OPINION
Blue Mountain Eagle
A4
Wednesday, August 4, 2021
Oregon Forest
Resources
Institute still
needed
T
he Legislature created
the Oregon Forest Re-
sources Institute 29 years
ago during the timber wars,
which featured battles over
logging, fi erce debates over the
role of state and federal forests
in the timber industry and, most
remarkably, the protection of the
northern spotted owl under the
federal Endangered Species Act.
The stakes were huge for
Oregon’s economy. Since 2001,
the timber industry has lost
15,000 direct jobs — a drop of
almost 18%.
The Legislature’s primary
goal was to create an agency
that would provide informa-
tion and educational material
to the public and schools about
the timber industry and how it
operates.
The problem: The legislation
creating the OFRI was vague
about how that would be done.
Fast forward to 2021 and a
state audit that found the insti-
tute needs more oversight and
direction.
The audit, requested by Gov.
Kate Brown, followed criticism
that the OFRI had lobbied the
Legislature. Though many state
agencies have “legislative liai-
sons” that do pretty much the
same thing, critics felt the insti-
tute was out of line.
Any confusion can be
attributed to the poorly written
state law.
“Portions of OFRI’s statute
are broad and vague, contribut-
ing to this ongoing lack of clar-
ity as to what exactly OFRI is
and what rules it is expected to
follow,” according to the audit.
The legislative record refer-
enced in the audit shows law-
makers themselves were unclear
about how the institute should
operate. If legislators didn’t
know and didn’t write a law that
was clear, how could OFRI’s
leaders know?
The audit compares the
OFRI to the 22 commodity
commissions, which the state
Department of Agriculture over-
sees. The trouble with that com-
parison is that in 1991, when
the OFRI was created by the
Legislature, commodity com-
missions weren’t state agen-
cies. They were taken under the
ODA’s wing years later because
of a series of judges’ rulings that
found the state could not require
growers to give money to pri-
vate commissions.
By transforming the com-
missions into state agencies the
Legislature solved that problem.
That allowed them to promote
the crop and fund research —
and lobby the Legislature.
With the benefi t of 20/20
hindsight, the Legislature prob-
ably could do the same with
OFRI, except put it under state
Department of Forestry instead
of the ODA.
We would encourage legisla-
tors to consider doing that.
In the meantime, the audit
makes four suggestions to the
OFRI and one to the Legisla-
ture. In its response, the insti-
tute’s director agreed to all of
them. They include writing a
single mission statement to fol-
low and policies to make OFRI
staff ers follow what the state
statute appears to say but does
not specify. Again, the statute is
the root of the problems.
Earlier this year, some legis-
lators tried to slash the OFRI’s
budget — which comes from
the timber industry in the form
of harvest taxes — as some sort
of retribution for past transgres-
sions, real or imagined.
That would be wrong.
The OFRI can and should
play a role in keeping the pub-
lic informed about the timber
industry, which continues to be
an important part of the state
economy.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Tax and spend
mentality
To the Editor:
The John Day town hall meet-
ing was a love fest proposing their
“tax and spend” mentality the Biden
administration is forcing on us. The
pawns in this scenario of an addi-
tional levy are our police force. It
alarms me the police did not fi ght
for it as a safety issue while in the
budget process. No one wants to
defund the police, but the JD admin-
istration has already done that in
total disregard to its citizens. Safety
is the primary function of any gov-
ernment (police and fi re). To cover
the cost overrun of the fi re hall,
the city transferred funds from the
water fund for a loan to be paid
back by the JDFD and JDRFD for
this mistake. Now this levy is an
attempt to force more debt on citi-
zens for the police. Both have been
ignored and are being used as col-
lateral to tax and spend. The city has
already been given, in the past two
years, by taxpayers in Grant County
through the URA (Urban Renewal
Ponzi scam) a whopping $84,257.
This program takes away the future
increases in value to the taxing dis-
tricts and gives to the city for incen-
tives. It gives the city the authority
to move boundaries to their liking,
and the city can charge the program
$30,000 in administrative fees. Their
snipes of the Grant County Court
were heard and will be met with. In
all programs they come up with a
substantial opposition eff ort. It robs
from the poor and gives to the rich.
The next scam to cover is the green-
house failure. The city manager was
more than a little disingenuous in
the fi gures he gave a young lady
in the audience. Fact is $180,000
of COVID-19 money was put into
the greenhouse, not $5,000, accord-
ing to the approved budget. Another
fact that the manager is wrong
about is “out of pocket money
($40,000),” which in fact there was
over $700,000 put into this alba-
tross. According to this FY budget
the net fi gure for the greenhouse is
in the negative $141,784. At least
the COVID money could be used to
fund a viable police department. Just
a shell game and misinformation by
this less than stellar administration.
Vote no to hold the administration
responsible.
Bob Pereira
John Day
‘I want to stay in
Oregon’
Blue Mountain
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To the Editor:
To those folks who want to
live in Idaho, pack up your stuff
and move there. I want to stay in
Oregon!
Gary Miller
Mt. Vernon
Introducing politics
and division
To the Editor:
The Oregon Department of Edu-
cation has offi cially recognized that
“Black Lives Matter.” This, in my
opinion, introduces politics and divi-
sion into the classroom, and intro-
duces critical race theory into the
curriculum. Sorry, but All Lives
Matter. No, this is not politically cor-
rect; what do you say to an inter-ra-
cial couple or mixed-race child? One
parent matters and the other does
not? Was your white parent born rac-
ist? Where does that leave you? Is
your parent of color a victim?
Critical race theory has actu-
ally been around for a while; it has
been in the universities, unoffi cially,
for years. Now parents all over the
country are worried about their chil-
dren’s teachers, and study plans. The
idea that your child is being taught
that he/she is born a racist, or a vic-
tim, is wrong. Unfortunately, criti-
cal race theory has been elevated by
Black Lives Matter because, in my
opinion, some folks have been mis-
led and become woke, thinking to
create equity. Equity is not equal-
ity. Trying to make students equal
by removing advanced math courses
in a public school is dumbing down,
and does not create an equal out-
come! I am a terrible math student,
but do not begrudge anyone learn-
ing as much as they are able. This
is only an example, and it is insult-
ing to all.
Today, my opinions are not polit-
ically correct, and they are not racist
either! Our history is good and bad,
and learning all of it should not cre-
ate hate and division; it should cre-
ate love and understanding. Take a
look at South Africa today. Recon-
ciliation has been destroyed amidst
corruption and hate. Is this what
some want? The power players of
the world want this country to fail
and fall.
Margie Mortensen
John Day
‘Ask detailed
questions and make
your voices heard’
To the Editor:
The primary topic at the city of
John Day’s town hall meeting July
27 was the funding for the police
department. It was obvious that
those in attendance supported main-
taining the police service with the
city. It was also obvious that most
attendees were concerned with how
the city was prioritizing their fund-
ing and properties being taken off
the tax rolls either permanently
or temporarily (Urban Renewal
Agency).
The city did apply for a Commu-
nity Oriented Policing Services grant
to help partially fund the department
with $125,000 per year for three
years. The results will not be known
until around October. In the mean-
time, the last day for three police
offi cers would be Aug. 31. Why is
this when the city has adopted the
FY 2021-22 police budget in the
amount of $513,240, an increase
of $118,265 over the revised bud-
get for FY 2020-21? Could it be that
they are required by statue to pay the
police offi cer’s salary for one year
after Aug. 31 if the levy fails? We
must understand the levy, like the
grant, is only a short-term remedy.
If the levy fails and the police
department is consolidated with the
county’s sheriff ’s department after
one year, the sheriff ’s department/
county will have to decide if they
can continue the funding as the city
will be relieved of their fi nancial
responsibilities. If not, we will only
have police services in emergency
cases.
It is interesting that we haven’t
heard an option to contract services
with the sheriff ’s department, only
to consolidate. In either case the
cost to the sheriff ’s department will
increase.
If the police department does go
to the county after one year, what
happens to the property tax funding
the city currently receives and uses
for funding the police department?
Where will these funds be allocated,
or will the property tax collection
rate be reduced?
Residents and voters of the city
of John Day must become more
informed of what is happening in
John Day and what the eff ects may
be. Ask detailed questions and make
your voices heard by the mayor,
councilors and city manager.
Louis E. Provencher
John Day
Think about the
fi nancial burdens
To the Editor:
After attending the most recent
John Day town hall meeting, I left
with one question. It was not how to
amend the budget and keep the local
police department, and it was not
about if we are trading tomatoes for
police protection.
My question stemmed from a
statement made by Mr. Green. Mr.
Green stated that he was work-
ing on a Homeland Security grant,
while sitting by the pool, on vaca-
tion. There was an utterance from
the audience, by a local business
person, “at least he gets a vacation.”
I certainly do not begrudge anyone
for taking a needed vacation. How-
ever, this left me pondering a few
thoughts.
First and foremost, if the panel
sitting before us knew the real-
ity of the many folks living here
in John Day? Are they aware of
the immediate needs of folks liv-
ing right here in the city? There
are a number of fi nancial needs
right here and right now. There
are seniors, parents and businesses
struggling. I have to question if the
folks wishing to impose another
tax understand the fi nancial bur-
dens that folks are already facing?
Instead of giving yourself raises,
charging nearly $5 for a head of
lettuce, and imposing new taxes,
why are we not collectively fi gur-
ing out ways to save money and
put money back into the citizens’
pockets? Money needed for med-
ical expenses and other necessary
expenses to survive.
We have all just been through
the complexities of COVID-19.
How about easing the burden on the
public? Perhaps, the tax is not an
issue to you. Please consider others
and consider the burden we are plac-
ing on our economically depressed
community. Do you want to be
responsible for a person not hav-
ing the gas money to get to a neces-
sary medical appointment? Do you
want to be responsible for someone
not being able to pay for their car to
be repaired? The same car needed to
get their cancer treatment? Do you
want to be responsible for someone
having to close their business? These
are reasons I will vote no! I care
about others and the fi nancial bur-
dens they face.
Katrina Page
John Day
‘Vote no and
make him fi scally
responsible’
To the Editor:
Question for John Day City
Manager Nick Green: When you
can “find” funds to recently hire
two new staff at the city hall for
a total of well more than $60,000
per year (and you still want to
add a city planner?), yet you
can’t find $50,000 to fund the
No. 1 essential service the city
has, there’s not a revenue prob-
lem,
is there Mr.
Green?
Obviously,
that’s
rhetorical.
Don’t even ask Mr. Green about
the greenhouse continuing to
lose money (a lot), taxable prop-
erty removed from tax rolls, Mr.
Green’s exorbitant increases in
salary (compared to other city
employees), Mr. Green’s ongo-
ing accumulation of bonuses out
of city coffers ($37,000 total of
late), etc. Obviously, the money
to fund the police, exists, and
plenty more.
What there is is a “budget-
ing priorities problem” on Mr.
Green’s part. This is another
“power play” by Mr. Green with
the police his pawns, just like
he did with the kids as pawns
and the swimming pool; my way
or the highway is his modus
operandi.
If the levy fails, I predict he
will “suddenly” fi nd the police
funding. Clearly it’s there: Vote no
and make him fi scally responsible.
Tom Olson
John Day