U OFORE .
N E V; S P A P E R
e v 'i n ok
- Weather
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The Heppner
Hi Low
Tues., May 29 66 35
Wed., May 30 72 35
" Thur., May 31 79 43
Fri., June 1 85 46
Sat., June 2 90 " 51
Sun., June 3 90 53
Mon., June 4 80 51
May precip. was 1.44. Norm is 1.34. In 1978 it was 1.16.
VOL. 97, NO. 23
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A Junior Rodeo star hung on for dear life Sunday in the Morrow County Junior Rodeo held at the
Heppner Fairgrounds while competing in the Senior Boy's Bull Riding event. See story on page 7
for complete results.
Council to hold hearings
on new land rules
The final draft of new city
zoning, mobile home and
subdivision ordinances and
enlargened . urban growth
boundaries were unveiled
Monday night at the Heppner
City Council meeting.
The City Planning Commis
sion will conduct a public
hearing Monday, June 11 at
7:30 p.m. at city hall to
consider adoption of the new
ordinances. The city council
will have a second public
hearing, Monday, June 18 to
consider the planning com
mission's recommendations.
Planning Commission
Chairman Terry Hager said
the enlarged urban growth
boundaries will determine the
future growth of the city and
the areas which it may annex
outside city limits. Property
owners affected by the prop
osed boundaries will receive a
letter from the city, desig
nating the area to be expand
ed. Following adoption by the
city, the County Planning
Commission must approve or
deny the Urban Growth Boun
dary changes and its recom
mendations presented to the
County Court for final ap
proval. The proposed expanison will
include a portion of Cross Hill
down to Baird's Addition and
the Fred Hoskin's property
near the Willow Creek golf
course. Light industrial areas
are set aside and mobile home
designations made in the
areas presently outside the
city limits.
Hager said the city should
also consider a "building
elevation limit" in these
areas to avoid problems with
water service.
Regarding the proposed new
zoning ordinance to replace
current regulations, Hager
said the commission inven
tories lot sizes throughout the
city and separated the lot sizes
into zones creating "limited
R-l, single family residential;
R-2, single family and duplex
zone; R-3, single family and
apartment zones; central,
business and light industrial
zones.
The proposed R-l zone is the
most restrictive of the resi
dential zones with only single
family residences allowed;
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the R-2 zone would allow
general residential usage such
as single family and duplex
housing and permission would
be needed for establishment of
parks and mobile homes. The
R-3 zone would allow single
family, multi-family mobile
homes and mobile home parks
as outright uses. Hager said
the light industrial area would
allow light manufacturing and
warehousing but not such
industries as batch plants for
concrete, etc.
Persons desiring exceptions
to the ordinance would be able
to apply for a conditional use
permit through the Commis
sion. It also spells out peti
tions, applications and ap
Rachel Dick recognized for 21
years of service to community
Rachel Dick, Heppner, was
presented Tuesday with a
special recognition certificate
upon her retirement after 21
years of teaching by the
Morrow County School Dist
rict. Mrs. Dick was honored for
her service to the community
as a first, fifth and sixth grade
teacher plus time as a high
school English, journalism,
special and development
teacher. Making the presenta
tion was one of her former
grade school pupils, Matt
Doherty, County Supt. of
Schools and Heppner Elemen
tary Principal Don Cole.
The Primary Grade teach
ers hosted Mrs. Dick to a
retirement party Tuesday.
She first began teaching at
Camas Valley in Western
Oregon before moving here in
1938. She was out of teaching
for a while and then came
back in 19C3. In 1970, she left
the high school journalism
program to serve as a first
grade teacher at Heppner
Elementary School, where she
has taught until her announce
ment of retirement.
Another of her students was
Jim Barratt, a former athletic
director at Oregon State
University.
Morrow
TWO SECTIONS 16 PAGES
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peals before the Commission.
Some of the councilmen
asked whether persons living
in the R-l zone could divide
present single-family dwell
ings into apartments. Hager
said if they were already there
before passage of the ordi
nance, they would not fall
under the authority of the
planning commission; how
ever, the proposed zoning
ordinance prohibits other than
single-family dwellings unless
the builder is granted a
conditional use permit by the
planning commission for a
two-family dwelling, hospital
or nursing home and care
facilities.
When discussing the prop
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Rachel Dick of Heppner received special recognition Tuesday from Matt Doherty, Morrow County
superintendent of schools and Heppner Elementary principal Don Cole for her 21 years of
teaching. Mrs. Dick has announced her retirement as a first grade teacher at Heppner
Elementary. One of her pupils over the many years of teaching was Matt Doherty.
County's Award-Winning Weekly Newspaper
4
osed mobile home ordinance,
Councilmen Frank Pearson
and Cliff Green questioned the
distinction between double
wide mobile home and mod
ular construction but the
Council took no action to
change the proposal. The R-l
zone allows modulars but not
double-wide trailers while the
R-3 zone allows both uses.
The proposed new subdivi
sion ordinance would set up
regulations for planned unit
developments, require formal
plans to be submitted to the
Planning Commission and
Council before approval and
encouragement of under
ground utilities. It also speci
Conlinued on page 3
4
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HEPPNER, OREGON
Voters to polls again June 26
c
The County Court has de
cided to resubmit a tax levy of
$494,410 outside the six per
cent limitation without
changes to the voters June 26,
according to County Judge
Delwin Nelson.
The voters rejected the first
levy election of the same
amount in an election May 22.
"If the voters reject the
levy, this county government
will have to lay off sheriff's
deputies and probably lose as
much as 10 employees,"
Nelson said.
"The loss of those employ
ees would greatly curtail
services in the county," the
Judge added.
Nelson urged residents to go
to the polls and register a
decision on the requested tax
levy proposals for the sepa
rate county and hospital
budgets, noting the light voter
turnout experienced in the
May 22 election.
"One of the biggest prob
lems in Morrow County is
communication between the
courthouse and the people
with no one television station,
no one newspaper and no one
radio station," Nelson said.
To inform the voters of the
budget, Nelson, members of
the county budget committee
and county officials will be
meeting with any organization
j'vhicl) desires to arrange a
budget explanation session.
The time is critical with only
three weeks left before the
vote and several hours of
meetings spent on post budget
commentary.
Nelson said the $247,000
increase in this year's budget
from last was due to several
reasons with roads as the
major cause. The county has
added $100,000 to the County
Road Fund because of winter
damage and cloudbursts this
spring. With eight employees
in the county road depart
ment, the county is required to
maintain 1,200 miles of road.
The $100,000 is in addition to
the $195,000 asked to continue
a three year serial levy.
,1
iiirt Jh)acJk levie
The higher budget is attrib
uted to other factors ; the loss
of $35,996 federal CETA em
ployment funds for the sala
ries of three employees, two
appraisers and a land-fill
operator, a $47,000 reduction
in federal in-lieu taxes be
cause of an increase in
forest receipts (as explained
by Nelson, the in-lieu monies
are given to the county on the
basis of forest lands but
reduced by the Bureau of
Land Management because of
Morrow's greater share of
forest land monies), a phase
out of anti-recession funds
amounting to $24,000 and a 7
and a half percent increase in
road department salaries
' totalling $64,260.
As for a proposed increase
in the District Attorney's
budget, Nelson said $18,000 of
Hospital board votes
$45,000 tax levy reduction
Hospital board members
requested the County Court
Thursday to resubmit a tax
levy to the voters to balance
the budget for Pioneer Mem
orial Hospital and North
Morrow Clinic $45,000 less
than the original proposal
rejected by county voters May
22.
The County Court accepted
the request and directed the
County Clerk's office to pre
pare the ballots for a second
levy election, Tuesday, June
26, the same date of the
county's budget election.
Voters will be deciding on a
proposed $549,977 levy outside
the 6 percent Constitutional
limitation to balance the
hospital budget.
After meeting over three
hours in a special budget
session at Columbia Basin
Co-op, Hospital Board Chair
man Fred Martin and two
members, Edward Dick and
Alice Bartlett, visited the
Court Thursday morning, re
questing the revised tax levy
be submitted to the voters.
The rejected levy proposal of
$598,587 or $1.32 per $1,000 in
assessed valuation was trim
med to $549,077. Two line
items were changed by the
hospital board; $50,000 ear
marked for planning and
development was cut to
$25,000 and the fees generated
by physicians at PMH in
creased from $94,976, $20,000
than originally estimated. The
board anticipates that the
increased physician service
fees will decrease the amount
of funds the hospital wiy have
to make up in balancing funds,
lowered from $64,612 to
$44,612.
The new figure will lower
the levy rate ten cents per
$1,000 or $1.22 per $1,000 in
assessed valuation.
In response to County Judge
D.O. Nelson's questions, Dick
and Martin said the hospital
has no tax base and should the
budget go down a second time,
"we couldn't operate on a
$162,000 deficit."
Judge Nelson said legally
the county has responsibility
for the hospital funds as part
of the overall county budget,
but if the vote fails to gain a
simple majority June 26, the
county could not make up the
deficit.
Although placing the hospi
tal and North Morrow Clinic
budget on a separate ballot
besides the county's general
THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 1979
the $54,146 request has been
earmarked for hiring an
Assistant District Attorney
and $7,000 for a secretary.
Nelson defended the need for
an Assit. D.A., remarking that
the D.A.'s case load sharply
increased because of the
many requests for legal ad
vice from county boards, such
as planning, hospital and
County Court besides that
official's normal criminal
prosecution. The county, said
Nelson, is only required to pay
$5,796 of the D.A.'s salary and
the state makes up the
difference.
Inflation and state-mandated
programs are also
causing government costs to
go up, Nelson said, pointing to
the $3,000 increase in the
Watermaster program, higher
court costs and the increased
fund tax levy, the County
Court has endorsed the hospi
tal budget, according to Judge
Nelson.
, Dick discounted what he felt
was a misconception that it
would be possible to establish
a supplemental budget for the
county's health care facilities
if the hospital levy fails. He
said severe cuts have already
been made in the hospital's
financial structure before this
year.
"There have been cost
control programs instituted in
the hospital," Dick said, "but
food is up, fuel and utilities are
up in price."
Budget committee member
Don Kramer felt the board
had a realistic budget and
asked D O. "Is there any way
to use funds from the general
fund for the hospital?"
Replied D.O. "Unless we
use emergency funds, there is
no way we could control the
general fund."
The general fund is only
$50,000 and covers any emer
gencies which might cause a
financial setback in the county
this year.
Hospital Bd. member Alice
Bartlett said, "it was quite
obvious that there was a
concerted effort to defeat the
budget. We had people in the
north end phoning people to
vote against it." In the
Boardman and Irrigon areas,
as few as 19 and 20 voters cast
yes votes while the majority
cast no votes.
Nelson told the Gazette-
Free swimming
Sunday at Heppner
The Heppner City Swim
ming Pool opens this Sunday,
June 10 in the first swim of the
season.
Sunday will be a free swim
from one to five p.m.
The pool will be closed on
Mondays but open Tuesday
through Saturday from one to
five p.m. daily. Night swim
ming will also be available
from seven to nine p.m.
Tuesday through Friday.
Daily admission is as fol
lows : 50 cents for youngsters
through ten years old, 75 cents
for 11-14 and $1.25 for swim
20 cents
cost of hiring court-appointed
attorneys, which will increase
from $30 an hour to $45 an hour
July 1.
The short time period bet
ween the second county levy
election and the July 1 start of
the county's fiscal year is
causing consternation among
county officials. Should the
levy fail a third time, the
county would have to gain
special permission from the
assessor's office.
Judge Nelson feels the light
voter turnout was a contri
buting factor to the May 22
failure and notes that in the
second go-around in last
year's county budget and
hospital election, voters in
Heppner, lone and Lexington
strongly supported the ballot
issues.
Times Monday that many
voters in those areas were not
aware that $157,000 of the total
hospital budget is devoted to
proposed expenditures for the
North Morrow Clinic and
Ambulance Service.
Boardman City Manager
Jim Thompson told the Court
Thursday that the county
"would find immeasurable
support if it divided north and
south ends of the county into
two hospital districts.
Judge Nelson and board
members, Nelson and Dick
were against the idea. Nelson
said the county was already in
the north and south division
and implementation of two
hospital districts would cause
a further rift. Dick said it was
too late to establish hospital
districts and Martin added
that the North Morrow Clinic
was seen as a satellite of
PMH:
Board members answered
several questions directed by
the Court and budget commit
tee. On the subject of attract
ing new physicians to Heppner
and Boardman, the board
said efforts are continually
being made to recruit new
doctors and to attract the
physicians, financial guaran
tees are essential.
Concern was expressed by
the board that to increase the
hospital's use by county resi
dents, physicians must be
recruited and that takes
passage of the hospital budget
allocating those financial in
ducements. mers 15 years and older.
Season tickets which may be
purchased at both the city hall
and swimming pool are $45
.per family, $17 for students
and $23 for adults.
Red Cross swimming class
es start July 10. Registration
is slated during regular pool
hours on June 26 and 27. The
youth lessons are $5 per
session and will last until July
21. A second and final course
will be conducted between
July 24 and August 4 and youth
Continued on page 3