready belonging to the Grant
County Chamber of Com-
merce, she suggested John
Day wasn’t a large enough
community to benefit from a
merchants association at this
time. Coordinating the city’s
economic development ef-
forts with the chamber could
be an effective way to move
forward, she said.
John Day merchants have
been invited to a meeting on
the topic at 6:30 p.m. Thurs-
day, Oct. 4, at the John Day
Fire Hall.
• Green reported he had re-
ceived a low bid of $76,000 to
remove asbestos and hazard-
ous materials from the Weav-
er Building on Main Street.
He said he will submit the
bid to the state Department of
Environmental Quality as part
of the city’s application for a
brownfield grant to pay for the
cleanup work.
The city’s goal is to strip
the building’s top floor down
to the framing in prepara-
tion for selling the building
to a developer. The first floor
could remain retail while the
second floor could be remod-
eled into residential units.
A TTENTION G RANT C OUNTY
V ETERANS :
Are you using or interested in learning
about Choice Card Medical Care?
Katee
See your Grant County Veteran Services Hoffman
Officer today for more information.
Monday through Friday 10 am – 4 pm.
1809 First Street • Baker City • (541)523-5439
BARGAIN MATINEE IN ( ) Adults $7
ALL FILMS $6 ON TIGHTWAD TUESDAY
Call 541-620-8057 for an appointment
MOVIE SCHEDULE OCT 5 - OCT 11
A STAR IS BORN (R) A musician
helps a young singer find fame, even
as age and alcoholism threaten his own
career.
FRI & SAT
(3:45) 6:45 9:35
SUNDAY
(3:45) 6:45
MON-THURS
6:45
VENOM (PG-13) Eddie Brock
acquires the powers of a symbiote, and
must release his alter-ego “Venom” to
save his life.
FRI & SAT
(4:00) 7:00 9:40
SUNDAY
(4:00) 7:00
MON-THURS
7:00
SMALLFOOT (PG) A Yeti is
convinced that the elusive creatures
known as “humans” really do exsist.
FRI & SAT
(4:10) 7:10 9:45
SUNDAY
(4:10) 7:10
MON-THURS
7:10
530 E. Main, Ste. 5, John Day, OR.
81970
1992 water
committee
resurrected
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
$9 Adult, $7 Senior (60+), Youth
A man wakes up in
the morning after
sleeping on an
ADVERTISED BED,
in ADVERTISED
PAJAMAS.
Whether you’re planning for next year’s
working capital, expansion, or equipment…
now is the time to come visit BEO.
Term Loans
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.
80933
71661
Lines of Credit
Ag & Commercial Real Estate
John Day & Prairie City Branches
AND THEY SAY ADVERTISING DOESN’T WORK?
DON’T MAKE THIS SAME MISTAKE
Blue Mountain Eagle
MyEagleNews.com
81971
Advertising is an investment, not an expense. Think about it!
Don’t get left behind, call today! Kim Kell 541-575-0710
beobank.com
Member FDIC