Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (June 11, 1986)
PESSIE WE T 2 E L L U OF ORE NEWSPAPER U CUSEME 674^3 OR B The Heppner Gazette-Times Weather M o rro w C o u n t y ’s H o m e - O w n e d W e e k l y N e w s p a p e r Voi IM No. 23 H eppner, Oregon 25* WedneMlav. June II 1986 Parade, elephant races Circus coming to Heppner By Avon Melbv The circui is coming to town ami there will be an elephant race on Willow Street between Main and Chase streets after the parade Chuck Marquardt, manager of the Wagon W'heel Cafe, asked city council for permission to sponsor the race after the parade The parade will he held as soon as the circus gels here, probably about 4 p m Friday. June I) Proceeds from the races will go for a trip to F.XPO for the Heppner 4-H Teen Club, which is sponsoring the appearance in cooperation with Ford Bros , owners of the Circus There will he two shows at Morrow County Fairgrounds, one at 6 p m and one at 8 15 p m to accom modate those working late in the fields Included will he clowns, aerialists. elephants and acrobats Adult and children s tickets may be purchased at reduced rates by call ing 676-5144 There will be four elephant races, with two elephants per race Ihose wishing to rule may sign up at the W agon W'heel In other business, the council Set a special charge of $10 for two-bour sessions ot the Blue Moun tain Community College aerobics classes use of the swimming pool, with the college supplying lifeguards The council was split on lowering the charge, with two soting for and two against Mayor Cara Costa broke Ihe tie Heard a report from City Manager Marshall laisgren that Ihe city landfill was ' ‘just about break ing even." It is using $5,000 of revenue sharing funds this year. Lovgren said Approved purchase of two body armour vests for the police depart ment at $250 each, with specific in «ructions that the on duly officer should wear them at all times Heard that Marvin lane is the on ly member of the council not re quired to run for office this November There will he three four- year positions to fill and two two year ones at that election, as well as the position of mayor -Heard from Kenneth Key that he is willing to be annesed to the city if that will get city water to his pro perty on Cemetery Hill sooner Ci ty Attorney Bill Kuhn will find out from the Corps of F.ngtnrcrs if the city may open an access road through their property Appointed Norma Groce to the City Library board, replacing Bill Kuhn who resigned by the City of Heppner School budget cut $344,128 rhe Morrow County School Budget Committee recommended Wednesday night that the School Hoard cut nest year's budget by SU4.I28 The committee voted to approve the SU4.I28 arrived at by the district's administrators who had. ac cording to Superintendent Doyle McCaslin, "taken a hard look at the budget and cut those items which they telt could be eliminated or (vstpined while still pmviding stan lard education " The school board has the final Jccision and. according to Assistant Superintendent Chuck Starr, may accept or reject the comnuttre’s Up, Up, and School Board reverses decision The Morrow County School Board met briefly last Wednesday night and reversed an earlier deci sion to raise summertime wages for temporary employees by three percent Several of the hoard members had heard complaints aNmt the three per cent increase, and School District Superintendent Doyle McCaslin told the board that although it was generally "bad practice to come back and reconsider a decision on the basis ot phone calls to the board." rather than taking the comments which come before the board in an open meeting and standing by the decision "I feel we must do so in this case, however.” he continued Board members discussed the school budget defeat and approved a natfion to freeze (he summer wages at last (hopefully not) Away See page 2 Ballots for county levy in the mail Morrow County is resubmitting the same levy which voters rejected in the May primary election to a mail in ballot which registered voters should already have received June 24 is the offic ial election date when ballots must be back in the ofTice of the County Clerk School budget committee recommends two levies The Morrow County School Budget Committee last Wednesday night recommended a one year $5.140.(881 special levy, the mas imum amount they are allowed since the first two levy requests were turn ed down by voters Since $6 180.HUH levy request failed Match 26 and again May 21. the Board is limited by the 1981 tas rate limitation law to levying the amount which Morrow County's base tas rate of $6 89 per $1.188) of assessed property value will raise Even if the Board had reduced the levy between the first two elections, thev would still be required to return to the base tas rate The two defeats. McCaslin cs plained to the committee evidcntal ly mean that the voters feel the budet is "too high while the area's economy is down." and recom mended the budget committee accept the budget cuts outlined by district administrators After accepting the recommended cuts, the committee was told that the special levy would still m8 raise enough money for the district to operate the schools all of nest year Should the levy fail August 12. McCaslin said there would be enough money to operate the schools until the nest possible elction date. September 16. but should the levy fail then, the district would have to schedule closure of all its schools un til a budget could be pa>sed The committee also accepted McCaslin's suggestion for raising the balance of the money needed to operate nest year above the special levy, and recommended by a 14-2 vote that the Board go out tor a venal levy which would raise ’473.786 each year of the serial levy A serial levy raises a specific number of dollars for a purpose over a specific number of years The amount levied must be uniform for the specified number of years, and the tas rate must be declared as part ■ ■I the ballot measure The money raised by the levy must also be used for the spec ific purpose named in the ballot measure, the purpose would be general operational purposes The budget committee did not recommend a number of years to try for a serial levy, but Stan said after the meeting that a serial levy is usually three years, but may be any number more than one With the budget cut*, the $72.251 reduction in the amount the district is required to levy for lases not received.an additional $150,(88) cash carryover squeezed from the current year * budget, the special $5.140.(88) operating levy, and the $473.786 special levy, the total budget will be $16.554 less than the budget approved for this year. Starr concluded The levy was reduced by $99.690 following the March defeat and. said Morrow County Judge Don McFlligott "W’e have squeezed out all we possibly can without cutting vital service* " All of the depart ment* in the general fund trimmed wherever they thought they could The Court has heard comments, the Judge continued that some peo pie voted against the budget because (hey thought it included additional money for the hospital and for Lifeguard helicopter service Those levies have already been approved and are separate from the county operating levy He also emphasized that no pro perty tas money is being spent for renovation of the County Cour (house The funds for that project arc from federal revenue sharing The judge explained that in many cases funds had been shifted The Public Works budget shows an in crease of approximately $20.(88) in maintenance costs, he said, but that is not a true figure Many funds have been pulled together and what the figure reflects is a change in the way items are budgeted "W e're cutting a little and holding the line a little.' The county's operating contingen cy was low and now it more Sidewalk bicycle ban enforced Heppner Police Chief Doug Rathbun has announced that the police department will begin enfor cing the ban on sidewalk bicycle* An ordinance was adopted by the realistically includes vacation time and salary contingencies which must be appropriated even if the county does not use them, he said Ihe only thing we have budgeted that is not mandated by state law are the Extension Service and the Weed District, he said The road department alone re quires $148.000 tax dollar* to balance the budget, but "I see no way service* can he cut for two years, be said, " it people want roads kept up in the condition they say they want them " Some of the smaller roads are in bad shape, but we fix them up the best we can and see what needs to be included in next summer's work If the south side's Rhea Creek mad and the north side's Wilson road are done this year, we "will be seeing daylight." and can take care of the other need* Materials and service* for the road department have already been cut $30.4(8) and capital outlay trimmed hack, he said, hecau.se the equipment is now the size we want it. and now our purchase* are to maintain ttxat size Further cut* to the budget would mean a serious reduction of service* and job*, and a shorter work week Lindstrom offers resignation Steve Lindstrom. marketing dim tor for the Port of Morrow, has of fered his resignation, lout* Carlson, president of the port commission confirmed Tuesday night "Steve has offered his resignation and. although I can't speak for the commissioners. I assume they will accept it at the meeting W'edncs day " city several year* ago against bikes on sidewalks in the downtown area Riding bicycles on the sidewalks i* dangerous to pedestrians, the Chief said Tue» Wed Thurs En Sat Sun Mon Weather Mas 27 - June 2 1 os* Prrs’ip High 61 40 59 34 00 57 39 00 63 69 00 45 81 00 53 90 55 00 55 (8) 83 Lindstrom did not indicate hi* plans or the reason* for his resigna tion. Carlson continued Lindstrom wa* the general manager of the port until recently »hen the commission approved a shift in his duties to marketing direc tor and shifted many of the manager's responsibilities to then Assistant Manager Bob Miller "A s president of the commission. I regret his resignation We certain ly had a good team put together that would do some gixid things for Mor row County." he said "W e with him success in whatever he does in the future." recommendations and decide the dales for the election The Board generally accepts input, from the budget committee. Starr continued The next board meeting is Monday June 16 Some of the cuts recommended h\ the administrators include reduc ing the nuinbei ot new teachers resulting in a budget decrease ot $61.517. cut ting administrators' salaries by a total of $12.'(>4. reducing the amount of summer maintenance, reducing benefits by $30,407, eliminating $10.188) ot purchased services, and postponing capital outlay in various areas for a total of $16*4865 Some of the capital items cut are $18.7(8) of irrigation parts, $1 1,768 for an addition to the office at A C Houghton, overhead proiec tor*, typewriter*, tools, maps, band instruments, cameras, tables, chairs, classroom clock*, drapes, student desks, a used pickup, calculator*, a portable chalkboard, office chairs a social studies kit. and a math program The school district admnistrator* had reconunended cutting $4 (88) for summer school at A C Houghton and Sam Hoardman that the commit tee put back into the budget After adding the summer school back into the budget.the committee approved the total dollur aitkHint ot the cuts but did not require that any specific items be cut The Board, then, may accept the committee's recommendation and still add back in any of the recom mended cuts as long a similar amount is cut from somewhere else in Ihe budget The board may also reject the com m ittee's recommendation The budget failed by 156 votes March 26 and again by 88 vines May 21 The two defeats. McCaslin explained to the committee "eviden tally mean that the voter* feel the budget it too high while the area's economy it down " Prior to the committee * decision. McCaslin presented three options to them which he said were possible at this point in the budgeting process The first option, a series of five steps would maintain all programs at some level, cut new personnel, most new equipment purchases, postpone equipment and building maintenance that can wait, and to look for a new source of revenue la serial levy) The second option would be to embark on a senes ot major cui K k ks that "look good" to voters, by do* ing down the community service' which the distnet now pros ides eliminating inefficient classes such as Advanced Placement English which includes only a tew students by making a rule that 12 students were necessary before a class could be offered, close inefficient s c h o o l - which he said is a popular notion among some people He reminded the board ol their policy established three y c . * > regarding school closure ol distnet schools The Board must announce a closure six months in advance, studs the reasons for closure, and hold a public hearing in the area where the closure would occur The hoard could decide to close a variety of labs, shops, and sell Ihe surplus property, they could eliminate staff such as librarians which some people see as extras, ami put these serv ices in charge of the principal and an aide They could also decide to contract out the transportation service or eliminate it altogether The third option would be to target program cuts based on the [>'|'tilan ty of the program s, cut the specialists, especially at the elemen (ary level, cut administrative stall cut allhletics. cut special program beyond the minimum standards, cm extra-curricular non athletic activities He explained that options two and three arc attractive to people, but thai when programs are cut. they are usually added back in later on as funds allow He encouraged accep ting ihe option ol maintaining pte sent programs at some level l See related store Chamber supports county budget The Morrow County ( htimber ol Commerce voted Tuesday to go on Record in support of the Morrow County Budget, presently before the voters in the county's current vote by mail program The county budget, which has tail ed two previous times, has been cut by almost $1(8),(88) since its first defeat in March ft • c John Boyer lo give airplane trip to Ml St Helens More than 100 prizes await Reno players Over $3,000 worth of prizes await gamers who'll be playing at a dozen 21 table*, several crap, roulette and 4-5-6 lew and poker tables Playing with purchased script they 'll compile it lo use for bidding on a tremendous asvirtment of value •*e ,ra ' Over 100 prize* include a trip to Reno, one half beef, truck load of wood, »elf propelled lawn mower, microwave oven, packaged trips to George Strait concert, Roy Clark concen. two 4-tickct packages to Manner gsames. golf tnp to C any on Lake in Tri-Cities. Float trip on Deschutes, an airplane trip to St Helena, and many others A large number of Heppner Club memhers have work ed hard crowd is looked for according to Dick Devin president Chairperson Diana ball expect* several hundred people This first Annual Reno Nile is designed to be the once a year hind raiser for all kinds of service to »chool activities not limited to athletics "la** of fun for a good cause, plus a high ratio of folks will go home big winners.” claims Ken Turner. Booster member There will be finger food. beverages and games right up to auc t,on nme All the public 21. and over. \% welcome and invited to attend The caamo atmosphere starts at 7 p m at (he upstair* Izidge rixxnof the Hcpp ' { f 4 K fl K J 'I
