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.