NEWS
BlueMountainEagle.com
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
A3
City council approves annual utility rate hike
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
The John Day City
Council approved increas-
ing the base rates for water
and sewer for single-fam-
ily residences by $1 at their
Jan. 22 meeting.
The combined base rate
for water and sewer for sin-
gle-family homes is $85.
The rates increase by $1
each year in order to build
up a capital improvement
fund for the city’s water
and sewer systems.
The resolution for the
water rate increase also
clarifies language describ-
ing the city’s
billing prac-
tices for past-
due notices
and shut-off
procedures to
more accu-
Nick
rately reflect
Green
current prac-
tices,
City
Manager Nick
Green told the council in
his agenda report.
Water service could be
discontinued if an account
is not paid within 30 days
following the statement
due date. Two late-payment
notices will be mailed, with
the final notice at least 24
hours prior to
disconnection.
Custom-
ers will be
charged a $25
posting fee
for the mailed
Steve
notices.
Schuette Water
will
not be turned
back on until
all charges are paid in full,
including a $20 turn-on fee
for connection during nor-
mal business hours or a $35
fee during other hours.
The resolution for the
sewer rate increase also
updates Canyon City’s
monthly payments in 2019
from $5,612 per month to
$5,873.
Green told the coun-
cil that preliminary cost
analysis for the proposed
sewer treatment project
found that overall costs
increase by about 6 percent
per year while the sewer
rate increases by about 2
percent.
The city’s plan is to
make up for that difference
by increasing the num-
ber of sewer customers by
attracting new residents —
through the home-build-
ing incentive program and
other economic develop-
ment projects — and by
increasing city revenue
through its greenhouse
project.
Construction of the
greenhouses at the former
Oregon Pine mill site was
delayed by state construc-
tion plan reviewers, but
work on foundation forms
had started just before the
recent snowfall. Plans call
for developing the former
mill site into the Innovation
Gateway project.
In other city coun-
cil news, Green noted
that the consoles for the
911 dispatch center at the
John Day Fire Hall were
expected soon, and the dis-
patchers will move from
the John Day City Hall to
the fire hall in February or
early March.
Councilor
Steve
Schuette reported that,
during a recent meeting, the
Intergovernmental Council
that oversees the new Grant
County Emergency Com-
munications Agency agreed
to donate a 20-year-old heat
pump at the city hall to the
city.
The IGC will retain own-
ership of the emergency gen-
erator at city hall but allow
the city to use it if they will
do the necessary mainte-
nance, Schuette said.
South Fork watershed council updates court
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
It’s been more than three
decades since the South Fork
John Day River Watershed
Council was established by
private landowners and gov-
ernment agencies in the trib-
utary’s upper drainage.
Today the nonprofit has
two full-time employees,
one temporary employee,
an office in downtown John
Day and $800,000 lined up
for 18 watershed projects
this year.
The watershed council’s
coordinator, Amy Stiner,
and its project manager,
Elise Delgado, updated the
Grant County Court about
the group’s activities at the
court’s Jan. 23 meeting.
Stiner grew up on a fam-
ily ranch near Mt. Vernon
and has a college degree in
biology. She also serves on
the Grant School District 3
board of directors.
The watershed coun-
cil attained nonprofit status
and completed 17 voluntary
watershed restoration proj-
ects last year.
In addition, the council
has 26 open projects, includ-
ing 15 with private land-
owners, five with the Mal-
heur National Forest, five
with the Oregon Depart-
ment of Fish and Wild-
life and one shared with the
Ochoco National Forest and
Prineville Bureau of Land
Management.
Projects involve water
The Eagle/Richard Hanners
Grant County Judge Scott Myers works with an iPad Jan. 23 during the first county court meeting since the court went
paperless.
quality
and
quantity
enhancement, fish and wild-
life habitat improvements,
education and outreach and
partnership development.
Continuing
projects
include monitoring and
controlling noxious weeds,
upland water developments,
juniper removal, aspen
enhancement and riparian
treatments.
The watershed coun-
cil also is involved in reha-
bilitation monitoring for
burned areas in the Phillip
W. Schneider Wildlife Area
and nearby private land and
watershed assessments in
the Wind and Tex creeks
area.
Delgado leads a Farm to
School program with Grant
School District 3 and Day-
ville School’s fifth- through
seventh-grade students. She
also runs the Outdoor School
for sixth graders, orga-
nized the cowboy breakfast
event at the Izee Ranch for
the BMW Riders of Oregon
rally in John Day and coor-
dinated last year’s beaver
dam analogue workshop.
The South Fork John Day
River Watershed Council
was established in 1980 by
private landowners in the
upper drainage who were
interested in improving land
conditions.
Over time the coun-
cil expanded its coverage
to 537,708 acres, including
the main stem of the John
Day River from Rattlesnake
Creek on the west to east of
Picnic Creek and creeks on
the north side of the river.
The watershed council
meets at the Izee School-
house on the second Mon-
day of each month. For more
information, visit south-
forkjohnday.com.
In other county court
news:
• The court held its first
meeting since going “paper-
less,” with the court mem-
bers following the agenda
and related documents on
iPads.
• The court nominated
Tilli Bjornberg, Charissa
Moulton, Marcia Wasiluk,
Hannah Hinman and Kristin
Lubell to the Local Commu-
nity Advisory Council.
• Grant County Judge
Scott Myers reported that
three of four tax-foreclosed
properties sold at auction
on Jan. 17. The redemp-
tion period for the proper-
ties had been reduced by
the court because of haz-
ardous conditions at the
properties.
JUNIPER ARTS COUNCIL/GRANT COUNTY
CULTURAL COALITION IS SEEKING
GRANT PROPOSALS FOR OREGON
CULTURAL TRUST GRANT AWARDS
The coalition has $6,000 from the Oregon
Cultural Trust to distribute in Grant County to
organizations for projects relating to culture.
Projects may be related to the visual or
performing arts, heritage, and/or humanities.
Applications are available from Karin Barntish,
131 W. Main Street, John Day or call Kris Beal at
541-932-4892 for more information or an
application.
Grant applications will be accepted until
January 13, 2017 at 5:00 pm.
04892
541-523-6377
541-963-6577
541-573-6377
541-576-2160
99996
Brad, Mary, Owen & Eli Armstrong
541-620-2007
Bob & Lauri Armstrong
541-620-0051