TWO The Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon, Thursday March 8, 1979
The Heppner
GAZETTE-TIMES
WDl3pFDC0EL?
Use tax surplus for highway repair
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The condition of highways throughout the
state and especially it seems, here in
Eastern Oregon are in desperate need of
repair but so far we haven't heard where the
money will come from.
One proposal that we like would have the
state's $215-million surplus property tax
revenues used for fixing roads instead of
giving each taxpayer in the state a small
rebate check.
Other proposals dealing with the state's
highways are before the Oregon legislature
and on this page is a special report from
Eagle Newspaper's Tom Decker concerning
those proposals.
The bottom line is that Oregonians will
determine what is done with deteriorated
highways and future highway and gas tax
funds. Write your state senators and
representatives and let them know what you
think.
Hats off to local
State Farmer
FFA members
Congratulations this week to Julie Grieb
and Marie Van Schoiack, Heppner Future
Farmer of America members who received
the coveted State Farmer award.
Less than three per cent of the state's
FFA members receive the award which is
given on the basis of outstanding supervised
projects, participation in FFA activities and
leadership and involvement within their
community.
While we're on' the subject of FFA, the
Heppner chapter will hold its largest
fund-raiser of the year tonight Thursday,
March 8 in the cafetorium at HHS. At 7 p.m.
sharp, more than 30 members of the chapter
will go on the auction block to the highest
bidder for an eight-hour day of work.
Bank of Eastern Oregon President Gene
Pierce passed on a bit of information to us this
past week concerning Oregon's non-interstate
highway system. The implication is that
maybe it's time for Oregon voters to take a
second look about providing more money
through licensing, perhaps for road con
struction and maintenance.
The article is taken from Oregon Tax
Research's publication, "Your Taxes" as
follows :
Oregon the only place to drive. Now that
we can readily see the winter-caused damage
to our streets and highways, it may be
appropriate to review the cost of licensing an
automobile or pickup in Oregon, compared to
other western states. Having just received the
results of a survey of licensing costs in the
capital cities of the 11 western states, it may
be of interest to legislators and the general
public where we stand in the field.
"Below is a table showing the costs
together with a comparison of costs in the last
5 years. The tables should be self-explanatory.
State
1978 1973
Montana $ 213.85 $ 79.25
Colorado 144.83 31.74
Wyoming 122.16 35.94
Arizona 109.44 25.38
California 98.00 1900
Washington 83.10 44.60
Nevada 80.50 30.50
Utah 76.50 24.50
New Mexico 36.00 18.00
Idaho 29.40 21.00
Oregon 10.00 10.00
11 State Avg. 91.25 30.90
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"Automobile is a Ford LTD, 4-dr, Series
63-V8, air conditioning, power brakes and
steering, radio.
We agree with Oregon Tax Research that
it is time to look at providing more funds for
state highways, providing those funds do
actually get used for highway construction
and maintenance.
Sifting through
the TIME
Heppner's shooting skills were in the news 50 years ago
this week, when the Heppner Rod and Gun Club outshot
teams from Coquille, North Bend, Washington County and
Medford to remain in first place in the Oregon Telegraphic
Trapshooting Meet.
"Knoblock and Van Marter of Heppner went straight on
the first 25 birds for Heppner," the Gazette-Times reported.
Van Marter racked up another 25 straight in the second
round, making it 50 in a row.
During the same week in 1929, O.W. Cutsforth of
Lexington became the first Morrow Countian to contract the
coming wheat crop. Cutsforth sold his wheat for July and
August delivery through the Brown Warehouse Co.
State highway repair a billion dollar affair
The following is a special report from
Tom Decker, special legislative reporter
stationed in Salem for Eagle Newspapers,
Incorporated, of which the Heppner Gazette
Times is a member newspaper.
SALEM Financing Oregon's highway
repairs over the next ten years will take over
$1 billion and the director of the state
Department of Transportation last week
proposed several different tax alternatives to
meet cost.
First on the list of tax alternatives was an
"inflation sensitive" gas tax which would
reflect changing trends in the economy.
Transportation Director Fred Klaboe, re
sponding to a request for alternatives from
the Senate Transportation Committee, also
provided examples of vehicle fee increases,
automobile registration hikes and excise
taxes which might be used to pay for needed
highway work.
Committee chairman Dell Isham, a
Lincoln City Democrat representing District
2, said later he asked for the review of taxing
alternatives because Oregon's highway
deterioration has increased dramatically.
"We have to reverse the trend since 1973
when (roads) really started to get bad,"
Isham said, adding that new threats of gas
shortages could mean more problems for
Oregon tax revenues.
But Isham also urged caution in the
review of any new tax scheme. Voters have
turned back three proposals to increase
highway funds within the last several years,
he noted.
Klaboe told committee members that
Oregon was the first state to try a fuel tax to
help pay for road repairs. Now, he added,
only three states have a lower gasoline tax
rate than Oregon: Texas, Nevada and
Oklahoma.
To salvage deteriorating highways, eight
states are considering legislation to increase
gas taxes this year, Klaboe said. Other
proposals, including sales taxes, increases in
fees and other fuel taxes, are under study in
at least 14 states.
After listening to the alternatives
proposed by the Transportation Department,
Isham said the committee would explore
ways to combine the various taxing
approaches.
' "I think most of these are good ideas," he
said. "I would like to see a combination of
approaches so it's not all lumped into one
bill."
Whatever the approach the committee
accepts, Isham stressed the urgent need for
additional money.
"We can spend $200,000 now to resurface
a highways or we can wait a couple of years to
spend $1 million to reconstruct the whole
thing," he said.
Klaboe said the inflation-triggered gas
tax, which includes limit on increases of one
cent per year and an 11 cent tax ceiling, would
be a "good thing to have." But he stressed
that it was drafted at the request of the Senate
Committee.
If the tax increases were adopted, the
Transportation Department estimated it
would provide $204 million in additional
revenues between 1981, the first year of the
tax hike would take effect, and 1985.
At an earlier hearing, the committee
heard a Transportation Department report on
the conditions of Oregon roads. About 58 per
cent of the state system, over 4,400 miles of
pavement, shows moderate to extreme
deterioration, the report showed.
Also under consideration in the Senate is
a proposed consitutional amendment which
would restrict the use of highway funds to
road maintenance and construction.
Sponsored by state senators Bob Smith
and L.B. Day, the proposals would shift
funding for state parks, state police and
several other agencies from the highway fund
to the state general fund.
The amendment would add roughly $60
million for highway work.
SUBSCRIPTION RATE
$8.00 In Morrow, Umatilla, Wheeler & Gilliam County; $10.00 elsewhere
The Heppner
ZETTE-TME
Morrow County's Award-Winning Weekly Wewspaper
The Official Newspaper of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow
Publiihed every Thursday and entered as second-class marter at the Post Office at Heppner, Oregon, under the Act
of March 3, 1879. Second-class postage paid at Heppner, Oregon.
A
G.M. Reed, Publisher
Rick Steelhammer, News Editor
Gayle Rush, Composition
Dolores Reed, Co-publisher
Eileen Sating, Office Manager
Melissa Scott, Composition
Ron Jordan, Printer
Terry M. Hager, Managing Editor
Justine Weatherford, Local Columnist
Cindi Doherty, AdvertisingOffice
R.A. Thompson, who lost some 100 head of sheep in an
attack by dogs the previous month, was allowed $2,016 in
damages by the county court. Funds were to be paid out of
the county's new dog tax fees. The only hitch to Thompson's
settlement was that there was not $2,016 in the county dog tax
fund.
But most of the news around the county was even more
mundane. The Gazette-Times reported that "little Earl Clary
had the misfortune to mash his thumb quite badly in the car
door of a Ford Coupe belonging to Willard Hawley," and that
"Charles Melville of Alpine started spring plowing with one
team on Monday. He hopes to put on another in the near
future."
The G-T also carried this puzzling classified ad:
"Lost lower plate false teeth. Finder leave at this office."
Thirty years ago this week, E.H. Bailey purchased a
building from Mrs. Etta Bristow in lone, announcing that he
planned to operate a garage at the site.
Twenty-five years ago this week, Paul Hanson, formerly
of Warrenton, Ore., announced that he was opening Ranch
Aero, a crop dusting service, in Heppner. Hanson was
formerly affiliated with Midland Air Service in Heppner.
The Heppner Mustangs edged Wahtonka 51-50 and nipped
Vale 49-47 to win the District 7A-2 Championship at
LaGrande. Heppner's Jon O'Donnell and John McCabe were
named to the tournament's all-star team.
During the same week in 1969, the Port of Morrow
acquired a deed to a 4,000 acre block of land along the
Columbia River at Boardman.
Five years ago this week, three Heppner boys played a
role in preventing the Dale Holland home from going up in
smoke.
Todd Rogers, John Bier and Greg Groshen were playing
basketball when they noticed smoke seeping from the roof of
the Holland home. The boys contacted neighbors, who in turn
alerted the fire department, and meanwhile, did what they
could to knock down flames with a garden hose.
HUVftKlS FROM READERS
Picture
Credit
Nearly everyone will have a
story to tell about where they
were and what they were
doing during the total eclipse
of 1979, but Henry Krebs' true
tale may be a bit more
interesting than most. Tend
ing to lambing duties at the
Krebs Brothers sheep opera
tion at Cecil on the morning of
the eclipse, the ewe pictured
above gave birth to the first
half of a set of coal black twins
as the sun started to disappear
behind the moon. Moments
later, the second black sheep
began its life in the eerie
darkness of totality. The odds
for a black ewe having black
twins are fairly high. But to
give birth to black twins
during the darkness of a total
eclipse, the odds are, well,
astronomical.
Gazette-Times Classifieds
Bring Quick Results
Phone 676-9228
Vote on dam appreciated by writer
Editor:
I am pleased to read that we will be
allowed to vote on the dam. I fail to see what
good the dam would do, as the water seldom
comes down the same canyons.
It would be much wiser to keep the creeks
clean of trash. Also, the money is needed for
the water system, which is in need of repair
badly.
I feel much safer as is, rather than live
below a dirt dam. We have had two floods
since I moved in my house on Chase Street.
I hope enough people will vote so the dam
will be stopped once-and-for-all. I think we
should be able to decide some thing and not
have outsiders stick their noses in when they
don't belong.
Martha Van Schoiack
(Editor's Note: For clarification, the
proposed Willow Creek Dam is a rock-fill,
impervious core structure, different than a
dirt-fill dam as referred to by Mrs. Van
Schoiack in her letter.)
Public Officials
, U.S. Sen.
Mark O. Hatfield
Russell Serrate Office Bldg., Washington,
D.C. 20510. Member of Appropriations
Committee, Interior Committee, Rules Com
mittee, and Indian Policy Review Commis
sion. Portland office, Pioneer Courthouse,
Rm. 107, 520 S.W. Morrison, Portland, Ore.
97204, phone 221-3386.
U.S. Sen.
Bob Packwood
Dirksen Senate Office Bldg., Washington,
D.C. 20510. Member of Finance Committee
and Commerce Committee. Portland office,
1002 N.E. Holladay, Rm. 700 (P.O. Box 3621),
Portland, Ore. 97208, phone 233-4471.
U.S. Rep. ArUllman,
Of The Second District
House Office Bldg., Washington, D.C.
20515. Member of Ways and Means Commit
tee. Salem office, 530 Center St., Rm 330 (P.O.
Box 247), Salem, Ore. 97308, phone 399-5724.
Gov. Vic Atiyeh
State Capitol, Salem, Ore. 97310, phone
378-3100.
State Sen.
Ken Jernstedt
: (Morrow, Gilliam and other counties),"
State Capitol, Rm. S317, Salem, Ore. 97310,
phone 378-8850.
State Sen.
Robert Smith
(Wheeler, Grant and other counties),
State Capitol, Rm. S323, Salem, Ore. 97310,
phone 378-8176.
-State Rep.
BiU Bellamy
(Morrow, Gilliam Tand other counties),
State Capitol, Rm. H364, Salem, Ore. 97310,
phone 378-8853.
State Rep.
Max Simpson
(Wheeler, Grant and other counties);
State Capitol, Rm. H481, Salem, Ore. 97310,
phone 378-8789.
IV tin8 infomttion on bills,
hearings, and other doings of the
Oregon Legislature mayadl,
toll-free, 1-8XM52-0290