Heppner city manager’s contract
sent back to committee
HEPPNER
imes
VOL. 112
NO. 15
6 Pages Wednesday, April 14, 1993
Morrow County Heppner, Oregon
The Heppner City Council
Monday night decided to send ci
ty manager Gary Marks’ contract
back to the committee after the
council split evenly on acceptance
of the contract.
Heppner Mayor Bob Jepsen
cast a deciding vote in favor of
the three-year contract, but coun
cil members eventually decided to
send the contract back to commit
tee fearing approval of an issue
so divisive.
Conflicts arose over a section
of the contract that stipulated that
the city guarantee Marks a down
payment on a home as an incen
tive to stay on as Heppner city
manager.
Marks said that he would not
sign the contract unless the co
sign option for a down payment
was included.
David A llstott, LoRayne
Bowman and Kay Robinson
favored the down payment
guarantee saying that it provided
Marks an incentive at no cost to
the city. The city has to budget
the money, however, but would
not have to pay unless Marks
defaulted on a loan for a down
payment. “ I think we need to
keep a super employee and to
keep him happy,” said Allstott.
Chuck Holt, Martha Doherty
and David Pranger were against
the down payment guarantee.
Holt said that he agrees that
Marks is doing a good job, but
commented, ‘T v e never seen
anybody with so many in
ducements to stay on the job.”
He added, “ I don’t think that
government has any right to co
sign for a home loan.”
Council
members
also
disagreed on severance pay and
a stipulation in the contract that
Marks be allowed to set his own
hours of work.
In other business:
-Matt Hays was introduced as
the newly-hired wastewater
specialist hired by the city;
the council held a public hear
ing concerning the proposed
wastewater treatment funding.
The city will have $1,502,180 in
resources
with
expenses
estimated at $ 1,802,180, leaving
a $300,000 shortfall. The city is
preparing a grant application in
hopes of receiving a $250,000
grant and a $50,000 loan. If the
loan and grant are approved city
water users would see a 60 cent
increase. If the monies are ap
proved at a ratio of Vi loan at Vi
grant the increase would be $1.80
per month and if neither is ap
proved the increase would be
$3.60 per month.
-the council directed Gary
Marks to draw a resolution which
would give city water users 48
hours to repair leaks in their lines
before the city turns off their
water;
-the council rejected both bids
for purchase of a new fire truck
and directed that other specifica
tions be sent into the state fire
marshal for review;
-the council authorized sale of
a 1987 Ford Crown Victoria
LTD four-door sedan to Bob
Worden. Heppner, for $1,560.
The only other bid received was
for $1,200 from LeRoy and
Catherine Holmes, Heppner;
-the council indicated that it
will seek an exemption from the
public bidding process for repairs
for the city hall roof because no
one bid on the job;
-Gary Marks reviewed the
situation with the Department of
Enviiunmental Quality concern
ing the sewer discharge permit.
DEQ requires that the city test
water samples once a week rather
than once every other week as
previously required;
-the council discussed coor
dinating plans with street replace
ment with Columbia Basin Elec
tric Co-op.
Two dead, four injured in collision c oor(|inating council seeks proposals
Impact of crash smashed front end of Donna Terry’s car completely in.
Morrow County Sheriff’s
department was dispatched to a
fatal, two vehicle accident on
A pril 11 on highway 74,
southeast of Lexington. The head
on accident occurred around 9:47
p.m.
The driver of one of the
vehicles Donna L. Terry, 30.
Umatilla, was pronounced dead
at the scene and one passenger
Stephanie
G ollyhorn.
7,
U m atilla, died at Pioneer
Memorial Hospital.
Other passengers Jeremy R.
G ollyhorn, 9 and Jacob
Gollyhorn. 10, both of Umatilla
and Christopher Doolittle, 30,
Hermiston, were all transported
to Pioneer Memorial Hospital.
Janice C. Robison, 30, Hepp
ner, driver of the other vehicle
was also transported to Pioneer
Memorial Hospital. All four peo
ple were flown out of Heppner by
Air Ambulance to facilities in
Portland.
Jeremy Gollyhorn was flown to
Oregon Health Science Universi
ty Hospital, where he was listed
in fair condition Monday. Flown
to Emanuel Hospital were Jacob
Gollyhorn, who was listed in
good condition, Doolittle, who
was in critical condition with
head and facial injuries and
Robison who was in serious con
dition with a fractured right ankle
and a cut left knee.
The cause of the accident is still
under investigation, according to
the Morrow County Sheriff s
office.
Sheep killed in
early morning
Elizabeth Davis of Spray, has a special visit with the Easter
Bunny Saturday at the Easter egg hunt sponsored by the Hepp
ner Elks Club.
Two sheep and four lambs
were killed by a .22 at the Judy
and Ken Wright place at Ruggs
in the early morning hours Satur
day, April 10.
According to Judy Wright,
around four other sheep and one
other lamb were injured and the
Wrights were trying to nurse
them back to health.
Judy said that the sheep that
died were a special breed,
Targee/Finn. brought back from
Montana in June, that their son
Brent, was using for an FFA pro
ject. The yearling ewes were
pregnant and valued around $ 150
each. Brent was planning to use
the proceeds from the sale of the
sheep as a college fund, she said.
The sheep were killed in the
field by the bam and in the cor
ral between 3 and 6:30 a.m.
In another incident the same
day, a calf was shot at the Dwight
Bailey ranch on Butter Creek. It
is not known if the shootings were
related.
The incidents are under in
vestigation by the Morrow Coun
ty Sheriff s office.
The Heppner Coordinating
Council is seeking proposals for
a community-wide economic
development project that will
benefit the Heppner area.
The economic development
fund was created when the Mor
row County Court voted to
disburse monies generated by
Finley Buttes Landfill to the Mor
row County communities. Finley
Buttes Co. pays the county for
each ton of landfill deposited at
the site.
The county court divided 50
percent of the monies equally
among the five communities:
H eppner, Lexington. lone,
Boardman and Irrigon. Another
40 percent will be divided among
the communities according to the
percentage of registered voters.
The remaining 10 percent wil be
placed in the county’s discre
tionary fund for economic
development.
Council vice-chairman George
Koffler said that the council will
accept proposals for capital im
provement projects, requests for
seed monies and requests for
monies for engineering or design
costs.
Koffler said that the council
would look more favorably on
projects that would create jobs,
provide an overall economic
benefit to the community or im
prove the livability of the com
munity. He said that they would
also look more favorably on pro
jects that have obtained matching
funds. The council will not ap
prove requests for operating
funds, he said. “ We want to see
the money go as far as it can,”
he said. “ We want to see as big
an impact as possible.”
Koffler said that the council ex
pects to award between $20 and
$25 thousand. The entire amount
may go to one project, or may be
awarded to several smaller
projects.
Deadline for submission of
proposals is Friday. May 14 at 5
p.m. at Heppner City Hall.
Proposals must meet several
criteria. They must:
be in compliance with the
strategic plan (copies may be ob
tained at city hall) and must in
clude the applicable section of the
strategic plan;
-be related and benefit the
Heppner community not limited
Bobby McEwen arrested on charges
Robert J. “ Bobby” McEwen,
28, Heppner, was arrested April
6 by officers from the Blue
Mountain Enforcement Narcotics
team.
McEwen was charged with two
counts of delivery of a controll
ed substance, one count of
possession
of controlled
substance and one count of
unlawful possession of a firearm
(concealed weapon).
The search warrant served on
McEwen's residence on River
side Street and vehicle resulted in
the seizure of a small quantity of
marijuana and several weapons,
said the Morrow County Sheriff s
office.
Bail was set at $52,500 and
McEwen was lodged at Benton
County Jail. He was subsequently
released
on
his
own
recognizance, however, because
of health problems.
City hires wastewater specialist
Matthew Hays, 23, formerly of
Stayton, has been hired as a
wastewater specialist by the city
of Heppner.
Hays, who started his position
on March 1, said he will be work
ing with the city’s wells and
wastewater treatment facility,
especially through the sewer
system upgrade.
Hays has a two-year degree in
wastewater treatment from Linn-
Benton Community College at
Albany and has been employed
with the city of Albany as a drink
ing water treatment operator.
Hays starting salary is $1,479.
Matthew Hays
to the Heppner city limits;
-include the name, address,
phone number and contact person
for the organization submitting
the plan; and
-include a description,
timeline, budget and amount of
money requested for the project.
After the proposals have been
received, the council will
prioritize them and make their
recommendation to the Morrow
County Coordinating Council
who will make their decision by
June 30.
Members of the Heppner Coor
dinating Council, in addition to
Koffler are Gary Marks, Hepp
ner city administrator, chairman;
John Edmundson. secretary;
Claudia Hughes, chamber of
commerce manager; Stan Hoob-
ing. Pat Hyatt. Kent Goodyear,
Ann Spicer and Raymond
French, county commissioner.
The county coordinating coun
cil is composed of three county
commissioners and a represen
tative of each of the five Morrow
County communities. Heppner’s
representative to the county coun
cil is Gary Marks.
Officer assaulted
in Irrigon
incident
An off-duty Oregon State
Police officer. Gary Workman.
McNary. was injured around 2
a.m. Tuesday. April 13. in an in
cident outside of Paul’s Inn.
Highway 730 in Irrigon.
According to Morrow County
Sheriffs deputy Terry Harper,
Workman stepped outside of the
restaurant and lounge to in
vestigate what sounded like so
meone pounding on top of a car.
As he stepped out he was alleged
ly hit over the head with a pool
cue and punched.
Three men, John Albert Fox,
19. Elgin, Willard Russell
Horton, Jr., 24, Elgin and
William Kirt McClure. 23. Elgin,
earlier kicked out of Pauls were
arrested in connection with the in
cident and charged with Assault
II.
Fox. Horton and McClure
were lodged at Benton County
jail.
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