A4
OPINION
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, January 26, 2022
OUR VIEW
What is the
real cost of
public records?
N
inety million dollars. It’s a lot of money. It’s the num-
ber Adam Crawford, external relations director for the
state’s Department of Administrative Services, used last
week about the cost of public records. He said that’s what he
thought Oregon might be spending to give media organizations
and others public records at reduced cost or free.
“I think the number may be even higher,” Crawford replied,
when he was challenged on it by another member of the Oregon
Public Records Advisory Council. The discussion then quickly
shifted away.
If it really is $90 million or more, it’s a mighty sum that
Crawford pointed out the state is transferring, in part, to for-
profi t companies.
But when we later asked him about that number, it seemed an
educated guess. He didn’t make it clear where it came from. He
did mention a survey of state agencies from 2018. It said agen-
cies fulfi lled roughly 25,000 public records requests and charged
under $150,000 for doing that, waiving all other staff and legal
costs.
Would that add up to $90 million? Maybe. Maybe not.
If Crawford believes that number is right, though, and he’s a
member of the executive team of a key state agency, journalists
and the public should not be surprised when they face enormous
fees when they ask for public records. Government offi cials
may believe they are simply giving away too much at the cost of
other state priorities.
Public agencies can charge reasonable fees for public records
in Oregon. They don’t have to. They can waive some or all
of the cost. Charging high fees can be the same as denying a
request. What should be charged and who should pay it is at the
heart of the questions the state committee, the Oregon Public
Records Advisory Council, is looking at, as Crawford said.
For government bodies, releasing public records isn’t just a
matter of doing a computer search, the computer spits out the
records and then the government can hand them over in min-
utes. State and local government agencies don’t always have the
most modern computers. The state is in the process of upgrad-
ing many outdated systems. The old systems weren’t designed
to make public records searches easy.
There can also be a problem with how information is stored.
Releasable information can be stored mixed in with personal
information that should not be disclosed. Scouring records
and redacting personal information takes time and eff ort. Who
should pay for that?
And there can be issues when people take on new roles vol-
unteering to serve on government committees. They can end
up using their personal email accounts when they email about
government business. Those particular emails would be pub-
lic records. That would mean the volunteers would have to com-
pile them and hand them over if requested. If some of the emails
didn’t show them in the best light, would they?
What is the solution? That’s what Oregon’s Public Records
Advisory Council is working on. Real numbers should be the
foundation of the discussion.
OFF THE BEATEN PATH
Perils and pleasures of sourdough
W
hen the temperature
drops, snow and ice
cover the landscape,
and the wind howls, there is
something I’m partial to doing —
along with leaving faucets drip-
ping, opening cupboard doors
below sinks, hauling in another
load of firewood — and that’s
baking bread.
My first bread baking attempts
met with great success — if one
wanted to turn out construc-
tion-grade cement blocks.
An elderly friend offered me
a recipe with drawings to accom-
pany the instructions — the rec-
ipe old enough that the draw-
ings showed baking the bread in
a wood cookstove. Success! Less
flour and more kneading. Even
with baking in an electric oven,
bread turned out edible. Most of
the time. Well, some of the time. I
needed more practice.
My bread-baking goal: Bake
all of the bread products our fam-
ily would eat for the year, which
meant baking bread about four or
five times a week. I’d often whip
up a homemade soup to accom-
pany our noontime bread. We had
an increase of friends who just
happened to drop by at lunchtime.
The children supported my
efforts — they fashioned mini-
loaves, kneading with fingers,
fists and sometimes elbows.
When the year was up, I real-
ized there were two aspects to
bread baking — the chemistry and
the artistic execution. I didn’t do
too badly with the chemistry part.
As for artistic endeavor, not so
much. The tops of loaves looked
like potato storage sheds with
wind damage.
Next project — sourdough.
I first heard about sourdough
from my parents. In the late
WHERE TO WRITE
GRANT COUNTY
• Grant County Courthouse — 201 S.
Humbolt St., Suite 280, Canyon City 97820.
Phone: 541-575-0059. Fax: 541-575-2248.
• Canyon City — P.O. Box 276, Canyon City
97820. Phone: 541-575-0509. Fax: 541-575-
0515. Email: tocc1862@centurylink.net.
• Dayville — P.O. Box 321, Dayville 97825.
Phone: 541-987-2188. Fax: 541-987-2187.
Email: dville@ortelco.net
• John Day — 450 E. Main St, John Day,
97845. Phone: 541-575-0028. Fax: 541-575-
1721. Email: cityjd@centurytel.net.
• Long Creek — P.O. Box 489, Long Creek
97856. Phone: 541-421-3601. Fax: 541-421-
3075. Email: info@cityofl ongcreek.com.
• Monument — P.O. Box 426, Monument
97864. Phone and fax: 541-934-2025. Email:
cityofmonument@centurytel.net.
• Mt. Vernon — P.O. Box 647, Mt. Vernon
97865. Phone: 541-932-4688. Fax: 541-932-
4222. Email: cmtv@ortelco.net.
• Prairie City — P.O. Box 370, Prairie City
97869. Phone: 541-820-3605. Fax: 820-3566.
Email: pchall@ortelco.net.
• Seneca — P.O. Box 208, Seneca 97873.
Phone and fax: 541-542-2161. Email:
senecaoregon@gmail.com.
SALEM
• Gov. Kate Brown, D — 254 State Capitol,
Salem 97310. Phone: 503-378-3111. Fax:
503-378-6827. Website: governor.state.or.us/
governor.html.
• Oregon Legislature — State Capitol, Salem,
97310. Phone: 503-986-1180. Website: leg.
state.or.us (includes Oregon Constitution and
Oregon Revised Statutes).
• Oregon Legislative Information —
(For updates on bills, services, capitol or
messages for legislators) — 800-332-2313,
oregonlegislature.gov.
• Sen. Lynn Findley, R-Vale — 900 Court St.
NE, S-301, Salem 97301. Phone: 503-986-
1730. Website: oregonlegislature.gov/fi ndley.
Email: sen.lynnfi ndley@oregonlegislature.
gov.
• Rep. Mark Owens, R-Crane — 900 Court St.
NE, H-475, Salem 97301. Phone: 503-986-1460.
District address: 258 S. Oregon St., Ontario OR
97914. District phone: 541-889-8866. Website:
oregonlegislature.gov/fi ndley. Email: rep.
markowens@oregonlegislature.gov.
1930s, they each
traveled to Fair-
banks, Alaska,
for an adven-
ture where they
met each other
and married. In
Jean Ann
my childhood,
Moultrie
they related tales
of trappers and
gold prospectors with their sour-
dough starts kept warm by the
woodstove. My Alaskan sour-
dough start did not come from my
parents.
When the Japanese bombed
Pearl Harbor, my parents, con-
cerned the Japanese might bomb
Alaska, packed and left. No time
for sourdough starts.
Years later, a friend asked
if I’d like an authentic Alas-
kan sourdough start. She noted
her husband had been in Alaska
before they married and he
brought back a start.
“My husband is so careful to
keep the start alive,” my friend
said, “he brought it with us on our
honeymoon.”
My sourdough journey began
in earnest.
I discovered San Francisco
sourdough breads possessed a dis-
tinctive flavor, a sharpness. My
Alaskan sourdough start gave
breads a rich yet mild flavor,
and a nice texture without the
sharpness.
I kept my sourdough start fed.
(One cup of flour, one cup of
warm water.)
In time, I got distracted feed-
ing family, houseplants, animals,
etc. and neglected feeding my
sourdough. I went on vacation
and didn’t take it with me. The
start died into a puddle of off-col-
ored liquid.
Years later in Oregon, I pur-
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Feeling grateful
for public health
workers
To the Editor:
I think it’s time to take a moment
to give a shout-out to Grant
County Public Health for the
amazing job they’ve been doing
the last couple years.
Administrator Kimberly Lind-
say and her entire crew have
worked hard through this pan-
demic to get us the vaccines in
a timely and organized manner.
Despite shortages and unpredict-
able supplies (especially at the
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MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION
beginning) and logistical chal-
lenges, they have risen to the
occasion.
COVID is a moving target. We
are lucky to have Grant County
Public Health and the many other
health care providers in our area.
Richard Bray
Kimberly
L
Blue Mountain
Published every
Wednesday by
chased Oregon pioneer sour-
dough. This sourdough contained
Oregon hops and had a rich yet
mild flavor and texture. I used
it in breads, rolls, cookies, pan-
cakes, and pizza dough.
To keep this start going, I con-
scientiously fed it. I never dis-
carded the part not needed until
I ended up with two gallons of
sourdough.
Still, I couldn’t waste any.
Normally, only a cup or two is
needed for a recipe. I sloshed the
two gallons into a tub-sized bowl,
added a bag of flour, salt, sweet-
ener, oil, and stirred. Kneading
the dough felt like a two-hour
session lifting barbells at a gym.
The taste and texture turned out
so sharp I could have grabbed a
loaf, hauled it out to the woodpile
chopping block, and used the loaf
to split kindling.
I started again with a cup of
refreshed sourdough along with a
pinch of yeast, and flour enough
to make a slurry. The solution
turned bubbly and fragrant. The
family, distracted by a visiting
bookmobile, forgot to check on it.
Later, I found the sourdough had
escaped the bowl, flowed across
the counter, oozed into the sil-
verware drawer, and looked as
though it was trying to escape out
the back door.
Friends suggested this scene
had the makings of a horror flick
titled “The Sourdough That Ate
Grant County.”
Lately, no one has stopped by
for soup and bread.
Jean Ann Moultrie is a Grant
County writer. Her next culinary
adventure: discover the ultimate
biscuit recipe, as in biscuits and
gravy. The freshened sourdough,
buttermilk, and flour are mea-
sured and ready …
Phone: 541-575-0710
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