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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (May 5, 1993)
FOUR - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, May 5, 1993 The Official Newspaper of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow Heppner G A Z E T T E -T I M E S U S P S. 240-420 Morrow County’s Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper Published »eekh and entered as \evond-vlavs mailer al the Post Office at Hepp ner. Oregon under the Act of March 3, 1879. Second class postage paid at Hepp ner. Oregon. Office al 147 West Willow Street. Telephone (503) 676-9228. Postmaster send address changes Co the Heppner Gazette-Times, P.O. Box 337, Heppner, Oregon 97836. Subscriptions: $15 in Morrow, Wheeler, Gilliam and Grant Counties; $23 elsewhere. Joyce H u g h es........................................................... Office Manager. Typesetting April Hilton-Sy k e s ............................................................................... New* Editor Mary Van B ibber................................................................. Graphics Department Monique D e v in ..............................................................................................Bindery Penni K eersem aker........................................................................................ Printer Jean Ann T u rn e r.................................................................................... Distribution David and April Hilton-Sykes. Publishers Letters to the Editor Big hand to council members To the Editor: A big hand to the three coun cil people that are standing up for the taxpayers: Martha Doherty, Chuck Holt, David Pranger. Come on city taxpayers, they can't do it alone. Don’t be afraid to voice your opinion. Sincerely, (s) Jessie Scott Never too late to speak out To the Editor: To the citizens of Heppner: 1 appreciate those of you who took the time to call me or to stop in at St. Patrick's senior center to visit with me. I felt it was a good beginning for exchanging ideas and concerns. For those of you who were unable to meet with me Saturday afternoon, or were unable to contact me by phone, I would still like to hear from you. If you would like to voice your concerns or get more infor mation, pleae feel free to call me at home 676-5417. If you don't get an answer, keep trying. For those of you who are in terested, copies of the proposed budget, the merit pay program, minutes of past council meetings, and just about any other docu ment you might wish to read should be available at city hall, as they are public documents. I make no secret of the fact that I am opposed to merit increases in salaries. Furthermore, I am ap palled that the council gave up the authority to approve those in creases to the department heads, based on evaluations done by those same department heads. As the proposed budget now stands. in the next year the city manager's salary can be increas ed as much as $2,031, treasurer’s by $722, police chief by $ 1,772, assistant police chief by $929, public works director by $1,811, assistant public works director by $1,520, utility worker II by $546, and utility worker I by $348 bas ed entirely on an evaluation form. Remember, this is in addition to the 3.5 percent cost of living raise they will be receiving. The only control the council has left is through the budget. Salary in creases can be granted only if they are budgeted for. At this point in time, I am the only coun cil member opposed to budgeting $10,224 for merit raises. (That is almost one-half the salary of the police officer we had to eliminate last year.) It is important for you to let your council members know how you feel. I have made an effort to let you know my concerns. Now it is time for you to be heard. Let the council know how you feel. It is never too late to speak out. Thank you, (s) Martha J. Doherty Heppner City Council member Support pharmacy freedom of access To the Editor: Heppner Chamber Board of Directors voted to urge support of SB 597, the “ Freedom of Ac cess” legislation that will allow participants and beneficiaries of a health insurance plan, policy or health maintenance organization (HMO) to select the pharmacy or pharmacist of their choice as long as they agree to participate in the plan according to the terms and requirements set forth by the insurer. We support this bill as we don't wish to see rural communities in danger of losing community health services. Our consumers need to be protected and to have the freedom to deal with the phar macy and pharmacist of their choice. Senior citizens, especial ly, would find it a hardship if they were forced to purchase prescrip tions out of their own rural community. Heppner Chamber's purpose is to create a positive environment where people and business thrive. Sincerely, (s) Rollie Marshall, President Heppner, Chamber of Commerce COAST TO COAST Sound! YOUR FOR W A LLPA PER Spruce up your walls and SAVE 40 % On sale'til M ay 17 See Coast To Coast for all your Wallpaper needs Paste - Stripper - Sizing Brushes - Knives - Straightedge Wake up Morrow County ODOT powerful Sand use dictator To the Editor: Wake up Morrow County. Black Mountain Adult Foster care is no longer in business. The article that was in the paper (legal notice appearing in the Gazette-Times March 17,24, 31 and April 7) about Jeanette Earlywine nka Townsend, put us out of business. It was untrue. We have two lawyers working on the judg ment. The lawyer I hired in Heppner didn’t do her job. That is why the judgment came down on me (Jeanette Earlywine nka Townsend). Because of the judgment we have lost all of our clients. People in Heppner are really bad about rumors, plus they add more to the rumor. 1 .1 care about Morrow Coun ty Senior Citizens. To the Editor: It is ludicrous that Oregon is making a great deal of effort to develop tourism and economic development while two state agencies are spending millions to discourage economic develop ment and make the development of destination resorts practically impossible. The criteria for destination resorts laid down by LCDC is so restrictive that no one has developed such a resort since these regulations have been in effect. As for economic develope- ment, there is a new villain work ing to block any development that is even indirectly served by a state highway. Thanks to an ad Hepputr WE C AS H E W YOL 676-9961 ministrative rule written by LCDC called the Transportation Planning Rule, the Oregon Department of Transportation, through its teams of planners and lawyers, is successfully delaying and killing development all over the state by actively opposing land use decisions and dictating land uses to cities and counties. If you think ODOT is not a powerful land use dictator, just ask Douglas, Wallowa, and Clackamas counties or Waldport, Pendleton, W oodburn, or LaG rande. All have had developments killed by the heavy hand of ODOT. Heppner could be next. (s) Kirk Braun LaGrande Property owners should be compensated By contacting your legislators To the Editor: in support ot HB 2758, the Secon Proponents of centralized land- dary Lands Bill, and HB 2899, use controls, LCDC, and its the Regulatory Takings Bill, you friends, claim the current system $100,000 from the March levy. provides many benefits at small can help recover a realistic county If this does not pass and further cost. The exact opposite is true, tax base. cuts are made, funding will have Sincerely, at least in Baker County. to be cut from services we all re (s) Allen Phillips Of our 16,000 real property ac ly on. Baker County Assessor counts, 2195 rural tracts are 40 We urge you to vote yes on the acres or smaller. LCDC restricts levy and keep our county mov their use at home sites. Their ing forward. combined unbuildable assessed Sincerely, value is $6,813,000. As potential (s) Bob and Suzanne Jepsen home sites their value would be The Justice Court office at the $51,198,000. Tax unavailable to courthouse annex building in Baker County on the difference Heppner reports handling the is $253,000 annually. following business during the past W ithout LCDC controls, Oregon 97310. week: Sen. Shoemaker, chair of the homes would have been built on Ronald Albion Schwarz, 31, 5-member Health Care and Bio- at least 10 percent of these tracts. Heppner-Failure to Use Seat Belt, Ethics committee may, or may The 219 new homes, with an $25 fine; average assessed value of not, hold a hearing on this bill. Howard Matthew Shane, 26, The Senate Business, Housing $70,000 would add $22,044,000 Lexington-Exceeding the Max-' and Consumer Affairs Commit to the value of Baker County and imum Speed Limit, 65 mph in a tee did move the bill with a “ do $96,000 to its annual tax income 55 mph zone, $25 fine; pass” recommendation because potential. Dustin Joe Padberg, 32, lone- The forfeited $350,000 is Exceeding the Maximum Speed of strong consumer support. Communities need further in recouped by taxing other property Limit, 68 mph in a 55 mph zone, at a proportionately higher rate. put from consumers to urge Sen. $61 fine; Shoemaker to hold a hearing and Fewer owners thus fund the Michael Fred Vogele, 36, an additional “ do pass” recom county. Heppner-Failure to Wear Seat Construction of 219 homes mendation for a vote of the full Belt, $25 fine; represents labor and material that Senate. Stephen Louis H ill, 41, Without this additional and would boost county and state in Lexington-Exceeding the Max timely support we can expect a come. Further, there would be imum Speed Limit, 65 mph in a further decline in tax-paying rural 219 new families living in Baker 55 mph zone, $25 fine; communities and a gridlocked County. Many of whom would be Joe Lynn Humphries, 50, Western Oregon. retired, each bringing into the Crosby, Tx-Violation of the Basic Sincerely, county an additional $25,000 or Rule, 55 mph in a 35 mph zone, (s) Margaret G. Murray so annual income to be spent with $55 fine; local merchants. Kenneth John Ohls, 57. Boise, Other rural counties in Oregon ID-Exceeding the Maximum must suffer similar LCDC impos Speed Limit, 69 mph a 55 mph ed loss to their tax base, and ex zone, $55 fines; dom, across the state. Each per perience the same lack of son was asked this question: “ In Keith Earl Browning, 50, benefits. your opinion, should private lan Goldendale, WA.-Operating On The above facts show the im Flat Tire, $55 fine; No Oregon downers be compensated when pact of just a small fraction of our Operator’s License. $24 fine; government denies them the use land control system. From this it of their land in order to provide Tracy Shawn Wilson, 20, seems self evident that the lack of Heppner-No Angling License, habitat for wildlife?” A convincing 78 percent said, local funding for schools is large $25 fine; yes. Nearly eight of 10 voters ly contrived. It is not the lack of Carla Annette Morter, 27, believe the current system is un county resources, but the negative Heppner-Exceeding Maximum fair to land owners. Citizen greed impact LCDC controls have on Speed, 74 mph in a 55 mph zone, for the possessions of others isn’t our tax base that is turning us in $55 fine. as prevalent as state agency to wards of the state. bureaucrats would have us believe. The legislature has before it a bill, HB 2899, designed to pro % minus vide compensation for property lV i” minus values lost due to state regulatory 3 ” base rock action. Let’s work to make it become law. If we fail in the legislature, perhaps it is time for the people of Oregon to speak through a referendum. We need to insist that people are treated fairly. Pit 2 miles below Lex. on Lex/Ione Hwy. Sincerely, (s) George Holcomb Contact Roger Britt 676-5096 Richland Vote yes on county levy To the Editor: Recently all registered voters received a ballot to vote on a one- year operating levy outside the tax base for Morrow County. In March we voted on a higher operating levy and it was defeated by 29 votes with only 47 percent of the ballots returned. The county court and budget com m ittee have trim m ed Justice Court ____Report Bill will allow selection of pharmacist To the Editor: A sign of the times on the wall at an auto repair shop states “ Ac cording to Oregon Insurance Law, an insurance company may not require that repairs be made by a particular person or repair shop.’’ Senate Bill 718. Do we really want to take bet ter care of our car bodies and their repair shops than our own bodies and our own commun ities? To maintain community health services, please call 1-800-327-7389 to contact Sen. Bob Shoemaker’s office urging support of SB 597, the Freedom of Access legislation submitted by the Oregon State Pharmacists Assn. Contact this same 800 number to speak with your own legislator’s office also. Or write them at: State Capital, Salem, LCDC has negative impact on tax base To the Editor: There is an increasing interest by Oregonians in establishing a system under which land owners would receive compensation for loss of use of their property due to state regulatory actions. State agencies such as Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, LCDC, and State Lands would have us believe that Oregonians in general are insensitive to the plight of individual land owners and support agency confiscatory programs. One test of this view provided interesting and encour aging results. The firm of Moore Information Public Opinion Research tested the public’s view by surveying 500 Oregon voters, picked at ran: Weather Report by City of Hoppoor April 27 - May 3, 1993 High Low Free Tues. 60 37 Tr Weds. 59 46 .08 Thurs. 62 46 .11 Fri. 63 37 .0 Sat. 65 42 .04 Sun. 65 46 .16 Mon. 53 43 .27 Total precipitation for April was 2.74. Crushed Rock For Sale Rip Rap Clean Fill Material Can be picked up at pit or we will deliver Court Street Market 111 N. Court Heppner 676-9643 GROCERIES - MEATS - PRODUCE reg. 2.39 La Victoria 16.5 oz. Salsa Corrections Western Family chicken, celery or mushroom 10.5 oz. reg. 75c The St. Jude Bike-A-Thon is set for Sunday, May 16 in lone. A headline in last week's Gazette- Time incorrectly stated the wrong date. The course, which includes a 22-mile scenic ride from Ruggs to lone is open to anyone who would like to participate. For more information and a pledge sheet contact Loa McElligott 422-7228. SOUP 2 to r * l° * Western Family 5 lb. bag reg. 2.09 ea. We Print GoasttoGoast 2. The Adult Foster Care could have been good for Morrow County. 3. Wake up Morrow County. 73 percent of Morrow County is senior citizens. 4. Please start acting like our seniors are people too. We appreciated our doctors and hospital and Heppner Clinic. They really stood behind us, all the way. If everyone would take five minutes each day to.listen to one senior, Morrow County would be a better place to live. My husband and myself are moving to find new jobs. Could we please say good-bye to some people: Velma Wight, Nellie J. Jones, Agnes Sperry, Georgia Lynch and our friends in Heppner. (s) Don and Jeannette Townsend Business Cards Gazette-Times 676-9228 Sugar • | W ea reg. 85c ea. Western Family 16 oz. Refried Beans Western Family 4-4.25 oz. **♦ reg. 1.59 ea. Pudding Cups Western Family 6 oz. lite 8 oz. reg- Carrots 59«ea. Fresh Broccoli 4 9 V 10 lb bag Potatoes Golden Delicious Apples 5 9 V New York Steak Rib Eye Steak Yogurt Green Cabbage 2 lb. cello bag * 4 * * i< , Top Sirloin Steak 1 9 V Price Good May 5th through 11th Beef Bottom Round Roast Boneless Pork Loin Roast * l" ,b
