NEWS MyEagleNews.com Wednesday, July 27, 2022 A3 Green contract holds up to scrutiny By JUSTIN DAVIS Blue Mountain Eagle JOHN DAY — When Nick Green resigned last month as John Day’s city manager and took on a high-paid consulting role for the city, some observers cried foul. But an investiga- tion by the Blue Mountain Eagle found no evidence of wrongdoing. As reported earlier, Green offi cially resigned from the position of city manager during the June 14 session of the John Day City Coun- cil. At the same meeting, the council voted to bring Green on as a consultant for the city. Green is slated to make no less than $150,00 a year as a consultant with the possibil- ity of earning up to $200,000 if additional service are required. Green’s compensa- tion as city manager was just over $107,000 yearly, includ- ing benefi ts. Green’s duties will include strategic fi nancial plan- ning, capital asset manage- ment, master planning, code implementation and contract administration. Additional services pro- vided by Green would likely come in the form of grant writing. An amended services agreement between Green and the city states that Green will not perform any addi- tional services unless the City Council provides Green with a written request. Is it legal? While the timing might seem abrupt in this case, transitioning from a role as Green city manager into a role as a consultant for the same entity is a common occurrence. But is it legal? The short answer is yes, the transition is legal. Jack Orchard is a Portland-based attorney who advises newspapers within the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association about legal issues. According to Orchard, there is nothing illegal about the hire. Is it ethical? The question of whether Green’s hire as a consultant for the city is ethical isn’t as clear- cut as simply citing Oregon revised statutes. ORS 244.40 states that “a public offi cial may not use or attempt to use their offi cial position to obtain fi nancial gain or avoidance of fi nancial detriment ... if the fi nancial gain or avoidance of fi nancial detriment would not otherwise be available but for the public offi cial’s holding of the offi cial position or offi ce.” Green created his consult- ing company, Catalyst Public Policy Advisors, at the end of March, prior to his offi cial res- ignation as city manager. However, by that time Green had already announced plans to step down. At the Jan. 25 meeting of the John Day City Council, Green said he intended to resign as city man- ager by the end of June, cit- ing long hours and job-related stress, including verbal attacks on himself and his family by critics of his work for the city. In public meetings over the following weeks, several city councilors expressed a desire for Green to continue working for the city in some capacity. Some councilors raised concerns that the various proj- ects started during Green’s six- year tenure as city manager would either stall or fail outright without his involvement. Is Green overpaid? A concern voiced by crit- ics of the move is the cost of the consulting contract. Green 1188 plan, downtown rezone move ahead city in the 1980s that stated his home would not be annexed into the city. The vote to pass the motion ended in a 3-3 tie. The motion will be continued to the Aug. 23 John Day Planning Com- mission meeting as a motion cannot end in a tie and must pass or fail by at least a single vote. In other action, the planning com- mission decided to push three agenda items out until its next meeting on Aug. 23 due to unfamiliarity with the laws and regulations that govern the agenda items. The three agenda items deal with land use proposals at the Grant County Airport Industrial Park. AMD 22-02 would’ve clarifi ed and refi ned land use regulations pertain- ing to residential dwellings in the gen- eral industrial and airport industrial park zones. CUP 22-02 was an appli- cation by the Oregon Department of Forestry for a conditional use permit to conduct helipad operations within the airport industrial park and the airport safety and compatibility overlay zone. AMD 22-03 would have amended land uses within the airport industrial park zone to allow for self-service storage facilities. All three proposals, as well as the proposal to annex Pereira’s home into the city, will be re-evaluated on Aug. 23. By JUSTIN DAVIS Blue Mountain Eagle JOHN DAY — Several items were on the agenda during the John Day Planning Commission’s Thursday, July 21, session, including Shannon Adair’s development proposal for the Innova- tion Gateway, plans to rezone sections of downtown and an eff ort to annex a residential property owned by Bob Pereira into the city of John Day. The fi rst item on the agenda was a request for site design review and land partition for mixed-use development for 1188 Destinations. Shannon Adair is looking to build an eating and drinking establishment in the Innovation Gate- way as an expansion of her current 1188 brewery and restaurant operation. The development will also include an enter- tainment venue and overnight lodging. Land uses for the development are categorized as retail sales and commer- cial uses. The motion to approve the request for site design review passed the plan- ning commission 5-1. The lone no vote was due to concerns the development would further strain the city’s sewer sys- tem in the absence of a new wastewater treatment plant. The commission also considered a Justin Davis/Blue Mountain Eagle From left, 1188 Destinations business partners Julie Bowling, John Spencer, Shannon Adair and Jeremy Adair sit outside 1188 Brewing in John Day on Mon- day, June 20, 2022. The partners plan to build a distillery, restaurant and other facilities as part of the Innovation Gateway development. proposal to rezone a number of proper- ties downtown from their current desig- nation of general commercial or down- town to residential commercial. The rezoning covers 78 properties. Properties on Northwest First and Second avenues, North Canyon Boule- vard, Northeast First and Second ave- nues, Northeast Dayton Street, North- east Elm Street and a single property on East Main Street will be aff ected by the rezoning. The agenda item passed unani- mously with an amendment to allow tiny homes on the rezoned properties. The proposal will head to the John Day City Council for approval. A motion to annex Bob Pereira’s house into the city limits was also heard at the planning commission session. Pereria’s home is located at 373 Pat- terson Bridge Road and is surrounded by the corporate boundaries of the city while still remaining outside city limits. The motion proposed chang- ing Pereira’s zoning designation from county industrial general to city general industrial. Pereira opposed the annexation and said he had made an agreement with the is slated to make $150,000 a year in base pay, plus $225 an hour for services that are out- side the scope of his duties as the city’s consultant. Green’s pay is capped at no more than $200,000 a year. While those fi gures might seem high to some, they are within the range of compen- sation for urban planning consultants. Glassdoor.com lists urban consultant pay as ranging between $49,000 a year at the low end to $467,000 a year at the high end. Glass- door also lists $66,000 a year to $206,000 a year as the most likely range of pay for urban planning consultants. The median pay for the position is $104,149 a year. Blue Mountain Eagle to stream governor candidate debate on Friday Blue Mountain Eagle JOHN DAY — The three leading candidates in the race to become Ore- gon’s next governor will appear live at a forum Fri- day, July 29, hosted by the Oregon Newspaper Pub- lishers Association. Republican nominee Christine Drazan, Demo- cratic nominee Tina Kotek and unaffi liated candi- date Betsy Johnson are all scheduled to debate starting at 2 p.m. in Welches. The forum is moder- ated by Pamplin Media Group President Mark Gar- ber. Questions will come from editors of newspapers across Oregon. The debate will be lives- treamed on the Blue Moun- tain Eagle’s website, begin- ning at 2 p.m. July 29. WHAT’S HAPPENING THURSDAY, JULY 28 3 to 5 p.m., John Day Fire Hall, 316 S. Canyon Blvd. • Grant County Republican Central Committee meeting Grant County Republicans will meet to discuss the 113th Grant County Parade, Fair and Rodeo and precinct committee person appointments. The pub- lic is welcome. W HAT’S HAPPENING ly-friendly movies screened outdoors on the football fi eld at Grant Union. Tonight’s selec- tion: “Bad Guys.” FRIDAY, JULY 29 Prairie City Street Fair • 4-8 p.m., downtown Prai- rie City Sponsored by Oregon RAIN, this free event features music, food, games and booths selling the wares of Grant County arti- sans. For more information, con- tact Zach Denney at 541-589- 5565 or zach@oregonrain.org. SATURDAY, JULY 30 Grant County Farmers Market • 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., South Washington Street, Canyon City Locally-grown produce and other items for sale in an open- air setting every Saturday from mid-June through mid-October. SUNDAY, JULY 31 Silvies Sunday Slam • 11:30 a.m., The Retreat and Links at Silvies Valley Ranch, 11 miles south of Seneca on For- est Road 3930 Couples date: Any two peo- ple play for $50 apiece (hus- band/wife, boyfriend girlfriend, father/daughter, mother/son, etc.). Sunday Slams, open to all Grant and Harney County residents, include golf, cart, range balls and a hotdog lunch. Check-in at the gatehouse starts at 11:30 a.m., with the fi rst tee time at 1 p.m. Call 800-SIL- VIES to sign up. SATURDAY, AUG. 6 Grant County Farmers Market • 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., South Washington Street, Canyon City Locally-grown produce and other items for sale in an open- air setting every Saturday from mid-June through mid-October. Family Movie Night • Dusk, Grant Union Junior/ Senior High School, 911 S. Can- yon Blvd., John Day A free series of fami- SUNDAY, AUG. 7 Silvies Sunday Slam • 11:30 a.m., The Retreat and Links at Silvies Valley Ranch, 11 miles south of Seneca on For- est Road 3930 Couples date: Any two peo- ple play for $50 each (hus- band/wife, boyfriend girlfriend, father/daughter, mother/son, etc.). Sunday Slams, open to all Grant and Harney County residents, include golf, cart, range balls and a hotdog lunch. Check-in at the gatehouse starts at 11:30 a.m., with the fi rst tee time at 1 p.m. Call 800-SIL- VIES to sign up. SATURDAY, AUG. 13 Grant County Farmers Market • 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., South Washington Street, Canyon City Locally-grown produce and other items for sale in an open- air setting every Saturday from mid-June through mid-October. SATURDAY, AUG. 20 Grant County Farmers Market • 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., South Washington Street, Canyon City Locally-grown produce and other items for sale in an open- air setting every Saturday from mid-June through mid-October. Family Movie Night • Dusk, Grant Union Junior/ Senior High School, 911 S. Can- yon Blvd., John Day A free series of fami- ly-friendly movies screened outdoors on the football fi eld at Grant Union. Tonight’s selec- tion: “Cliff ord the Big Red Dog.” SUNDAY, AUG. 28 Silvies Sunday Slam • 11:30 a.m., The Retreat and Links at Silvies Valley Ranch, 11 miles south of Seneca on For- est Road 3930 Couples date: Any two peo- ple play for $50 each (hus- band/wife, boyfriend girlfriend, father/daughter, mother/son, etc.). Sunday Slams, open to all Grant and Harney County residents, include golf, cart, range balls and a hotdog lunch. Check-in at the gatehouse starts at 11:30 a.m., with the fi rst tee time at 1 p.m. Call 800-SIL- VIES to sign up. and Harney County residents, include golf, cart, range balls and a hotdog lunch. Check-in at the gatehouse starts at 11:30 a.m., with the fi rst tee time at 1 p.m. Call 800-SILVIES to sign up. SUNDAY, SEPT. 25 Silvies Sunday Slam • 11:30 a.m., The Retreat and Links at Silvies Valley Ranch, 11 miles south of Seneca on For- est Road 3930 CONGRATULATIONS!!! Ken & Shirly Kindig are RETIRING! After many years of working their assets off, Ken and Shirly have made the calculated decision to retire. Celebration will be held July 30th For more information contact Alyse at 541-821-4884. On Saturday 30 July we will be Celebrating 45 years of Marriage. Has it really been 45 years? The time went so fast. You have been the best partner a guy could ever ask for. Thanks for sticking it out with me. Dave Do you have a community event you’d like to publicize? Email information to editor@ bmeagle.com. The deadline is noon Friday for publication the following Wednesday. Showing Movies Since 1940! 1809 1st Street • Baker City  JULY 29- AUG 4  DC LEAGUE OF SUPERPETS (PG) Krypto the Super-Dog and Superman are best friends, shar- ing the same superpowers. When Superman is kidnapped, Krypto must master his own powers for a rescue mission. Fri - Sun Mon - Thurs 1:20, 4:20, 7:20 4:20, 7:20 MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS (PG) A widowed cleaning lady in 1950s London falls madly in love with a couture Dior dress, and decides that she must have one of her own. Fri - Sun Mon - Thurs 1:10, 4:10, 7:10 4:10, 7:10 NOPE (R) The residents of a lonely gulch in inland California bear witness to an uncanny and chilling discovery. Fri - Sun Mon - Thurs 1:00, 4:00, 7:00 4:00, 7:00 **SHOWTIMES SUBJECT TO CHANGE. VISIT OUR WEBSITE OR CALL AHEAD TO VERIFY** www.eltrym.com (541) 523-2522 Join Us for the 4th Annual! SUNDAY, SEPT. 4 Silvies Sunday Slam • 11:30 a.m., The Retreat and Links at Silvies Valley Ranch, 11 miles south of Seneca on For- est Road 3930 Labor Day weekend: Wear your biggest, brightest belt buckle, and you and your part- ner play for $50 apiece. Sun- day Slams, open to all Grant The last Sunday Slam of the year is a couples date: Any two people play for $50 each (husband/wife, boyfriend girl- friend, father/daughter, mother/ son, etc.). Sunday Slams, open to all Grant and Harney County residents, include golf, cart, range balls and a hotdog lunch. Check-in at the gatehouse starts at 11:30 a.m., with the fi rst tee time at 1 p.m. Call 800-SIL- VIES to sign up. SPINNIN E G CIRCL 30 VENDORS For information about workshops, please visit our website or email: pcff2019@gmail.com Visit Vendors featuring rugs, fleeces, yarns, socks and more! July 30 & 31, 2022 Workshops July 29, 30 & 31 for up-to-date information visit: www.PrairieCityFiberFest.com