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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 31, 2018)
A6 News Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, October 31, 2018 Burned Prairie City home closer to cleanup New sergeant position saving county money By Richard Hanners Blue Mountain Eagle A burned-out trailer house on Bridge Street in Prairie City that has been considered a pub- lic safety issue and nuisance for about two years may be one step closer to cleanup. The Grant County Court approved a reduced redemption period in the tax foreclosure process for the property at their Oct. 24 meeting. Grant County Tax Assessor David Thunell said four years of taxes were owed on the property. The trailer burned April 19, 2017. The owner was present and later died as a result of smoke inhalation, Commis- sioner and Prairie City Mayor Jim Hamsher said. Since then, the site has been unoccupied, and the assessor’s office has not been able to con- tact any family members or interested parties, Thunell said. Some money was owed to the state Department of Revenue through a tax deferral program for senior citizens, he said. Thunell said his office in the past has offered tax-foreclosed properties at auction at 50 per- cent of the market value. Com- missioner Rob Raschio sug- gested the asking price should at least be equal to the amount owed to the DOR and to the county for back taxes. Hamsher noted that if the asking price is too high, there won’t be a bidder and the coun- ty could end up owning the property and being responsible for cleanup costs, which could be substantial if hazardous materials like lead paint are in- volved. Thunell said that he would try to speed up the sale of the property once the 30-day wait- ing period ended. In other county court news: • In an update to the court, The Eagle/ Richard Hanners From left, Sgt. Josh Wolf and Undersheriff Zach Mobley during the Oct. 24 Grant County Court discussion of budget issues at the sheriff’s office. Undersheriff Zach Mobley reported that the new patrol sergeant position has reduced overtime costs at the sheriff’s office by about $9,000. Depu- ties also benefited from fewer conflicts when scheduling va- cation time, he said. Danny Komning is the new patrol sergeant. The sheriff’s of- fice also appointed Wade Wad- del to be the new corrections sergeant to work alongside Sgt. Josh Wolf. Dave Dobler is the new forest patrol deputy and search and rescue coordinator. Mobley also discussed health care costs at the jail. The sheriff’s office doesn’t have a full-time nurse on duty at the jail, and more mental health screening is needed. Training for jail staff and new restraint equipment have been benefi- cial, he said. In a separate matter, Mob- ley said he had the opportunity to purchase a mobile commu- nications facility assessed at $27,000 as government surplus for $1,500. The shipping con- tainer and equipment could be used to replace a radio building in Long Creek that is deteri- orating. The court agreed to purchase a second surplus unit at the bargain price for use else- where in the county. • The court approved an offer by District Attorney Jim Carpenter to take over county counsel duties from Ron Yock- im effective Jan. 1. Yockim, who is retiring, will continue to handle some ongoing cases. The court also agreed to pay for a deputy district attorney effective Jan. 1, with the sal- ary dependent on experience. Grant County Judge Scott My- ers noted there was no guar- antee the county could sustain the position. Carpenter said leftover federal grant money would fund a temporary deputy until the end of the year. • The court tabled a decision on how to fill a state-mandated public health administrator po- sition to represent the county in overseeing public health and mental health services in Grant County. Kimberly Lindsay, exec- utive director of Community Counseling Solutions, which performs county health depart- ment duties on a contract basis, offered to fill the position for about $10,000 a year. While Myers said Lindsay’s offer was fair and equitable, Hamsher noted that he’d like to see the position filled by a local person, such as Jessica Win- egar. Raschio said he wanted the county to be in compliance with state regulations while re- maining within the county bud- get. Hamsher noted that Judge Pete Runnels acts as the public health administrator in Harney County. Myers asked Lindsay to provide additional informa- tion on the duties performed by a public health administrator to be discussed at their next meet- ing, Nov. 7. County agrees to help bail out state organization Association of Oregon Counties misused road funds By Richard Hanners Blue Mountain Eagle The Grant County Court unan- imously agreed to help bail out the Association of Oregon Counties af- ter the organization misused more than $900,000 of its road funds over the past five years. The court agreed Oct. 24 to send $6,300 to the AOC to help make up the lost funding. Grant County’s an- nual dues last year were $24,000, of which about $18,000 was paid out of the county’s road fund. There is no evidence of anyone at the AOC profiting from the mis- use of funds, but the money was inappropriately transferred from the organization’s road funds to pay for other activities. The AOC’s request for assistance was voluntary. Court support Court members defended the bail-out as worthwhile, considering the valuable service that the organi- zation provides the state’s 36 coun- ties. Grant County Judge Scott My- ers told the Eagle the county court has been in partnership with the AOC for decades. The organization also offers assistance to other elect- ed officials, including the Justice of the Peace and surveyors, he said. “They offer excellent advice and examples in road projects and planning,” Myers said. “We have established through the years a re- lationship that is invaluable when it comes to project experience. They see how other counties might han- dle a situation and share that knowl- edge.” The AOC continuously carries bills for counties to the Oregon Legislature and promotes county issues in Washington, D.C., Myers said. He cited his recent trip to the White House this month as an ex- ample of an AOC service. “When they have a problem, we need to help them, and we expect and would receive the same from them,” he said. Commissioner Rob Raschio pointed to numerous services pro- vided by the AOC. “The AOC provides technical assistance to our road department, human resources, insurance for our departments and many other areas of concern for our county,” he told the Eagle. “Additionally, and of equal importance, they advocate for county interests in the legislature on topics ranging from public safety to roads to natural resources. Their ex- istence gives our county a voice we could not afford without them, and it was important for us to help them as they try to fix the mistakes made earlier.” Commissioner Jim Hamsher sits on the AOC’s veterans steering committee and said he appreciates the organization’s lobbying services. “It can really make a difference,” he said. Auditing report The problem came to light after the AOC asked the Portland-based audit- ing firm Moss Adams to review trans- actions in the AOC’s county roads pro- gram from 2012 through 2017, verify the AOC’s financial position as of Jan. 1 and evaluate internal financial con- trols. Mike McArthur was the AOC executive director from 2004 until July 31, 2018, when he retired. According to Moss Adams’ Aug. 10 report, a net amount of $780,000 was transferred out of the county roads program and had not been re- imbursed by Dec. 31, 2017. The auditing firm noted that AOC funds excluding the county roads program had been operating at an- nual deficits each year from 2012 through 2017. The total deficit for that time period was about $720,000, the report said. Moss Adams concluded that the transfers from the county roads pro- gram “were utilized to finance AOC deficits during that time period. This use of funds does not meet the stat- utory requirements of the CRP,” the report stated. The auditing firm included a number of recommendations for improving the AOC’s financial con- trols, including a policy dictating when board or managerial approval was needed to make cash transfers and implementing policies that re- quired routine reviews to ensure stat- utory compliance. On Oct. 8, the AOC board of directors unanimously voted to dis- tribute a special assessment invoice to Oregon’s 36 counties to repay the AOC’s road fund, AOC communica- tions director Mckenzie Farrell told the Eagle. The special assessment was based on the same formula used for membership dues — a base fee as well as fees based on population and assessed property value. “Assessments can be repaid in one lump sum or over a period of time as agreed upon by the county and AOC,” Farrell said. “Any coun- ty assessments that are not paid will remain the responsibility of AOC.” WANTED Information leading to conviction of trespassers and/or poachers on Silvies Valley Ranch $2 , 500 00 REWARD A reward we’re anxious to pay. Again last year, several nice mule deer bucks and elk were killed and left to rot on our ranch – and that’s only what we found. Please help us catch trespassers and poachers who have no respect for private property rights and who give all hunters a bad name. If you legally wound an animal that comes onto any of our property, please come to ranch headquarters at Bridge Creek and we will help you find and clean it at no charge. Otherwise, do not go onto our property unless accompanied by a Silvies Valley Ranch team member. We will press charges, sue for damages, and are actively patrolling our property with ATVs, by horseback, and videocams. CALL Sheriff Glenn Palmer 541-575-1131 Sheriff Dave Ward 541-573-6156 Colby Marshall 541-573-5150 x110 Silvies, Oregon www.silvies.us 1-800-SILVIES 86985 Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative •Stay safe…Stay visible •OTEC is working hard to make your Halloween spectacular! •When trick-or-treating please stay with a group and stay visible to those around you with our complimentary Halloween candy bags or reflective clothing.
