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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 21, 2019)
The Blue Mountain EAGLE Grant County’s newspaper since 1868 HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE GRANT COUNTY FAIR INSIDE 151st Year • No. 34 • 18 Pages • $1.50 Wednesday, August 21, 2019 MyEagleNews.com Sheriff Glenn Palmer announces departure By Richard Hanners Blue Mountain Eagle Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer In an unexpected announcement that surprised the Grant County Court and everyone in the meeting room Aug. 14, Sheriff Glenn Palmer said he plans to resign his position in a few months. Palmer said he will help the court transition to the next person who takes over as sheriff. His current term of office terminates at the end of next year, and he would have faced a primary race in May. Commissioner Sam Palmer, who met with his brother just before the start of the regular court meeting in the administrative assistant’s office to talk to him about another item on the agenda, told the Eagle he had no idea his brother planned to make that announcement. Commissioner Jim Hamsher, who serves as the court’s liaison with the sheriff’s office, told the Eagle he was totally surprised by the announcement. Judge Scott Myers told the Eagle all he knew was that the sheriff unexpect- edly asked to speak to the court. The sheriff was not on the agenda, and Myers joked ahead of time that he would give him a little time. Palmer did not give a reason why he planned to resign his office in a few months, but he was heard to utter under his breath that he’d had enough. Palmer, who was first elected sheriff in 2000, previously served as a John Day Police Officer. He won re-election over challenger Richard Gray in Novem- ber 2012 by 2,236-1,477. He narrowly defeated Todd McKinley in the Novem- ber 2016 election by 2,208-2,065. The earliest candidates can file for election next year is Sept. 12. County pays more than $18,000 for five-month administrative leave Officials decline to discuss sheriff’s deputy situation off, she was placed on paid administrative leave March 18 and has remained on it through July, the last time card available. By Sean Hart From mid-March through Blue Mountain Eagle July, Grant County has paid her $16,416 in wages. A Grant County employee During that time, she also has been getting paid not to accrued 10 hours of vacation go to work for five months and eight hours of sick leave now. per month, costing an addi- Grant County Sheriff’s tional $1,768. Office Dep- Each addi- uty Abigail FIGURES ONLY tional month Mobley is still she is on INCLUDE employed and administrative being paid by will cost WAGES AND leave the county, but county tax- payers about her last day in ACCRUALS, $4,200. the office was NOT OTHER These fig- Feb. 4, accord- ing to records ures only BENEFITS obtained by include wages the Eagle. and accruals, SUCH AS From Feb. 5 not other ben- through March HEALTH CARE. efits such as 15, she used health care. a combination of vacation, Her husband, Undersher- sick and comp hours she had iff Zach Mobley, was also placed on paid administra- accrued. After two scheduled days tive leave March 18 after two scheduled days off. His March time card shows six days of adminis- trative leave until the time card ends March 25. On his April time card, however, nothing is filled in indicating whether the time was actually worked or administrative leave. According to Dominic Carollo, an attorney repre- senting Grant County and the sheriff’s office in response to a public records request by the Blue Mountain Eagle, Zach Mobley was back “actively employed” as of April 25, though Carollo refused to provide the actual dates Zach Mobley was on leave. Zach Mobley earns a sal- ary of $5,123 per month, so each day of leave cost about $170. See Leave, Page A18 The Eagle/Richard Hanners Commissioner Sam Palmer joins Judge Scott Myers and Commissioner Jim Hamsher in signing an ordinance invoking coordination during the county court’s Aug. 14 meeting. County court approves coordination ordinance Natural resource advisory committee discussion added to next agenda By Richard Hanners Blue Mountain Eagle Opinions for, against or neu- tral were mixed during a second public hearing on an ordinance that invokes coordination between Grant County and state or federal land planning agencies. Following about an hour of comments and discussion, the Grant County Court unanimously approved the ordinance and signed it Aug. 14. The ordinance will go into effect 90 days after approval. Judge Scott Myers said the ordi- nance was written by other people but was reviewed by Jim Carpen- ter, the county counsel. He sug- gested the coordination issue could have been addressed by resolution, which was the advice of county counsel in the past, and he wasn’t sure if it was necessary at all. Commissioner Jim Hamsher noted that Carpenter approved the See Ordinance, Page A18 “I ENCOURAGE YOU TO CLARIFY WHAT ROLE THIS COMMITTEE WILL PLAY, SINCE FEDERAL AGENCIES ARE REQUIRED BY LAW TO COORDINATE THEIR LAND MANAGEMENT PLANS WITH COUNTY PLANS, NOT PUBLIC COMMENTS SUBMITTED BY ADVISORY COMMITTEES — EVEN COUNTY ADVISORY COMMITTEES.” Mark Webb, a former Grant County judge and executive director of the Blue Mountains Forest Partners