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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (June 3, 2020)
A12 NEWS Blue Mountain Eagle EOC Continued from Page A1 Fund for the EOC in March with $23,564 budgeted for materials and services and $101,436 budgeted for per- sonnel services. The $23,564 corre- sponds with a procurement request Dobler submitted in court March 25 for supplies, including $18,000 for com- munications and information technology. Ellison said that account is currently under- funded by $9,815. The documents Dobler presented in court list an addi- tional $10,200 supply pro- curement request on March 13 for a total of $33,800, but Rule Continued from Page A1 consultant for the AFRC based in John Day. “We have far fewer mills out here than we used to.” The 21-inch rule was devel- oped as a means of slowing the loss of old-growth trees, which provide numerous benefits to forest health. Not only do they provide fish and wildlife habitat for species such as salmon, nest- ing birds and mammals, but they are also more resilient to insect outbreaks, disease and wildfire. To develop the Eastside Screens, tree diameter was used as a surrogate for age. Measur- ing tree age was slower than measuring size, and guidelines to expedite the process were unavailable at the time, accord- ing to the Pacific Northwest Research Station’s report. Twenty-five years later, researchers are finding the rule does have apparent flaws. For example, it does not allow for- esters to remove young trees of certain species that may be larger than 21 inches, but do not provide the same benefits and are more prone to burning in massive wildfires. In its report, the Pacific Northwest Research Station described the 21-inch rule as a “blunt policy instrument” in response to widespread pub- lic support for conserving old- growth forests, but does not that $10,000 f i g u r e was never actually budgeted. The per- sonnel ser- v i c e s Scott Myers account still has $15,195 remaining, Ellison said, but there are thousands of dol- lars in accounts payable and invoices that must still be paid. Ellison said the additional funding would most likely be transferred from the General Fund Contingency, which would need to be allocated by the Grant County Court. “I do not know at this time how much will be needed,” she told the Eagle. Court approval When the county court Sam Palmer approved Dobler ’s original procurement request, they added the direction that “any future purchases over $200 would need to be approved by the county court,” accord- ing to the approved meeting minutes. After the procurement request, however, no addi- tional purchases were approved in a session of the Grant County Court, includ- ing the $35,000 federal account for complex forest stands or provide flexibility to make site-specific management decisions. “Tree diameter alone is an insufficient guide for resto- ration, and for managing land- scapes for resilience to climate change and related stressors,” the report states. Researchers say amendments should take into account factors such as tree species, age, spatial patterns, soil, near- versus long- term threats to tree stands from drought, insects and pathogens. Andy Geissler, federal timber program director for the AFRC, said amending the Eastside Screens will return management to professional foresters rather than relying on a one-size-fits- all rule, which would open more acres for treatment and increase federal timber supplies. Since fire suppression became a widespread practice in the early 1900s, Geissler said different species of shade-tolerant trees, like grand fir and white fir, are taking over beneath the canopies of old-growth ponderosa pine and Douglas fir, competing for moisture and creating hazardous fuels for larger wildfires. “The very trees (the For- est Service) was initially trying to save are dying from mois- ture stress,” he said. “It’s really all about the Forest Service getting to where they want to be in terms of resiliency and hazardous fuels reduction.” Wednesday, June 3, 2020 reimburse- ment track- ing software and up to $10,000 for a contract for grant-writing Jim Hamsher services to secure fed- eral reimbursements. The EOC spent $14,800 on communications equip- ment. It bought at least 11 laptops and a printer cost- ing $6,100 and six speaker phones for $900, plus $90 for two-day shipping. The $91,791 total supply procurement cost presented in court by Dobler includes $54,789 for IT and software, $15,021 for general expenses and rent, $14,889 for com- Session Continued from Page A1 to work with the Chamber of Commerce in the future,” the city’s May 21 agenda states. “However, the responsibil- ity for the disposition of John Day’s TRT funds, including their budgeting and annual audits, will reside with the John Day City Council, the John Day Budget Committee, and city staff and/or city TRT committees as appropriate. This will ensure the funds are used appropriately, transpar- ently and effectively to achieve their intended purpose.” Working together Amid the argument over the best use of TRT funds during the work session, mem- bers from both organizations highlighted the importance of working together. “I would like to step in a lit- tle bit before it gets completely fired up and we leave against each other,” said Councilor Shannon Adair. “I guess the biggest concern I have is that we aren’t working together. We need to work together.” Didgette McCracken, a board member from the cham- ber, said the two organiza- tions have the same goals — an increase in visitors and increase revenue in the county. “A lot of the things that we munications, $3,022 for non- EOC expenses, $1,856 for decontamination, $1,169 for office supplies, $698 for gas and $343 for shipping. For 12 full-time and part- time EOC employees, includ- ing some overtime and some employees who only work as needed, the EOC cost for 12 weeks of wages from March through May was $81,728, plus $13,000 in benefits and $10,500 for a safety officer for a total of $105,228 in pay- roll and fees. County Judge Scott Myers and Commissioners Sam Palmer, the EOC public information officer, and Jim Hamsher, the court liaison to the EOC, did not respond to questions about the EOC are talking about is how we would spend the money, and I know we all have spe- Jerry Franklin cifics that we would like seen done or improved, and they all seem great, but I think before we get to that stage of pointing fingers on what needs spent, we need to think of an efficient way to make that happen,” McCracken said. “... What can we overlap on or what things make sense for us both to invest in, and why can’t we agree on that together? Those things can happen through strategy and planning...” Councilor Elliot Sky said he also noticed the silo effect, where the city works alone and seems to butt heads with other organizations at times, but he hasn’t seen a lot of reaching out to the city to coordinate with planning. He said that a lack of coor- dination leads to a feeling that the city is working on an iso- lated path and is doing things others don’t want, when he feels that the projects are designed for the benefits and interests of the city and county. “Part of my frustration has always been ... how can we bolster the city’s investment and recognize it’s improving the county as a whole and get these different o rg a n i z a - tions — the county, the Nick Green cities and the chamber of commerce — to unify along a vision so we can piggyback on ourselves,” Sky said. Councilor Paul Smith said county residents need the chamber, cities and the county court to work together. “We’re too small,” he said. “We don’t have the resources and the revenues, as Didgette said, to be siloed.” The aftermath After the hour-and-a- half session, development continued. “I personally appreciate what you guys are trying to accomplish,” Franklin said at the end of the TRT discus- sion. “You’re thinking out- side of the box, and it’s the first time in many years that I’ve been here that that’s hap- pened. And I hope you can connect those dots and make this work, and it’s going to be good for the whole county.” In an interview on May 28, Green acknowledged the tension in the room during the work session. Green said anytime conversations on changing the status quo come budget or why purchases over $200 were not brought before the court. In court, Hamsher said the plan was to submit the EOC’s expenditures for reimburse- ment. He said up to 100% reimbursement was possi- ble through Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Secu- rity Act funding received by the state, compared to up to 75% reimbursement possible through FEMA. The county submitted a proposal for reimbursement through the state of Ore- gon Coronavirus Relief Fund Thursday and is waiting to hear back, according to infor- mation posted on the county COVID-19 website, grant- countycovid.com. up, there can be a little bit of discomfort, but the city is working to arrive at the right solution for the community. “I know it probably felt like there was a lot of ten- sion in the room,” he said. “Change is disruptive. Ten- sion is not a bad thing. Some- times you need to have con- flict in order to figure out what you really value and what’s important and how you can move forward together. I want to make sure the chamber understands we respect them and the work they do.” Green said the chamber receives a bulk of its TRT funds from the city, and that’s not going to change. Green said the conver- sation is now about work- ing together to accomplish a shared vision. He said both groups need to be on the same page in terms of expec- tations and how they are going to achieve them. Bremner said she met with Green May 27, which helped relieve tension, as both orga- nizations are looking towards the future. She said she hopes for improved communications between the groups. She said the chamber is currently working to complete a logo, which presents a great opportunity to work with John Day and all the cities in the county. Which Kubota Is For You? 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