y
County levies ask for 1.7% increase
Morrow County voters will get a
chance to vote on two special one-
year county levies by March 26.
Mail-in ballots must be returned to
the courthouse by March 26. The
first will be the county operating
levy, which includes mandated ser
vices set out in Oregon law and those
non-mandated services as requested
by local citizens.
The second one-year special levy
will be for the operation of medied
services which include Pioneer
Memorial Hospital, nursing home,
ambulance service and other medical
needs of Morrow County.
The 1991-92 operating levy will
be 1.7 percent over the previous
year, according to Judge Louis
Carlson. “ This represents a tremen
dous effort to hold down costs of
those programs that the various
agencies and departments have re
quested.” Carlson noted that even
with the 1.7 percent increase, “ the
effects of Measure #5 will still have
to be dealt with.”
Greg Sweek, county assessor, said
last week that firm figures will not
be known on county valuation until
the state of Oregon provides the pro
perty values on the county’s industry
and utilities accounts. This is ex
pected some time in September.
“ When all of the valuations are
reported to the assessor’s office, we
can complete the calculations of the
rate per thousand of property tax and
factor in the impact of Measure #5,”
said Sweek. “ It appears that $86,000
will have to be trimmed from the
county’s portion of taxes collected,
according to the last estimate. This
includes the county itself and other
agencies that the couty supports and
contributes to. If this proves to be
true, taxpayers will be paying less
taxes for county services in 1991-92
than during the current taxing year. ”
The one-year county operating
levy outside the tax base amounts to
$3,401,984 The second levy to be
voted on by the public will be the
medical levy, $474,645. The com
bination of the two operating levies,
*3,876.629, accounts for the 1.7 per
cent increase over last year’s levy.
Morrow County is presently
operating with a tax base o f
$698.552. Greg Sweek predicts that
the county valuation will be set at ap
proximately 800 million dollars for
the new Tax year. This is four
million less than the current year.
Next week Judge Carlson will
discuss the effects of Measure #5 on
cities and counties.
Kemp - Sheirbon vie for positions
Ballots to be mailed Friday, March 8
VOL 1Ï0 NO. 9
Wednesday, M arch 6, 1991
Heppner 35e
10 Pages
Ballots for the March 26 special
election will be mailed Friday,
March 8, according to the Morrow
County Clerk’s office. The ballots
must be marked and received by the
clerk’s office by 8 p.m. Tuesday,
March 26.
Morrow County Clerk Barbara
Bloodsworth says that those mailing
in their ballots may need to use two
stamps to ensure adequate postage.
Transfer site opens March 9 Power outage set
The long awaited Morrow Coun
ty Transfer Station will open this
weekend, Saturday, March 9 at 9
a m. The station, a garbage dump
ing site and recycling center, is
located one mile south of Lexington
on Highway 207.
The center will accept household
garbage and yard waste and
municipal garbage, and will offer a
new service, recycling, but will not
allow commercial haulers to dump.
Rates are $2 per 30 gallon can or
bag, $4 for a 50 to 60 gallon con
tainer, and $10 per pickup load.
Rates had originally been set at a
lower rate, but, according to Don
Ball, Morrow County Road Depart
ment, rates were raised to avoid
undercutting Heppner Disposal’s
rates. “ It wasn’t our purpose to
undercut Cliff (Green of Heppner
Disposal),” said Ball, “ But more to
encourage people to bring in their
gargage rather than dump it on the
side of the road or in draws.” Ball
said that dumping in the rural areas
has become a problem and county
officials hope that accessibility of the
transfer site and low rates will
facilitate garbage disposal for peo
ple in rural areas, who have no
disposal service.
The recycling center will accept
newspapers, bundled or bagged,
glass bottles, rinsed and sorted by
color (no windows, light bulbs or
senses), tin cans, rinsed, with ends
rem oved and flattened, and
aluminum, rinsed and flattened or
smashed.
The transfer station will not accept
tires, batteries, used oil pesticide
containers, controlled waste
(asbestos), chemicals or hazardous
waste, and no white goods-stoves,
refrigerators, etc.
Only one position in Morrow
County has been contested—one spot
on the Morrow County School
Board. Incumbent Marcia Kemp and
Bill Sheirbon are both vying for elec
Power will be out for Columbia tion to that position.
Basin Electric customers in Hepp
Kemp, 40, and her husband Gary,
ner, Lexington and lone and sur
of
Lexington have two children in
rounding areas on Saturday, March
the
county school system-Tina, 13,
9 from 4 a.m. to noon.
who is a seventh grader at Heppner
Included in the blackout, besides
Middle School and Toni, who is a
Heppner, Lexington and lone, will
sixth
grader there.
be Blackhorse, Olex, Rock Creek,
Kemp graduated from Thurston
Ruggs, Hardman, Parker’s Mill,
Mikkalo, Clem, Eight-Mile Willow High School in Springfield in 1969.
In 1973 she received a bachelor of
Creek, Hinton Creek, Blake’s science degree in agriculture jour
Ranch, Shuttler Flats. Sandhollow
nalism from OSU. She has lived in
and Gooseberry.
the county for 16 Vi years and is now
According to a spokesperson at employed as a purchasing agent for
Columbia Basin, “ the outage is to the U.S. Forest Service Heppner
allow Bonneville Power Administra
Ranger District.
tion to make repairs to their
A current member of the Morrow
system.”
County Soil District, Kemp has serv
In the event of bad weather, says ed on the board and as a budget com
CBEC. the outage will be postponed. mittee member for the past 3 Vi
years. She was also a member of the
Heppner-Lexington Advisory Board
for three years and the Morrow Soil
and Water Conservation District
from 1984 to the present.
Kemp lists involvement in the 4-H
program as a leader, in the Project
Kidsafe, the Morrow County Rodeo
Committee, the Heppner Parents
4 p.m. Winner of the Bossy Bingo
Club and in Camp Fire as a leader.
game will receive $250. If the cow
She also volunteered three years
pie lands on your number, you win.
working at Heppner Elementary
A $100 first place prize will go to
School and chair«! and served on the
the lucky person whose adopted
school functions, special events and
plastic duck crosses the finish line in levy committees.
Willow Creek first.
“ If elected,” says Kemp, “ I will
Festival-goers will not go hungry
continue to strive for excellence in
with Mrs. O’Leary’s Stew Feed on education in Morrow County. I have
Friday, brunch, homemade potato a strong committment to represent
soup and bread, a ham dinner, a beer the wishes of county residents and
garden and other food concessions am dedicated in spending the time it
on Saturday and breakfast and a takes to operate a successful educa
lamb Basque barbecue on Sunday.
tion program.
“ Measure 5 is a reality and will
affect education in the Morrow
County School District. Now is the
time to have board members, who
have the experience and are
knowledgeable about schools, to
make important decisions concern
ing education.
“ I have served the past 3'A years
for Sat. March 9
Ninth annual St. Patrick’s
celebration gets underway
Traditional Irish M usicians,
Singers and Dancers, from County
Cork, Ireland, will highlight four
days of Irish festivities at the ninth
annual St. Patrick’s celebration in
Heppner, March 14 through 17.
The County Cork ensemble has
scheduled an Irish dance workshop
for all ages and skill levels on Thurs
day, March 14, a celli/concert on
Friday March 15 and a Main Street
performance on Saturday, March
16.
Roller skating, a hoop shoot con
test and a teen dance will entertain
the younger set, while sheep dog
trials, pioneer weaving and spinning
demonstrations, a folk music concert
and a craft fair will provide enjoy
ment for all ages. Tours of the
historic Morrow County Courthouse
are planned for Saturday from 3 to
6 p.m.
The St. Patrick’s Bed Race will
begin Saturday at 1 p.m. followed by
the Irish Parade at 1:30 and the St.
Patrick’s Auction at 2 p.m.. Bossy
Bingo at 3 and the O ’Ducky Race at
Marcia Kemp
on the school board and have gain
ed a solid background on the opera
tion of our county school district.
Serving on the budget committee
along with building, operations, and
many public involvement commit
tees has qualified me for fair and
wise and decision making.
“ Morrow County education is
very important to my life and I am
dedicated to ensure every student
receives a quality education with the
tax dollars allotted. Our county-wide
system places great importance on a
good instructional staff, reliable
transportation, nutritious food ser
vices and safe/maintained buildings.
“ Education is truly one of the
most important assets we can ever
give our children and I am proud to
serve as a school board member in
Morrow County,” she concluded.
Bill Sheirbon, 42, and his wife of
20 years, Debby, have two children,
Brent 16, and Dawn 13, who attend
the lone Schools.
A Morrow County resident for the
past 15 years, Sheirbon has been
employed since 1975 as a social ser
vice specialist with the state of
Oregon Children’s Services Divi
sion. From 1969 to 1975 he also
worked with the U.S. Forest Service
as a seasonal employee working in
fire control.
Sheirbon graduated from Hood
River High School in 1967 and
received his bachelor of science
degree from Oregon State University
in 1973.
Sheirbon has been the fire chief
for the town of Lexington since 1983
and has been a member of the Lex
ington Fire Department for the past
14 years. Currently a board member
of the Morrow County Medical
Board, he served as a city council
member for the town of Lexington
from 1979 to 1983 and is a past
member of the Morrow County
Juvenile Services Commission. He
has also donated his time as a
Bill Sheirbon
volunteer for the South Morrow
County Ambulance Service for
seven years, the Boardman Am
bulance Service for three years and
the Lexington First Response Team
as an emergency medical technician
IID for two years
“ The next few years will be a time
of change in education locally and
across the state,” says Sheirbon.
“ With the passage of Measure 5,
state government will begin taking
increased responsibility for financ
ing local education. It will take local
effort to assure that our children con
tinue to receive the kind of quality
and equal educational opportunities
we have come to expect for them.
“ This will be an opportunity for
educators, parents, taxpayers, and
government officials to band
together to come up with new ways
to address old educational delivery
and financial dilemmas within the
realism of today's taxing structure.
Morrow County citizens will need to
come up with their own unique
financing and delivery system to
meet our needs. This can only be
done with increased cooperation be
tween parents, teachers, district and
state administrators, and local
citizens to help mold our future
direction.
“ During this process we will need
to stress quality within the classroom
and maintain morale among staff.
Our teachers will need increased
support and guidance to maintain a
quality program in our schools.
“ Living in South Morrow Coun
ty while working with Children’s
Services Division out of a Boardman
office, a job which takes me
throughout the county and into all
our schools, gives me
opportuni
ty to see our school system at work.
I would like the opportunity to repre
sent your interest in helping our
school system maintain a quality
program through this time of
change.”
Tidewater trip added to auction items Parents club to
A tidewater trip for two on the
the 3,600 horsepower flagship.
discuss funding
Columbia River compliments of the
“ Tidewater.”
Tidewater Company, has been add
projects
ed to the items to be auctioned off Conservation Corp
at the St. Patrick's auction on Satur to meet
A Parents Club meeting will be
The Butter Creek Range Conser
day, March 16.
The trip, a one-day towboat trip
to Pasco and returning to Boardman.
will be hosted by Morrow County
Judge Louis Carlson and his wife
Betty.
The recipients will see the Colum
bia “ in its majesty from the cabin of
a tugboat, lock through the McNary
Dam with barges and lunch aboard
Traditional Irish Musicians. Singers and Dancers
vation Corporation will hold their
annual meeting Thursday. March 14
at 7:30 p.m at the Tom Currin
residence. Members are asked to
bring their receipts for knapweed
spraying done last year in order to
receive cost share distributions. The
agenda will also cover chemical
needs for next year and updates on
problem weed areas.
Parade organizers encourage kids and pets
Plans are well underway for this
year's St. Patrick’s Parade, schedul
ed for Saturday afternoon, March
16, right after the bed race. Entries
are already coming in and include a
number of musical entries, accor
ding to parade committee members.
Again this year there will be a
special division for kids, children 12
and under, and their pets. Ribbons
and cash prizes will be awarded for
a number of categories, including the
best Irish dressed pet, best mannered
pet. best kid-pet outfit, pet with the
best trick, and many others.
Any kids, or pets, interested in
entering may call Bob Kahl or Cin
dy McKinney at 676-9113 or stop in
at the Van Marter & Kahl Insurance
office for more information
Bob Kahl. parade chairman, said
there is still time to get a parade en
try and be part of the annual St.
Patrick’s Parade Parade entries
should check in between noon and
12:30 p.m. Judging of kids and pets
and antique autos will start at 12:30
p.m. For more parade information,
call 676-9113 or evenings at
676-5422.
8
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held Thursday, March 7, at 7 p.m,
at the Heppner Elementary school
cafeteria.
On the agenda are proposed pro
jects which may be funded by car
nival proceeds, and a discussion of
fundraisers to help purchase filter
lenses for the city swimming pool.
The lenses are required to help clear
the murky water that plagued the
pool last summer.
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