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GAZETTFE-
VOL. 97, NO. 13
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Heppner now has a full-time Department of Motor Vehicles office located at Center and Main -the
former First Federal building staffed by Rose McCoy, pictured above. The DMV office is open
five days a week between 8 a.m. -12 noon and 1-5 p.m. The office is equipped to handle all driver
licensing and vehicle registration, licensing and title changes. Two days each month Mrs. McCoy
will travel to Condon and Fossil. Mrs. McCoy and her husband Ellis, who is semi-retired, moved to
Heppner from Medford. Mrs. McCoy has been with the DMV for the past 14 years.
County, City told to enforce new
flood plain zoning laws
Flood plain management
measures are expected to be
used in Heppner, Lexington,
lone and all of Morrow County
by the Federal Insurance
Administration according to
Chuck Steele, Region X ad
ministrator for the agency
administering flood insur
ance. Steel told members of the
County Court, Heppner City
Council and Planning Com
mission in a meeting here last
Thursday, "It is from this
meeting on, that we expect the
data to be used... you have it
all there in front of you."
The data Steele referred to
are detailed maps showing
flood plain areas in which
regulated construction can
take place, and floodway
areas in which no new
construction will be allowed
except to replace in-kind or
where no increase in flood
depth occurs. Also included
are regulations and specifica
tions for elevating homes to or
above flood plain depths and
floodproofing standards for
non-residential buildings.
A timetable for Heppner
gives local government until
May to review the informa tion
when a final meeting will be
held. Comments solicited
locally will be included with
the information and forward
ed to Housing & Urban
Development (HUD) in June.
By July of this year HUD is
expected to issue a prelimi
nary report which notifies
communities of proposed ele
vations and a 90-day appeal
period begins.
Any appeal made during
that time will have to be
reinforced by scientific data
challenging the hydrological
information used in establish
ing the flood plain.
After the appeals period, in
October 1979, HUD revises the
draft, if necessary, and issues
the final draft and elevations.
The local government has six
months from that time in
which to adopt the flood plain
management measures by
'V'f
DMV office opens
ordinance.
In the meantime, the three
towns and Morrow County
must observe restrictions that
will prohibit new construction
or substantial improvement to
existing property in the newly
designated floodways.
New construction and im
provements allowed by local
government either in the
floodway or flood plain fringe
areas will not have to meet
fbodproofing and elevating
requirements until the city
joins the regular program in
1980. Buildings constructed
Cleanup campaign sweeps
into action this weekend
Heppner's spring clean-up
campaign peaks this weekend
with many groups and indivi
duals participating in a city
wide drive.
Trucks will be moving
through zones in town on
Saturday and Sunday to re
move grass rakings, limbs
and other rubbish piled by
curbs for pick-up. The Colum
bia Basin Electric chipper will
be available all day Saturday
for limb removal and persons
should call Karen Palmer by
Friday at 5 p.m. to give
locations for that service.
The Heppner Lions Club is
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HEPPNER. OREGON
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prior to that time are "grand
fathered" into the subsidized
flood insurance program.
Steel pointed out that few
variances will be allowed for
construction in the floodway
and said that site inspections
will take place in each of the
towns and the county to make
sure the local governments
are observing the regulations.
Flood plain maps may be
viewed at the Heppner City
Hall, Morrow County Plan
ning Office, or by contacting
city officials in lone and
Lexington.
making a sweep of the Willow
Creek channel and youth
groups are planning a general
pick-up of roads leading out of
town.
Several persons are needed
to help man the trucks picking
up rubbish and interested
volunteers are urged to call
Mark Lovgren at CBEC or
Ken Miller at 676-9970 or
676-5158 for assignments.
The Heppner Volunteer Fire
Department will burn off
vacant lots on request by
owners of the property. Per-'
sons wanting that service are
asked to call City Hall.
Whereas, Heppner was
I
and
Whereas, Heppnerites
and
Whereas, the city requires some hard work to
make it attractive, and
Whereas we hope that every citizen will take pride
in the appearance of the City of Heppner,
I hereby proclaim The Week of March 26th through
April 1st as Clean Up Week and a Week devoted to City
Beautification and Improvement asking every citizen
of Heppner to participate in making Heppner a place
and city of which we can be proud.
Jerry Sweeney , Mayor
and The Town Council
n
Morrow County's Award -
County's taxable
450 million nearly half
Morrow Countys total tax
able value this year is
expected to rise to more than
$450 million up sharply from
last year's total of $326
million.
The lion's share of the
increase will come from new
construction at the Carty
coal -fired power plant near
Boardman. County Assessor
Everett Harshman said Mon
day that officials from the
utilities section of the Oregon
Department of Revenue have
informed him that this year's
value for the Carty plant will
rise to $200 million up from
$62 million a year ago.
The $200 million figure takes
into account a portion of last
year's valuation that is cur
rently being appealed by
Portland General Electric,
one of the principals in the
Carty venture. The power
plant is expected to be valued
at more than $500 million
when completed.
Harshman indicated thai he
fell it unlikely that the new
valuation for the Carty site
would be appealed, following
discussions with tax officials
in Salem.
The new $450 million total
value estimate will mean a
substantial reduction in the
tax rate for a number of levies
on the ballot this year,
including Morrow County
schools and Blue Mountain
Community College, both up
for a vote on April 3. Using the
updated total value estimate,
property owners would pay
$8.40 per $1,000 worth of
Election
ballots in
this issue
Sample ballots for the
Tuesday, April 3 election
appear on page eight of this
week's Gazette-Times. In ad
dition to the BMCC and
Morrow County school bud
gets, voters will be asked to
vote on candidates for various
boards and commissions.
hard hit this winter past,
consider their town special,
Winning Weekly Newspaper
THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 1979
property for Morrow County
schools, more than a dollar
lower than the rate they paid
for schools last year.
County school officials had
been using a more conserva
tive estimate of $400 million
for the total value, which
resulted in earlier tax rate
estimates of $9.46 per $1,000
for the pending school levy.
Last year, the rate was $9.59.
Even though the millage
Daniels
request
Blue Mountain Community
College President Ron Daniels
appeared in Heppner last
week to outline the college's
proposed budget for the com
ing year to the Heppner-Morrow
County Chamber of Com
' merce.
The new budget which
faces action at the polls on
April 3 would require a 10
per cent increase in revenue
from taxpayers in Morrow
and Umatilla counties.
Inflation can be blamed for
much of the increase, since
the budget contains no new
major capital improvements,
and adds only one new
teaching position. Salaries for
the BMCC teaching staff
would rise about nine per cent,
totaling about $186,000 of the
budget. Retirement and social
security requirements, how
ever, would take the steepest
jump, rising 23.8 per cent to a
total of more than $73,000.
The total operating budget
for 1979-80 is proposed at $3.94
million up $359,492 from the
current year, Daniels said.
Precisely what that will mean
to taxpayers is not yet known,
since tax officials have not set
true cash value figures for
Morrow or Umatilla counties.
Using the current true cash
value for the district, tax rates
would increase from the
current $1.56 per $1,000 valua
tion to $1.79.
However, true cash value is
expected to increase any
where from 7 to 15 per cent.
Using the lower figure, the tax
rate climb would be less
dramatic climbing to only
$1.67 per $1,000 from the
current $1.56.
Using the current true cash
value rate, the owner of a
$50,000 home could expect his
or her BMCC tax bill to total
$89.50, up $11.50 from the
current rate.
Daniels noted that a deci
sion by the BMCC board of
trustees to use 1977-78 cash
carryover to reduce the 1978
levy has a significant negative
effect on the current budget
proposal. Had the board
decided to levy the total dollar
figure approved by voters on
the third go-around last year,
and used the cash carryover to
reduce this year's levy, "the
result would only show an
increase of $193,772, instead of
$294,572," Daniels said.
Be Sure
To Vote
April 3
value now estimated at
rate will drop. Harshman said
he doubted the increased total
value "will benefit indivi
duals." since property valua
tions for homeowners are
skyrocketing. Harshman.
himself, admits to having
been pinched in the tax crunch
during the current revalua
tion. "My house is valued at
more than I paid for my whole
ranch." he said.
Increases to Morrow Countv
outlines BMCC operating
in Heppner appearance
While the total budget for
the coming year would require
a total of $3.94 million, only
$2.15 million would be raised
through property taxes. State
funding would pay for nearly a
third of the budget, tuition and
fees would pay for about 10 per
cent, and federal and mis
cellaneous funding would pick
Heppner man faces more drug charges
following grand jury probe
Secret indictments returned
by a Morrow County Grand
Jury resulted in 11 additional
arraignments last Thursday
for Noel Harshman Jr. of
Heppner, who had previously
been indicted for manufac
turing (growing) marijuana.
Harshman faces a variety of
drug-related charges, includ
ing criminal activity in drugs,
criminal use of drugs, deli
very of a controlled substance
to a minor, delivery of a
controlled substance for con
sideration, maintaining a
place for keeping or selling a
controlled substance, and pos
session of drugs, including
hashish, butalbital, amobarbi
tal, meprobamate. and co
deine in two generic forms.
The Morrow County Grand
Jury met in four daylong
sessions before returning the
indictments. Nearly 20 wit
nesses were summoned for
testimony in the grand jury
probe, many of them local
high school students.
No pleas were entered
during last week's arraign
ment proceedings. Dennis
Hachler of Pendleton, Harsh
man's court-appointed attor
Julie Grieb elected to State FFA post
during Klamath Falls convention
Heppner High School senior
Julie Grieb was elected State
Sentinel during last week's
Oregon FFA convention at
Klamath Falls.
Some 1,200 FFA members
from chapters throughout
Oregon attended the annual
convention, including eight
from Heppner. Local Future
Farmers making the trip were
Julie Grieb, Geri Grieb, Marie
Van Schoiack, JoLynn Daly,
Ron Young, Dan Nix, Todd
Sherer and Terry Gray.
As part of her campaign for
the state office, Julie mailed
out brochures detailing her
activities and the activities of
the Heppner chapter and
delivered a nomination
speech. She was elected by the
general assembly of FFA
TWO SECTIONS-16 PAGES
is from Carty
residential property under the
new valuations, however, are
not expected to add signifi
cantly to the county's total
taxable value. The increases
are expected to be offset by
decreases in farm property
classifications, and through
the phase-out of taxes or
inventories.
Utility companies with prop
erty in Morrow County, in
cluding the Union Pacific
up the remaining five per
cent. Property tax funds
account for paying just over
half of the budget.
Daniels noted that roughly a
fourth of Morrow County's
graduating high school seniors
go on to BMCC, and that
nearly 400 county residents
are taking part in BMCC's
ney, asked for a postponement
until March 27. to allow the
lawyer to take a previously
arranged vacation.
In a separate drug case last
Thursday, Todd Markillie, 19,
of Boardman changed not
guilty pleas to guilty on three
drug charges. The move was
Concerned Parents to host
speaker on drug abuse
The Concerned Parents
group has scheduled an in
formative public workshop
session on drug-abuse preven
tion for this Thursday even
ina. March 29, 1979. at 7:30
p.m. at the Heppner Grade
School multi-purpose room.
Guest speaker will be drug
abuse program coordinator
Bon Trickett of the Morrow
County Mental Health Divi
sion. Trickett has worked with
drug-abuse prevention pro
grams throughout the state for
I l: fSn
20 cents
railroad and the Pacific Gas
Transmission Corporation,
are currently appealing valua
tions totaling some $16 mil
lion. If the county prevails in
litigation over the valuations,
the $450 total value will
increase accordingly.
Harshman announced the
new $450 million total value
estimate during a meeting of
the Heppner-Morrow County
Chamber of Commerce.
evening division program.
BMCC does not have a tax
base. Daniels noted, meaning
that the amount being sought
in the tax levy will go towards
paying for the entire operating
budget, not just an amount in
excess of the six per cent
limitation.
part of a plea negotiating
agreement.
Markillie pleaded guilty to
delivery of a controlled sub
stance for consideration, pos
session of controlled sub
stances (marijuana and hash-
Cont. on page 3
the past seven years and has
lectured extensively on the
subject.
Topics lor discussion at the
workshop are to include the
physical and psychological
effects of marijuana usage,
various legal aspects of its
use, social standards and
public acceptance, an exami
nation of marijuana vs.
alcohol, and discussion on the
prevention of drug abuse.
The public is invited and
encouraged to attend.
members attending the con
vention. Each chapter had two
votes.
Duties for the state office
will include making visits to
every FFA chapter in Oregon
at least twice during the
coming year.
The national FFA vice
president and state FFA
presidents from California
and Washington took part in
last week's state convention.
Julie and Marie Van
Schoiack received coveted
State Farmer awards during a
ceremony at the convention.
Heppner has not had a
representative on state FFA
officers' panel since 1968,
when Dave Hall was elected
state reporter.