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BESSIE WETZELL
U OF ORE
NEWSPAPER L13
EUGENE OR 97403
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Hist Mte . ADummal is Satmurday in iHleppner
it
FuH day o
activities is
planned
County faces $ 125,000 in
pivot irrigation pay back
A 1977 law returning pivot
irrigation equipment ' to its
former status as personal
property means that Morrow
County must dig down in its
pockets for some $125,000 to
repay farmers who have been
improperly taxed on their
equipment.
The mixup began in 1975
when the state Department of
Revenue advised counties to
begin taxing the irrigation
systems as real property
instead of personal property,
which was and still is, in the
process of being phased out of
the tax books. The Revenue
Department decision was ap
pealed in Oregon Tax Court by
six Morrow County corporate
farms and the court ruled in
favor of the irrigators.
A Revenue Department
counter appeal to the Oregon
Supreme Court was still on the
docket when the legislature
took action in the last session,
returning the pivots to the
personal property tax rolls
until he phase out is complete
in 1980. The counter appeal
has since been withdrawn by
the Revenue Department.
Because of the large num
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Saturday. Feb. 25. Heppner Elks Lodge BPOE 358, will
celebrate 81 years of Elkdom and preparations are well
under way to make this year's Annual the biggest and best
ever.
Registration for the day's events will be held at the
Elks Lodge, beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday. The ladies
Champagne Tea will start at 1:30 p.m., with activities for
ladies of all ages. Pinochle, bridge and ognib will be played,
and numerous doorprizes awarded to lucky ticketholders. ,
Lodge and Ritual will begin at 2 p.m., with the officers of
Condon's Elks Lodge performing the Ritual. Approximately
40 new members will be initiated during the afternoon
meeting.
Dinner will be served from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., with dancing
to follow from 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.
Highlighting the Annual will be music presented by two
musical groups very popular with Heppner Elks. The Jim
; Ackley Band will play for dancing on the Main Floor. Music
Jnr dancing in the upstair's Lodge Room will be provided by
:. former Heppnerites. the Leonnig Family, including Ron Sr..
Roger, Lorraine and Melinda Ann.
Following the dancing, breakfast will be served from 2
a.m. to 4 a.m. Charge for the entire proceedings will be $17
per couple, or $8.50 single. The charge for those attending
only to dance will be $5 per couple, or $3 single.
Only Elks members and their out-of-town guests will be
admitted. Membership cards will be checked at registration.
ber of pivot irrigators here,
Morrow County is by far the
hardest hit of all counties in
the state and must shoulder 65
per cent of the state payback
total. The actual amount in
taxes to be paid back by
Morrow County has been set
at $106,186. but tacked on to
that figure is a 12 per cent
annual interest rate which
increases., the amount,, by
$19.(100. i ...
With the interest figure
continuing to rise repayment
from 1975 includes 24 per cent
interest the county is filing a
supplemental budget so the
money can be paid back
during the current fiscal year.
As a result, all 19 entities
receiving tax money from the
county will be getting propor
tionately less than is budgeted
to them.
Feeling the worst effects in
the county is the Morrow
County School District which
receives 62 per cent of the
county tax money and will in
effect, have to contribut 62 per
cent of the pay back. After
learning of the payback re
quirement, the district shut off
all purchase orders a month
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ago in an effort to trim
expenses for the current year.
Supt. Matt Doherty said
since that time, district admi
nistrators have identified
areas of the budget that can be
more easily underspent and
purchase orders have been
resumed in some areas.
"We're starting to move
again, but cautiously." Do
herty said., ,,
" Twenty-one farmers, in ad
dition to the six corporates
which filed the Tax Court
appeal, are eligible for the pay
back and have until June 30 to
make their refund applica
tions. Weather
by Don Gilliam
HILowPrec
Wed , Feb. 15 ' 43 26 .11
Thurs..Feb. 16 45 27
FrL.Feb. 17 47 31 .02
Sat.. Feb. 18 51 30 .11
Sun., Feb. 19 49 42
Mon.,Feb.20 42 37
Tues.,Feb.21 46 36
G
Doc 9 Slterer oversees 1,080
"I can sit here in my office
and tell you where every
culvert in every road in this
county is," commented 'doc'
Sherer, looking back over a
career with the Morrow Coun
ty Road Department that
spans 42 years.
Roadmaster Sherer has
worked under six judges since
joining the department at age
27 and expects he will be
retiring "one of these days."
Starting as a truck driver in
September of 1935, 'Doc' took
over as roadmaster in 1943,
though the official title wasn't
bestowed until later.
"Most of the roads were dirt
when I started", Sherer said,
adding that the present county
road system includes 1,080
miles with 378 miles of road
now oiled.
Will he be glad to retire?
. 'Doc' Sherer, Morrow Coun
ty roadmaster: "I guess I'll be
glad to get away from all the
problems.
THE
VOL. 96 NO. 8
$195,000 asked
A $195,000, three-year road
serial levy will be placed
before Morrow County voters
in a special election next
Tuesday, Feb. 28.
The levy, intended for
county road maintenance and
improvement, reflects an in
crease of $50,000 over the one
approved by voters in 1973. If
passed the tax rate , for
property owners would in
crease approximately 5.7
cents per thousand, from 50.7
cents to 56.4 cents per thou
sand based on an estimated
county valuation of
$340,000,000.
The increase is being asked
by the Morrow County Court
to off-set inflation which has
caused the cost of asphalt,
equipment, labor, gas, freight
and other expenditures by the
Flood plain study
nears completion
The Heppner-Morrow Coun
ty Chamber of Commerce
Flood Plain Study Committee
is continuing to work on
scheduling a public meeting
from which city and county
oficials can make a decision
on the Willow Creek Dam.
The committee is compiling
information on the effects of
the flood plain as it pertains to
Heppner; that information to
be released at the public
meeting. Spokesmen from the
Flood Insurance Administra
tion and the Corp of Engineers
will also be at the meeting.
A meeting date is uncertain
"Oh, I don't know," he
replied. "I guess I'll be glad to
get away from all the prob
lems" The problems 'Doc' deals
with everyday include every
thing from winter snow
storms, spring water damage
and keeping up with basic
road maintenance with a
limited mini-man raod crew.
The primary difficulty faced
by the road department, and
the source of all other prob
lems, according to the road
master is the lack of ttVuUgh
money to keep up with
inflation.
"We used to have 21,22 men
working on the crew. It's been
gradually cut down over the
years," Sherer said. Presently
the road department employs
12 men including the road
crew, two mechanics and the
roadmaster himself. "I could
use twice the crew,", Sherer
said.
Next Tuesday, county resi
dents will be asked to approve
a $195,000 three-year road levy
which represents a $50,000
increase over the levy raised
for many years.
7IFT
HEPPNER, OREGON
oad levy on Tuesday ballot
road department to rise stea
dily in the last few years.
A share of the road levy
fnoney is slated to go to each
of the county's five cities for
street maintenance. If the
levy is approved, Heppner will
receive approximately $4,293;
lone, $843; Lexington,$767;
Irrigon,$l,063; and Board
man, $3,458. These amounts
are based on each city's
estimated valuation, a total of
$36,351,074.
The first road serial levy
was approved for county road
maintenance in 1948 after a
defeat of the county general
budget in 1947 virtually closed
the Morrow County Road
Department, putting it on an
emergency-only basis. That
first levy raised approximate
ly $120,000 per year and rose to
at this time, according to
Terry M. Hager, committee
chairman, but hopes are that
it can be held on March 6 or 7.
Resurrection of the Willow
Creek Dam Project surfaced
last month when Senator
Mark Hatfield indicated that
funding could be obtained
from this year's Congress.
Heppner's flood plain and an
imposing ordinance requiring
flood-proofing of any future
buildings constructed in much
of the city has caused much
local concern. The dam would
virtually eliminate Heppner's
flood plain, according to Corp
officials.
Sherer said the increase will
help, but couldn't promise it
would enable his crew to do
more road work than it is
already doing. He pointed to
inflation as the culprit, citing,
as an example, the doubling of
the cost of asphalt in the last
four years.
Sherer remembers when the
first levy was passed in 1948,
giving the road department
approximately , $120,000 per
year for five years, its only
source of income at the time.
Previously, road department
funds came out of the court's
general budget, but with the
defeat of the budget in the
spring of 1947, it became
apparent that another revenue
source for the department was
necessary.
After the budget failure,
Sherer recalled, that all of the
road equipment was stored in
the shed and the road crew
dismissed. Consternation over
the worsening condition of the
county roads prompted the
formation of a committee of
concerned county residents
who organized the push to get
the first five-year road levy
TE-TIMES
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23. 1978
a high of $150,000 in the 1967
special election, and was cut
back to $145,000 in 1973. The
rate per thousand has steadily
decreased as county property
has increased.
The road levy money, to
1
Heppner Lions (l-r) Dave Harrison, Frank Pearson, Lee
display one of the jackets that the club will sell to benefit
Mothers' March
A total of $2,215 was raised
in the county for the March
of Dimes during the annual
Mothers' March held earlier
this month. Eight marchers in
lone, 36 in Heppner and 15 in
Boardman and Irrigon joined
this year's drive.
lone marchers, led by Linda
put to a vote. According to
Sherer, bad storms that
caused extensive bridge and
road damage helped the
passage of the levy on May 21,
1948.
The levy has increased very
little in 30 years, and Sherer
said one increase, $7",000, was
voted down in the 1960's. A
levy defeat this year would not
completely close down opera
tions as it did in 1947, he
added, because the road
department now receives
money from forest service
receipts and the Oregon Motor
License Fund. Sherer esti
mates the present levy is
approximately half of the total
budget in a normal year,
though forest receipts in 1977
were almost triple the usual
amount.
The roadmaster said his job
was "to keep everything going
and to keep everyone happy
but I don't do that." He
commented that "I've been
here so long I've made as
many enemies as friends." He
mentioned one unnamed per
son who told Sherer recently
that he was going to make up
12 PAGES
gether with forest receipts and
the county's share of the
Oregon Motor License fund,
goes to maintain and improve
1,080 miles of county roads.
Ongoing projects include re
pairing water damage, grad
' l
Now on sale
LaRue, collected $133; the
Boardman-Irrigon group,
spearheaded by Marylou Dal
toso, raised $850; and Heppner
marchers, organized by Beta
Gamma, added $627 to the
March of Dimes fight against
birth defects.
miles of roads
some posters to try to get the
roadmaster fired. "I said to go
ahead, I'd even help him
distribute them," Sherer said
with a laugh. "We get lots of
criticism, some of it war
ranted and some of it not," he
added.
This time of the year, the
road crew spends a lot of time
repairing washouts caused by
heavy rains. Five men re
cently worked two days haul
ing rock to fill in a 150 yard
wash out on the Keck Canyon
Road.
Sherer said it is impossible
to keep up on road repair,
especially in the spring. "How
can you when it hits you
everywhere at once," he
asked. "It's a big county we
take care of."
Weather mainly dictates
what road work goes on in a
given season. In the winter the
crew fights snow and ice and
crushes rock. In the spring
road repair and blading takes
precedence. All of the oiling
which requires the entire
crew is done in the summer,
and blading begins again in
the fall. Road repair is, of
course, an all year priority.
15c
ing, sanding ice and snow,
controlling noxious weeds,
oiling roads, crushing rock for
fill, putting in needed culverts,
repairing damaged bridges
and clearing brush from
roadsides.
Hazen and John Edmundson
the Heppner band program.
Although the total was
slightly less than last .'ear,
Pat Gentry, Morrow County
coordinator of the Mothers'
March said, "I was very
satisfied with the drive.
Everyone did a good job and it
was a big success."
The roadmaster said the
department, in addition to
county road work, also helps
the cities out in emergencies.
He pointed to two temporary
bridges his crew built, and the
clean up work done in Hepp
ner, after the Shobe Canyon
flood in 1971, as examples. The
department also seals city
streets, with the cities paying
the cost. Sherer said his crew
oiled four miles of streets in
lone not too long ago.
When he retires, Sherer said
he doesn't know what he'll do.
He said between his road
master job and operating a
small ranch north of lone, "I
haven't had any spare time in
40 years.
The roadmaster's son, Dick
Sherer, works for the road
department as a mechanic,
Following in his father's
footsteps? 'Doc' remarked,
"I've been discouraging
that."
Though retirement is in
sight for 'Doc' Sherer, it is
doubtful that anyone else in
the county has ever left a
mark that extends 1,080 miles.
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