BESSIE W E T Z E I. L
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NEWSPAPER LIB
EUGENE OR 97403
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M VOL. 38 NO. 7 iMUKSUAI,rE.dnUAKI H. 1WU
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The Heppner
Hi how Pre.
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Morrow County's Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper
Weather
By Do Gilliam
Tups.. Feb. 5 42 31
VVed.Feb.fi 51 30.23"
Thurs..Feb.7 46 31 .10"
Fri .Feb. B 37 31 .03"
Sat.. Feb. 9 35 32
Sun.. Feb. 10 34 32
Mon.Feb. 11 33 31
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Todd II;n rison
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Geri Grieb
Larrv Snider
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Six local students
win cnoiar
two o to distric
Alice Ah rams
Terry Slarr
Geri Ann Grieb and Todd
Harrison, both of Heppner,
won $400 scholarships from
the Heppner Elks Club, Jim
Swanson, chairman of the
scholarship committee, an
nounced this week.
Alice Abrams of Heppner
finished second in the girls
competition and Larry Snider
of lone was second for the
boys. They both will receive
$200 scholarships.
Marie Van Schoiack of
Heppner and Terry Starr of
lone finished third and will
receive $100 scholarships.
The members of the Elks
scholarship committee were
Marv Peterson, Mike Swee
ney, Dan Sweeney, and Swan
son. They judged the appli
cants on financial need, lead
ership and scholarship.
"We had a tough job,"
Swanson said.
The 11 applicants filled out a
brochure that was a financial
and activity report of what
they do in school and outside
of school. Three letters of
recommendation were re
quired from teachers and
three from other references.
The 11 persons were inter
viewed last week and asked
impromptu questions on local
n problems.
Swanson said the two first
place winners have a "chance
. to go quite a way" in the Elks
competition.
Grieb and Harrison will
compete in the district compe
tition Feb. 17 in Enterprise.
' The winners there will com
pete in the state competition
and then the nationals.
The same brochure is used
but the contestants must be
interviewed again. The scho
larship money can only be
j used for college education
purposes.
Harrison is the editor of the
high schol annual at Heppner
High School, the vice presi
dent of the national honor
society, a member of the
speech team, on the golf team,
a member of church groups,
participates in the 4-H pro
gram and is in charge of the
Wilderness and Survival 4-H
club.
He plans to attend either the
University of Puget Sound or
the Florida Institute of Tech
nology and would major in
aerospace engineering.
Grieb is a member of the
volleyball and basketball
teams at Heppner, she is a
cheerleader, a member of the
FFA, secretary of the national
honor society and secretary
treasurer for the Oregon
Junior Angus Association.
She plans on attending
Oregon State University and
majoring in health and physi
cal education.
Abrams is a member of the
volleyball and basketball
teams at Heppner, president
of the national honor society,
president of the girls athletic
booster club, a member of the
Spanish Club, outdoor club,
drama club, has participated
in 4-H for six years and is an
avid tole painter.
She has applied to attend
Stanford University but is also
considering UPS and other
colleges.
Larry Snider from lone
High School is a member of
the national honor society,
president of the letterman's
club, on the track team and a
football manager.
He is planning to attend
either OSU or Eastern Oregon
State College and majoring
possibly in geology.
Terry Starr, also from lone,
is the president of the student
body and was vice president
last year. He was a member of
the state championship foot
ball team and a member of the
national honor society.
He is planning to attend
Lewis and Clark in Portland
and would major in elemen
tary education.
Marie Van Schoiack is a
member of the national honor
society, an FFA district offi
cer, senior class secretary,
4-H club member and has
received her state farm de
gree from FFA.
She has already been accep
ted to OSU and will enter the
pre-vet program. She plans to
continue in the vet program
there for a total of eight years
in college.
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Mr - h
Increases $1,136,254
School budget debated
Marie Van Schoiack
Prior to the regular school
board meeting Feb. 18. there
will be an open meeting at 7
p.m. for anyone who is
interested in commenting on
the approved school budget
for 1980-81.
The school budget commit
tee cut more than $117,000 out
of the proposed school budget
requests so voters will only
have to decide on an A ballot
at the election March 25 and
not the B ballot too, superin
tendant Matt Doherty said.
The district budget could
have totaled up to $3,745,546
and still have qualified for just
the A ballot, Doherty said. The
one year special levy outside
the tax base that the citizens
will vote on is for $3,081,650.
The actual amount for the
school district budget that
needs (6 be raised from
property taxes is $3,670,160 but
because state law says the
budget can increase six per
cent ($588,510) without an
election, the voters only de
cide on the amount above that
six percent limitation,
Including bonded indebted
ness, the school district tax
levy is $4,374,834.
The school budget approved
by the committee is for
$5,563,854 but resources other
than county property taxes
-, will pay all but $3,670,160 of it.
The budget for A.C. Hough
ton is only increasing from
$596,094 to $597,225. Heppner
Elementary's budget is pro
posed to increase from
$480,568 to $565,092.
Ione's Elementary's budget
is proposed to increase from
$206,096 to $249,716.
The new Boardman Ele
mentary School's budget will
increase from $204,555 last
year to $574,684 when it begins
operation. The total district
budget for the elementary
schools is proposed to increase
about half a million dollars.
Heppner Junior High will
rise from $225,783 to $272,022
and lone Junior High will go
up from $90,491 to $104,156.
Some offices
closed for
birthday
This Monday, Feb. 18, is a
stale and federal holiday for
Washington's Birthday.
Most government offices in
the county will be closed.
The First National Bank of
Oregon and the Bank of
Eastern Oregon in Heppner
will be closed.
Most of the downtown stores
in Heppner will be open during
regular hours of business.
Schools will also be open.
Power outage
Sunday warns
Columbia Basin
Columbia Basin Electric
Cooperative officials have
issued a warning to Heppner
residents about a power out
age that will occur this Sunday
from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.
A pole on Main Street is
being replaced so power will
be out for about two hours
more or less.
All of the downtown area
and up Balm Fork Road and
Shobe Canyon will be affected
by the outage.
Not affected are the areas
north of Morgan Street and
east of the Pioneer Memorial
Hospital.
Riverside Junior High will
drop from a budget of $230,420
to zero because the students
will be attending Columbia
Junior High when it opens.
The Columbia Junior High
budget is scheduled to in
cr(jase from $125,111 to
$496,944.
The entire junior high pro
gram will rise approximately
$217,000.
The total senior high pro
gram budget will increase
approximately $350,000.
Riverside High School's
budget will rise from $570,940
to $768,715.
lone High School will go up
from $247,101 this year to
$312,694 next year.
Heppner's budget will in
crease from $576,960 to
$673,546 if the budget that was
approved by the budget com
mittee is passed by the voters.
Most of the increases are
due to the salary increases for
district employees and ap
proximately $200,000 is for the
new teachers that will be hired
for the two new schools in
north Morrow County. Em
ployees benefits naturally in
crease with the salary in
crease. Purchased services will
have a "considerable in
crease" Doherty said because "
of the dramatic increase in
utility rates. Most of the
school depend on the electrical
utility.
Equipment in supplies is
increasing because of all the
merchandise that has to be
purchased for the two new
schools.
The transportation section
of the budget is set to increase
from $305,971 to $458,663.
Doherty said the increase is
due to the fact that the district
wants to improve the busing
situation in the north end by
building a facility to house the
buses and hiring a mechanic
lo repair them.
"We all know eas is eoine to
go up too," Doherty said. "We
expect it to go up to almost $2
a gallon although we (the
school district) won't have to
pay that much for it."
The approved budget shows
an increase of $1,136,254 over
liist year with more than half
of il being caused by the seven
percent increase in employees
salaries.
City committee
approves 11
salary increase
An increase of 11 percent in
salaries for Heppner city
employees was approved last
week.
In the first meeting Wednes
day of the Heppner city budget
committee, the proposed in
crease of 15 percent by
Marshall Lovgren. city admi
nistrator, was denied but an 11
percent increase was ap
proved "across the board"
Lovgren said.
Voters will decide if the
salary increase wil be adopted
in the March 25 election or the
May primary election.
The committee had its
second meeting last night at
City Hall at 7 p.m.
Lovgren .said depending on
the outcome of that meeting,
the city budget may be voted
on in March or May. If the
budget committee approves a
budget and Lovgren can
prepare it and have it certified
in the county clerk's office by
Feb. 19, then it will be voted on
in March. Otherwise, it will
have to wait until May.
The 11 percent salary in
crease, if approved by the
voters, will affect the mayor,
city administrator, treasurer,
police chief, librarian, sewer
labor, water labor, street
labor and water crew fore
man. The budget adopted last
year by the voters was for
$465,908. The total request for
the 1980-81 budget was for
$(')(K).839 but it is below the
$595,000 figure after the first
meeting.
Last year voters approved a
seven percent increase in
salaries for city employees.
The major increases in the
proposed budget are for sala
ries supplies and materials.
R etraction
Lovgren said last week's
city budget story in the
Gazette-Times was wrong
when it reported that the
proposed budget included al
most $79,000 to be put in a
reserve fund.
He said the proposed figures
were accurate for the salaries,
materials and supplies, with
increases of $23,366 and
$79,094 but the rest of the
budget increase is not for the
reserve fund.
If no more cuts were made
in the proposed city budget,
property owners within the
city taxing district will be
assessed a tax rate of $9.21 per
$1,000 valuation. Taxpayers
paid $3.90 per $1,000 this year.
May
or names commissioners
City of Heppner appoint
ments were made last week at
the city council meeting and
the committee system of
governing was changed to the
commissioner system.
The city council members
have been named as commis
sioners instead of to commit
tees. "Most of the towns are doing
that now," Mayor Jerry
Sweeney said. "It is a more
effective form of govern
ment." The new Police Commis
sioner is Robert Laughlin, the
Water Commissioner is Clif
ford Green, the Parks and
Pool Commissioner is Ronald
Forrar, the Personnel (fran
chises, contracts and ordi
nancees) Commissioner is
Warren Plocharsky, the Gen
eral Government, Revenue
Sharing and Budget Commis
sioner is Frank Pearson and
the Streets Commissioner is
Joe F. Miller.
The yearly appointments
were also made with Dean M.
Gilman named the chief of
police, Forrest Burkenbine
the fire chief, Abrams and
Kuhn the city attorney. Dr.
Wallace Wolff the health
officer, Mary Jean McCabe
the treasurer and Marshall
Lovgren the recorder.
John Canaday was named
as the representative and
Ronald Forrar the alternate to
the Blue Mountain Economic
Council.
The Land Commission and
Development Committee and
Planning Commission was
also named for 1980. John
Shaw is the chairman, Larry
Bowman the secretary with
members Ed Tarnasky, Mike
Gray, David Hanna, Robert
Lankford and Richard Bige
low. The budget committee was
announced with members be
ing Glen Ward, A K. Felt,
Kenneth Miller, Allen Nistad,
Rita Hedman and George
Koffler.
Willow Creek
Dam approved
The library board mem
bers are librarian Bethel
Heinrichs, Bill Rawlins, Myr
na Johnson, Bill Kuhn, Pau
line Winter and Gregg Sweek.
The city councilmen are
Warren Plocharsky, Robert
Laughlin, Frank Pearson,
Clifford Green, Ronald Forrar
and Joe F. Miller.
The $7.7 million Willow
Creek Dam in Heppner was
one of several Oregon water
projects that were included in
the Water Projects Authoriza
tion Bill that passed the U.S.
House of Representatives last
week by a vote of 283-127.
President Carter has threat
ened to veto the bill but the
margin in the House would
override a veto.
The Army Corps of Engi
neers has been authorized to
construct the flood control
dam,
A Senate version of the bill
is still in the water resources
subcommittee of the Public
Works Committee.
Oregon Democrats Les Au
Coin, Bob Duncan, and Jim
Weaver voted in favor of the
bill. Al Ullman did not vote.
County budget presented
The Morrow County budget
message will be presented to
the county budget committee
by budget officer Alma Green
Feb. 19 at 9 a.m. in the county
courthouse.
Budget requests have been
submitted to the budget offi
cer by the county department
heads for the past several
weeks. She is preparing a
statement of the requests and
the budget committee will
decide what areas of the
requests will be increased or
decreased.
Once a budget is approved
by the committee it will go
before the voters. The county
is looking at the voting day of
May 20.
Included in the budget
requests for next year wil be
one made from the county
owned Pioneer Memorial Hos
pital in Heppner. Although
historically it has been in
cluded in the county budget,
the hospital has not been a
part of it the past few years.
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