President Trump addresses annual Farm Bureau convention Page A7
The
Blue Mountain
EAGLE
Grant County’s newspaper since 1868
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
151st Year • No. 3 • 18 Pages • $1.00
BlueMountainEagle.com
County pot tax needs voter approval
Ordinance to
be rescinded,
money returned
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
Grant County’s tax on recre-
ational marijuana does not meet
statutory requirements and will
be
rescinded,
Judge
Scott
Myers said Jan.
9.
The
county
will not enforce
the 3 percent tax,
Jim
and the $5,050
Carpenter collected by the
county will be returned to Rocky
Mountain Dispensary, Myers said.
It will be up to the dispensary to
return the money to its customers,
he said.
The tax was unanimously
approved by the Grant County
Court as an emergency ordinance
following a single public hearing
on Dec. 19 with the intent that it
would go into effect the same day.
State law, however, requires
local taxes on recreational mar-
ijuana to go to the voters at the
next statewide general election
for approval. The next statewide
general election in Oregon will be
held in November 2020.
Myers said the county court
received an opinion on the matter
from District Attorney Jim Car-
penter, who is now serving as the
county counsel.
In a Jan. 10 press release, Car-
penter noted that “scrutiny by the
Blue Mountain Eagle brought
the issue to light, causing recon-
sideration of the legality of the
ordinance.”
Carpenter said the sole mari-
juana retailer in the county, Rocky
Mountain Dispensary, had been
collecting a recreational mar-
ijuana tax from its customers
during the last quarter of 2018.
“The retailer, in good faith,
thought there was a tax and was
See Pot, Page A9
FORGED BY FIRE
Survivors of Camp Fire receive Grant County assistance
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
A
f ter seeing the devastation caused by the Camp Fire
in Butte County, California, on the evening news
last November, Dean and Courtney Fox of Canyon
City felt driven to offer a helping hand. It was Cal-
ifornia’s deadliest wildfi re, killing 86, destroying
13,900 homes and displacing up to 50,000 residents.
The city of Paradise was dec-
imated as well as nearby smaller
towns, burning more than 150,000
acres.
The Foxes started a fundraiser in
November with the idea of hand-de-
livering donations to people in need
before Christmas while also offer-
ing encouragement.
Many Grant County residents
and businesses contributed, includ-
ing locals who, like the Foxes, sur-
vived the Canyon Creek Complex
fire, which started in August 2015
south of Canyon City, destroying
more than 110,000 acres. The Foxes
were among 43 people who lost
their homes in the fire, but no lives
were lost.
Courtney said the people they met
during their Dec. 17-20 trip to North-
ern California were extremely grateful
See Fire, Page A18
Contributed photos
Ten-year-old Brooke Taynton of Canyon City, left, stands with her mom
Courtney Fox and one of the families they were able to help who survived
the Camp Fire in Paradise, California, including parents John and Mary
McDonald and their boys Johnny Ray, Jimmy Royce and Jerry Reece. John
was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer before the fi re broke out. TOP IM-
AGE: There is a cross for each of the 86 victims of Butte County, Califor-
nia’s Camp Fire, which ignited Nov. 8.
POLITICS
Bentz: Legislature facing
numerous complex issues
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
Reducing carbon dioxide
emissions and addressing a
signifi cant health care bud-
get shortfall are just two of
the challenging issues fac-
ing the Oregon Legislature
this year,
state Sen.
Cliff Bentz,
R-Ontario,
told
the
Eagle.
Bentz
Oregon
said
the
Sen. Cliff
top issues
Bentz
he expects
to focus on in the session
beginning Jan. 22 are the
impact of carbon reduction
legislation on rural areas,
addressing water resources
in drought years and provid-
ing more attainable housing.
An attorney and farmer
in Ontario, Bentz served in
the House from 2008 until
he was appointed on Jan. 8,
2018, to fi ll the remainder
of former Sen. Ted Ferrioli’s
seat. He easily won election
in November.
Bentz is the Senate Dep-
uty Republican Leader, but
the Democrats hold a super-
majority in the Legisla-
ture. He has been appointed
co-vice chairperson of the
Joint Carbon Reduction
and the Joint Tax Expendi-
ture committees and vice
chairperson of the Senate
Finance and Revenue Com-
mittee. He will also sit on
the Joint Transportation and
Senate Judiciary, Environ-
ment and Natural Resources
committees.
“I am pleased with my
committee assignments,”
Bentz said. “Except for
Judiciary, I was on simi-
lar committees while in the
House, so I am happy to
have the opportunity to put
my 10 years of House expe-
rience to work for Oregon
and my district now that I
am in the Senate.”
See Bentz, Page A9
Findley excited for role as vice
chair of House Revenue Committee
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Oregon Legislature
will face three big issues
this session — taxes, car-
bon reduction and health
care — without the appetite
to take them all on at one
time, state Rep. Lynn Find-
ley, R-Vale, told the Eagle.
The session starts Jan.
22. Democrats have intro-
duced 40 new bills which
all raise taxes, Findley
said. What’s needed is tax
reform, and he hopes his
seat on the House Reve-
nue Committee will make a
difference.
“I am looking forward
to getting to work for the
people of House District
60,” Findley said in a press
release. “I know a lot of
people in Eastern Oregon
feel like their voices aren’t
heard
in
Salem and
don’t mat-
ter, but I’m
here to tell
you
that
they
do
Oregon
Rep. Lynn matter. I
will
do
Findley
everything
in my power during this
next session to work across
the aisle and to promote
Eastern Oregon values with
every vote that I take.”
Findley worked in fi re
and aviation management
for the Bureau of Land
Management for 32 years
and was the Vale city man-
ager for fi ve years. He also
served on several planning
commissions in Malheur
County.
He was appointed in
January 2018 to fi ll the
remainder of former Rep.
Cliff Bentz’s term after
Bentz was appointed to for-
mer Sen. Ted Ferrioli’s seat.
Findley ran unopposed in
the November election.
Findley
has
been
appointed vice chairper-
son on the House Reve-
nue Committee and co-vice
chairperson on the Joint
Committee on Tax Expen-
ditures. He also will sit on
the House committees for
Energy and Environment,
Veterans and Emergency
Preparedness and the Joint
Transportation Committee.
“These
committee
assignments, especially as
vice chair on the Revenue
Committee, will give East-
ern Oregonians a unique
voice in shaping tax poli-
cies,” Findley said.
Findley
said
he
See Findley, Page A9
GRANT COUNTY FARM BUREAU ANNUAL
MEETING AT THE AIRPORT, SAT JAN 19TH 12PM
Please RSVP @ grantfarmbureau@gmail.com
See A-5 for more details