NEWS
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, April 14, 2021
A7
John Day proposes
establishing city
transient room tax
Rate would apply
on top of state and
county taxes
By Rudy Diaz
Blue Mountain Eagle
Eagle file photo
Magone Lake is one of many attractions on the Malheur National Forest. A culvert replacement
project is planned near the lake this summer.
Great American Outdoors
Act to fund forest projects
Deferred
maintenance to be
completed on roads,
culverts
By Rudy Diaz
Blue Mountain Eagle
Projects in the North
Fork John Day Ranger Dis-
trict and Malheur National
Forest be underway.
The
United
States
Department of Agriculture’s
Forest Service announced
on March 9 that they plan to
invest up to $40 million for
29 projects on national for-
ests in Oregon and Wash-
ington through the Great
American Outdoors Act.
The press release from
Umatilla National Forest
states that the projects will
address critical deferred
maintenance and improve
transportation and recre-
ation infrastructure.
The Blue Mountain Sce-
nic Byway Chip Seal proj-
ect in the North Fork John
Day Ranger District is one
of the 29 projects close to
Grant County. This proj-
ect in the Umatilla National
Forest plans to repair 33.6
miles of existing road on
a 145-mile route that trav-
els from near Arlington to
Granite.
The deferred mainte-
nance on this portion of the
road will reduce risk to pub-
lic safety and extend the life
of the route for 10-20 years,
according to the release.
A culvert replacement
project in the Malheur
National Forest will also
benefit from the money
allocated from the Great
American Outdoors Act.
Responses from Chase
Bloom, the Engineering,
Minerals & Fleet staff offi-
cer, and Lindsay Davies, the
Fisheries Program manager,
for the Malheur National
Forest, state that the for-
est will be replacing five
culverts to reduce deferred
maintenance, improve flood
flow capacity and aquatic
organism passage during the
summer of 2021.
“This
new
funding
source provides an incred-
ible boost in our ability to
reduce deferred mainte-
nance across the forest, pro-
mote the longevity of trans-
portation and access across
public lands, and restore
the connectivity of fisheries
habitat for native fish,” their
response states.
They said local compa-
nies, through existing con-
tracts, will complete the
work, which will generally
begin around June 15 and be
completed by Oct. 15.
Two culverts are being
replaced on Middle Fork
Wolf Creek, on Forest
Road 15 and 1500-028 on
the Emigrant Creek Ranger
District.
On the Blue Moun-
tain Ranger District, proj-
ects include one culvert at
the Summit Creek cross-
ing on Forest Road 1940-
281 east of Austin Junction
and north of Highway 26;
one culvert at the East Fork
Beech Creek crossing on
Forest Road 3600-052; and
implementing one culvert
in partnership with the Ore-
gon Department of Fish &
Wildlife at the Tinker Creek
crossing on Forest Road
3620 near Magone Lake.
“We are looking forward
to continued opportunities
to make targeted, strategic
investments in our infra-
structure over the entire
five-year life of the Great
American Outdoors Act,”
Bloom and Davies said.
Debbie Ausmus
245 South Canyon Blvd.
John Day, OR 97845
OPEN WED. & THUR.
9 am - 5 pm
541-575-1113
24 hrs/7 days wk
debbie.ausmus@
countryfinancial.com
S237016-1
Haven House
Retirement Center
Apartments
available!
714 Main St.
PO Box 386
Fossil, OR 97830
541 763-4651
havenhouse3@wix.com
S235819-1
118 S. WASHINGTON STREET, CANYON CITY, OR 97820
(541) 575-1335 | PAINTEDSKYCENTER.COM
Acrylic Pouring with Dale Finley
Beginner - Experienced | 1 Session Class
Starts Friday, April 16, 2021
PIONEER FEED &
FARM SUPPLY
Squishy Felt Hearts with Joni Kabana
60561 HWY 26,
John Day, Oregon 97845
541-575-0023
Ages 12 and Up | 1 Session Class
Starts Friday, April 16, 2021
A Friend & Me Paint Night
Any Age | 1 Session Class
Starts Thursday, April 22, 2021
Stamp & Paint Leather Earrings
Ages 16 and Up | 1 Session Class
Starts Friday, April 23, 2021
S238831-1
The city of John Day is
proposing to establish its
own transient room tax.
The new tax for motel and
RV park guests, which would
be levied on top of the state
and county rates, would only
apply in the city limits.
The meeting agenda states
that, to pursue this approach,
the city would need to pass
an ordinance, which includes
establishing a local TRT rate,
and enter into the agreement
with the Oregon Department
of Revenue.
The department would
then administer the tax and
handle the city’s tax by
reviewing the ordinance,
collecting the tax, providing
financial auditing and then
remitting the tax directly to
the city.
Grant County’s transient
room tax ordinance calls for
the collection of 8% of what
hotel and RV park operators
charge for one night, paid
by the temporary visitor.
The tax administration office
keeps a small fee, and the
remaining amount is given to
the Grant County Chamber
of Commerce.
“The purpose of this tax
is to raise revenues to be
used for tourism promotion
and tourism related facilities
in the county,” according to
Ordinance No. 2012-04.
The current transient rates
in the county include a 1.5%
state rate and the 8% county
rate.
John Day City Manager
Nick Green said he wouldn’t
recommend less than a 3%
rate. He said there aren’t
enough rooms and the city’s
occupancy rate is too low
for a lower tax rate to be
effective.
Malin Patel, who owns the
Eagle file photo
Grant County Fairgrounds Manager Mindy Winegar says she
would have to possibly raise her rates to accommodate for the
city’s transient room tax.
Best Western and America’s
Best Value in John Day, said
he feels this is a regressive
tax to the lodging businesses
in John Day.
“Someone wants to spend
$100 on a room, and they’re
looking at a flat budget of
$100,” Patel said. “By adding
a 1.5% tax, that’s taking more
money from our customers.”
Patel asked why the city
is not pursuing a share of the
county’s tax that’s already
collected.
Councilor Dave Holland
said he is not convinced that a
$1.50 tax on a $100 room is
significant enough for some-
body to avoid lodging at a
hotel. He added that the city
council tried to work with the
chamber and county to get
a piece of the currently col-
lected taxes but to no success.
Green said the additional
funds from the tax could be
Hello Grant County,
Well, it seems that Spring has sprung in
Grant County! I love this time of year!
We would like to welcome the Grant
County Education Service District (ESD)
our newest Chamber member.
With the beautiful (off and on) weather,
we also seem to be experiencing another
outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. The
1188 Brewing Company and The Outpost
Pizza Pub and Grill have voluntarily closed
for the protection of their employees and
the community until things settle down
again. Let’s show them our support when
they open back up!
Our Greenback program is still going
strong! We have had some large purchases
from Humbolt School, the Blue Mountain
Hospital, the Blue Mountain Federation
of Teachers # 3466, and Community
Counseling Solutions. Thank you for
supporting our local businesses and keeping
your dollars in Grant County!
You may have noticed some work around
our pond area. Thanks to board member
Bruce Ward for removing trees and shrubs
and filling the pond in, in preparation for
the longhorn steer. Stay tuned, there will
surely be more added.
We are gearing up for our tourist season
which officially starts May 1st. We are
expecting a year similar to last year but with
more out of town visitors. I am hearing that
reservations are being made, and many of
our lodging facilities are going to be seeing a
lot of summer visitors. Outdoor recreation
is going to be big again this year!
The Chamber Board’s monthly business
meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April
15th. The board meets at 10:30 AM at the
Chamber office.
I hope you enjoy the beautiful warm days
and springtime activities.
Stay well Grant County!
Tammy Bremner
Chamber Manager
S238471-1
used for tourism in John Day
and help organize events to
attract tourist to the area.
Grant County Fair-
grounds Manager Mindy
Winegar said she would have
to possibly raise her rates to
accommodate for the city’s
transient room tax.
Holland said it’s not the
businesses being taxed but
the out-of-town guests.
“In the long run, we are
trying to increase tourism
to our city, and it gives us a
way to have an income from
the people who want to visit
here and not from our local
residents,” Councilor Shan-
non Adair said. “It’s an out-
side source of revenue that
we can use.”
Five city council mem-
bers said they were in favor
implementing a city tax,
while two said they were
against it.