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Voters to decide fate of county tax base
I. I
Morrow County voters will
decide whether to increase the
county’s tax base next Tuesday,
May 17.
Voters have rejected a new
county tax base since 1911 and
the county must go for a one-year
operating levy every year to ap
propriate the funds needed for
operation of the county govern
ment. The recently passed
operating levy asked for $3.7
million over the existing tax base
o f $831,986, established in 1911.
According to Morrow County
Judge Louis Carlson, an increase
to a $4,540,435, base would
create a more realistic tax base.*
Carlson said that the increase
would provide a basis for "good
planning and dependable fun
ding" and would build morale for
county employees, who may not
know from year to year if funds
will permit their rehire. “ I think
we operate a dam good ship,”
said Carlson. “ We’re fiscally
responsible and have as good a
staff as any in eastern Oregon,”
he added.
Under the six percent limita
tion, the tax base could increase
by the allowable six percent every
year without a vote of the people.
The next year after a $4.5 million
base is approved, the county
could increase the base by over
$270,(XX) without voter approval.
However, according to Morrow
County accountant Lisanne Cur-
rin, the county does not have to
levy the maximum amount each
year. If the county does levy the
maximum amount, however, and
then the next three years levies
below that amount, the highest
levy of the three years becomes
the new tax base plus six percent.
If a new tax base is approved,
the one-year operating levy
monies would not be levied.
According to Carlson, if the
new county tax base is approved
May 17 and either or both of the
medical district tax bases pass,
the county would decrease the
county tax base by the amount of
money budgeted for medical ser
vices for that particular area
Voters to go to polls Tuesday, May 17
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a*
h ormer Kinzua owners make donation
The former owners o f Kinzua
Corp. are donating $250,000 to
the community as a goodwill
gesture, Kinzua general manager
Frank Pearson announced at the
Heppner City Council meeting
Monday evening. May 9.
Pearson said that he went
before the past owners and ask
ed for a donation. The owners
agreed with Pearson’s request
with the stipulation that the pro
jects approved would be highly
visible and that the donation be
tax deductible. Pearson said that
the donation gave the previous
owners the opportunity to “ put
something back into the com
munity.”
A committee o f George Kof-
fler, Bank of Eastern Oregon
president and chief executive of
ficer, Larry Mills, Morrow
County Grain Growers general
manager, and C liff Green,
businessman, president o f the
Heppner Economic Development
and former mayor o f Heppner,
was appointed. A fourth commit
tee member, Dave A11 stott, was
appointed by the city council.
Requests for monies for wor
thwhile projects from the com
munity, including Heppner, Lex
ington and lone, may be return
ed to Heppner City Hall. In ad
dition to being visible, the pro
jects should benefit the communi
ty. No stipulations have been set
concerning the amount o f money
asked. Applications should in
clude the name of the group, the
amount of money asked, the pro
ject and an explanation o f its
benefit to the community and a
contact person. “ I think pet pie
will come up with good pro
jects,” Pearson added. He said
that he expects that it may take
one to one and a half years to ex
pend the money.
The city directed city manager
Gary Marks and city attorney Bill
Kuhn to draft ground rules for ac
cepting projects.
In related business, the coun
cil heard a report from Pearson
concerning the mill’s operation.
Pearson told the group that part
of the crew had started planning
Monday and that logs have
started rolling back in. He said
that the sawmill will probably be
started back up in a little over a
week. He said that the mill is ex
perimenting with “ cutting logs a
different w ay,” and added that
the new owners are “ aggressively
purchasing
timber
and
timberlands.”
Pearson said that while the mill
doesn’t need hog fuel to run the
co-gen plant anymore, they will
be bringing in chips for paper.
Pearson said that around 125 of
the 145 employees are expected
to be hired back, with the majori
ty former Kinzua Corp. workers.
As of Monday evening, not all the
positions had been filled, he said.
He said that the new owners
planned to run one and a half
shifts.
Pearson told the Heppner
Chamber of Commerce Tuesday
that about 100 loads of logs per
day are being moved off the log
yard and sold, but that there are
now about 20 loads per day com
ing into the mill. The deck will
stabilize with about one-and-a-
half months supply in the yard.
He said the company is current
ly buying logs to sustain opera
tion of the mill.
“ The new owners are out pur
chasing new timberland ag
gressiv ely to replace the
timberland that was sold. I have
not seen a short-term approach on
the part of the new owners,”
Pearson told the chamber. “ It’s
like any other business. We will
be operating as long as we pro
duce profits.” He said the new
owners had some capital im
provements in mind, but did not
specify what they were. Pearson
did say the mill was going to
operate on a four day, 10 hours
per day basis, and see how it
worked out.
The Heppner City Council
awarded the city street improve
ment project bid to Blue Moun
tain Paving, the only bidder.
The bid, at $395,836.66, was
over budget, but the city had
stipulated that the project could
be reduced if necessary.
The city will remove four
streets from the plan, August
Street, between Gilmore and
Court; Barratt Boulevard; Aiken
and Elder, because they have ad
ditional problems in getting
equipment over the bridge; and
Jones between Water and Church
streets.
City manager Gary Marks said
that because the contract is quan
tity based, some of the streets cut
from the list may be able to be
added back in.
A representative from Blue
Mountain Paving said that he ex
pects that the company can start
pre-work within two weeks. He
said that the project will be com
pleted within a 60-day time
period.
In other business, the city:
-discussed acquiring property
that will be abandoned by the
Union Pacific Railroad;
-heard a report on the
wastewater project. Although the
project is “ pretty much on
schedule, representatives from
Anderson Perry reported pro
blems with the concrete on the
sludge storing tank and cracks in
the digester; ,
-heard a report from Dave
Winters concerning problems
with the instrumentation for the
city wells. The instrumentation
failed to indicate problems with
a well until the water level was
severely depleted. The council
approved researching solutions to
the well problems.
-heard a report concerning a
new type of cold mix to patch ci
ty streets.
-heard that the new city fire
truck has been painted and is now
curing, with delivery expected by
May 25.
Morrow County voters will go
to the polls Tuesday, May 17, to
decide the fate o f national, state,
county and local issues.
The polls will be open from 7
a.m. to 8 p.m.
Polling places will be: Precinct
no. 1, North Boardman-
Greenfield Grange; Precinct no.
2, South Boardman-Lutheran
Church; N o. 3, Hardman-
Morrow County Courthouse; No.
4, Ione-Ione City Hall; No. 5
North Irrigon-North Morrow An
nex; no. 6, South Irrigon-Irrigon
City Hall; no. 7, Lexington-
Mormon Church; no. 8 Northeast
Heppner-St. Patrick’s Senior
Center; no. 9 Northw est
Heppner-Pettyjohn Building; no.
10, Southeast Heppner-Morrow
County Courthouse; and no. 11,
Southwest Heppner-new forestry
building.
Candidates are as follows:
For govemor-Democratic can
didates, John Kitzhaber, Paul Da
mian Wells; Republican can
didates, Craig Berkman, Jack
Feder, Donald Goff, John E.
Jewkes, Bradford William Nudd,
Denny Smith.
For United States represen
tative in Congress 2nd District-
¿íeihocratic candidates, Pete
Heppner High to hold “ Partners in
Education” student-parent exchange
Heppner High School will hold
its first “ Partners in Education”
exchange day Wednesday, May
18. Parents and interested com
munity members will take the
place o f Heppner High Students
and experience “ a day in the
life” at HHS. Any person living
in the Heppner High attendance
area who is over 21 is eligible and
encouraged to volunteer as a
“ partner” to a high school stu
dent. “ A number of parents have
already committed to attend but
there are still many students
whose parents cannot,” said
HHS teacher Bob Sagely. Parents
are encouraged to attend, even if
for a half day.
The purpose is to acquaint
adults with the current school
program and to educate them
abou the changes schools will ex
perience because of Oregon’s
21st Century School Reform Act,
House Bill 3565.
A “ Partner in Education” will
begin the day with an organiza
tional meeting at the first bell in
the gym. The “ partner” will go
through a reguar, though shorten
ed, school day for the student
they are replacing. Classes will
be held as on a typical day with
learning activities to enable a
’’real life” look at what is hap
pening in schools today.
Lunch will be served for $2 in
the cafeteria with a cashier
available. Student lunch cards
will not be used that day.
At 3 p.m. Steve Dickenson,
HHS principal, will conduct a
presentation on the impact of
school change that is resulting
from the Oregon legislature’s
passage of the school reform law.
Participants will be able to com
pare what they just experienced
to the vision o f the Oregon high
school created by the passage o f
the 21st Century School Reform
Act. A question and answer ses
sion will follow. Those who can
not come all day as a “ partner"
are invited to attend the presen
tation at the end of the day.
Anyone interested in being a
“ Partner in Education” , should
contact Bob Sagely 676-9139.
Your name will be placed on a list
for students who need a partner.
“ Please make an attempt to be in
volved in this effort,” said Sage
ly. “ Your community schools
need your support and active in
volvement now more than ever.”
Funds offered for EMT training
Grants of $ 1,000 are being of
fered to county emergency
medical service organizations in
10 northeast Oregon counties.
The grants are offered to pro
vide volunteer and paid emergen
cy medical technicians with local
continuing education. The grant
seed money is offered as an in
centive for each county to
develop cooperative education of
ferings for all EMTs. Only one
award will be given per county,
although the program may be of
fered in more than one location.
The goal o f the incentive pro
gram is to make training available
and accessible to as many EMTs
as possible while encouraging a
< ooperative effort among all
emergency medical service pro
viders. Six counties received
EMT training grants in 4993.
Grants are available to Mor
row, Umatilla. Gilliam. Grant,
Baker, Malheur, Union, Sher
man, Wallowa and Wheeler
counties.
A pplication packets are
available from the Northeast
Oregon Area Helath Education
Center in LaGrande. Completed
applications must be postmarked
by July 1.
For more information contact
Northeast Oregon AHEC at
962-3801.
Hawley, Sue C. Kupillas, Mike
(Mac) McLaughlin, David Marc
Rogers; Republican candidates,
Perry A. Atkinson, Jim Bradley,
Peter M. Brockm an, Wes
Cooley, Dan Skotte, C.W. Smith
and John DeZell.
For com m issioner o f the
Bureau of Labor and Industries-
D, Rena Cusman, Michael
Payne, Mary Wendy Roberts,
Bob Shiprack; R, Jack Roberts.
For precinct 5 committee per
son, male-R, John D. Creason,
David W. Barber, Carl F. Riley.
Superintendent o f public
instruction-non partisan, Jerry
Cohen, Michael (Mick) Ewers,
Elizabeth Hinchman. Norma
Paulus.
Judge of the Supreme Court,
position 6-non partisan, Wallace
P. Carson, Jr., incumbent, Mor
ton A. (Mort) Winkel.
Judge o f the Court o f appeals,
position 10-non partisan, Barry
L. Adamson, Rex Armstrong.
James J. Kolstoe, Jim Nass and
Tom Sieg.
All other races are unopposed.
lone voters will decide whether
or not to vote in a $54,950 tax
base and a $41,350 one-year
operating levy for the lone Rural
Fire Protection District.
Morrow County voters will
decide whether to increase the
county’s tax base from $784.892
to $4,540,435.
Voters will also accept or re
ject a state-wide measure which
would amend the constitution to
allow new motor vehicle fuel
revenues for dedicated purposes.
Health Department offers free
immunizations for children under 4
The Morrow County Health
Department will offer free vac
cinations to children ages four
and under this Saturday, May 14
in Heppner and Boardman as part
of an Immunize Now program.
The clinic in Heppner will be held
from 10 a.m. to noon at the
Health Department office and in
Boardman at city hall from 2 to
4 p.m. Parents are asked to
bring their children’s immuniza
tion records.
Those who immunize their pre
schoolers or certify that their
shots are current will be eligible
to win a 1995 Hyundai Sonata to
drive for one year from Braley &
Graham Hyundai, a family vaca
tion including golf and tennis at
Salishan Lodge on the Oregon
Coast; or a $500 Mrs. Tiggy-
Winkles children’s wear gift
certificate.
Thousands o f infants and tod
dlers in the northwest lack ade
quate protection against measles.
mumps, rubella, diphtheria and
other serious childhood diseases.
To help solve this problem,
Oregon Public Broadcasting is
sponsoring Immunize Now, a
statewide outreach project to im
munize preschool children. The
month-long campaign began
April 14.
Immunize Now is sponsored in
partnership with the office o f
Medical Assistance Programs,
Oregon Health Systems in Col
laboration, Oregon Preschool Im
munization Consortium and the
Summerville Fund of the Oregon
Com m unity
Foundation.
Members o f the Oregon Nurses
Association, Rotary, Kiwanis,
American Legion Auxiliary and
other service organizations are
providing volunteer staffing.
Over 70 community groups, cor
porations and foundations are in
volved through volunteer service
o f financial support.
Job bank program begins
Tiffany Munkers (left) and Mandi Gutierrez (right) are two
Heppner High School students participating in a new Job Bank
pay-to-participate program started recently. Both students are
currently working at the Gazette-Times.
Businesses or individuals wishing to use the program will
pay $5 per hour per student, into a job bank designated for
that student. The program was started for students to help them
pay for their participation in sports programs during the next
school year.
To participate in sports next year students must pay $50 per
sport, per child, $100 maximum or $200 maximum per family.
Anyone wishing to participate in the program should call Dar
cy Robinson at the high school 676-9138.
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