Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 15, 1995)
— ■■ O * u Bessie OF ORF. ,,t n Il « - r *» C t f * *• w w w N £ V. S P A P E R I Cut of 25 teachers county wide recommended to balance budget By Chuck Starr, Morrow Coun ty Schools superintendent What kind of budget cuts are being planned for our schools in 1995-96? At the board meeting mon- day night Feb. 13, 1 made the following report on recommen dations I will be making to the Budget Committee on February 27: As you know, we are in a funding crisis for the operation of schools in Morrow County. We need to take drastic action to bring our spending re quirements in line with our ex pected resources over the next three years. To accomplish that goal, I will be making specific recommendations to the budget committee at a public meeting at Sam Boardman Elementary, on February 27 at 7:30 p m. I want the board and the public to know the serious nature of those recommenda tions They are as follows: 1 will recommend that we remove the funding for co- curricular activities from the general fund and budget for them in a separate fund requir ing outside funding for opera tion. These activities will be dependent upon funding from such sources as the recreation district serial levy planned for May 16, or from other forms of local funding. I will recom mend that this action be taken for at least the next two years. I will recommend that we reduce our licensed staff district-wide by 25 full time employees. That is 20 FTE beyond the five already plann ed for Heppner in the 7-12 con figuration. This reduction will impact every school in the district. I will also recommend Donation day for St. Pat's auction Feb. 16 Plan to divy up road monies revealed The Heppner City Council learned of a plan concerning distribution of road fund monies to cities, at their regular council meeting Monday night, Feb. 13. According to Val Doherty, Morrow County counsel, the city of Boardman will become the beneficiary of a large tax windfall, with the proposed an nexation of the Coyote Springs Co-gen plant into the city lim its. The formula for distributing road fund monies to cities, mandated by law, is by assessed valuation. This for mula, therefore, would give the city of Boardman the majority of the road funds and decrease the amount Heppner and other cities receives. However, a plan has been proposed through which the cities would agree to turn their funds over to an entity with representatives from each of the cities. This entity would award the funds to the cities. Morrow County Commissioner Ray French said, for example, that the funds could be allocated as needed by the cities, not necessarily equally to all towns every year. For exam ple, if a city has a project plann ed in the future, they could forgo their road funds for several years and then receive adequate funds for their project when the monies were needed. Doherty said that the Port of Morrow, owner of the proper ty on which the co-gen plant is situated, indicated that they were uncomfortable with the formula that would distribute a majority of funds to the city of Boardman. Doherty said the proposed plan was put forward to mitigate the impact of Coyote Springs annexation in to Boardman city limits on the other cities of the county. All the city councils would have to approve the new plan and opt in it. According to Doherty, the total amount of road funds distributed to the cities is around $80,000 per year. Hepp ner City Manager Gary Marks said that Heppner's share has been around $28-29 thousand. This amount would be reduc ed drastically as Boardman's assessed valuation soars. In other business the council: -learned that the Heppner Economic Development Cor poration has shelved its plans for a motel/hotel on Cemetery Hill for the time being, as reported by HEDC President John Murray. Murray said that a feasibility study indicated that the site was too far away from downtown to be effective. HEDC has decided, instead, to focus on the site for a hous ing development, he said. -heard a request from Martha Doherty that the council take action to prevent the construc tion of a road for the erection and maintenance of a propos ed cellular phone tower on the Don and Merlyn Robinson pro perty near her home. Doherty's major complaint was that she did not want the traffic on the street near her home. City manager Gary Marks said that the city has no authority to pre vent construction of a private road on private property and, further, that the property is outside the city limits. The council, however, did agree to direct Marks to write a letter to the cellular phone company, pointing out alternate routes for the road. -heard a report on street and bridge improvements for 1995 indicating that the city is on track for replacement of Elder Street Bridge in May, followed by reconstruction of Elder and Aiken streets. -heard an update on the sludge truck funding and ap proved a request to advertise for bids. -approved plans for a public restroom to be placed in the ci ty park and authorized adver tisement for bids. -approved authorization to advertise for proposals for the water telemetry system. -approved authorization to schedule a public hearing on an ordinance providing for the organization administration of the city of Heppner Volunteer Fire Department. -approved a fire protection contract between the city of Heppner and the Heppner Rural Fire District. -approved authorization to enter into a joint purchase ar rangement with the Heppner Rural Fire District to acquire a new chassis for the 1975 mini pumper. Fire chief Rusty Estes reported that the pumper has become increasingly difficult to drive, tending to wander and recommended that a new chassis be purchased ahead of schedule. -approved a request from John Edmundson that he be allowed to paint an estimated 600 green shamrocks along a Leprechauns getting ready for Volkswalk route during the St. The St. Patrick's Day Auction Patrick's celebration; Committee reminds everyone -heard a request from Ed that they will conduct a "Dona mundson that improvements tion Day” in Heppner on be made to the shoulder on the Thursday, February 16 from 4 steep section of the hill up to to 7 p.m. Volunteers will ask the high school, especially with local businesses and neigh the seventh and eighth grades borhoods to contribute items to be moved to the high school that can be auctioned to sup this fall; p o rt the St. Patrick's Day -adopted the city code. celebration. The yearly auction -approved a request from a provides the main financial group of children to raise four support for this community pigs as a 4-H project on the event. Unruh property located within The committee has several the city limits. convenient ways for people to make donations. On donation day, Feb. 16, people may leave their donation in their drive way and volunteers will come pick it up. Volunteers are available at any other time to pick up large items at your home or business. To arrange to have your donations picked up call Steve Rhea 676-9113 or Mike Mills 676-9141 days, or the Murrays, 676-9158 days and 676-9631 evenings. Small items may be left at Kuhn, Spicer and Mills office on Main Street. that we reinstate 14 FTE of those 25 if the bond issue passes. Implementing these recom mendations will be very pain ful, and they will put extreme importance on both the bond issue and the recreation serial levy. As painful as this will be, there is no doubt that we must take this action if we are to place our district in a position of stability under the funding formula and begin to move in a positive direction in the future. Once again, let me em phasize that the specific cuts, the positions to be reduced, and the schools affected by them will all be presented at the budget committee work session at Sam Boardman Elementary, on February 27 at 7:30 p.m. .I •*:• ^vv7. Ad : : Î; '«V . .* .i • • ' I I •v- v . .--rvi Cardinals headed to District The lone Cardinals boys and girls team both earned the top seed in the Big Sky League ear ning them another trip to the District 3 1A tournament held in Hermiston. The tournament begins Fri day, Feb. 17 at 1:30 p.m. when Dufur girls play the winner of the Echo-Condon game (which was played off Tuesday night, Feb. 14). The Cascade Locks boys play the winner of the Echo-Helix game at 3:30 p.m. lone girls play Wasco Coun ty girls at 6 p.m. with the both boys teams following at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb 18 will see the loser of Friday nights games playing the winner of Friday afternoons games. Game time Saturday begins at 4 p.m. All games will be played in the Hermiston High School new gym. L .' ; -.A *• / • • • Î 1 *•. • . ï f V: .. s * ,>'% '*> . ' • m V - V - . -.v- i I r, j . ' • V' s3 * • People for Pool show artist conception of pool r* }• r V -, ■ • :•. * • , • -V- . . T k j - % /y £ *v * • * ' ' / * 1 -• •f. •V * -. .*> / • *. *■.*;.* • * * 1 • ; ■ •>. ■,.• ,\ New swimming pool to be built People for the pool, a local group working to have a pool built, released an artist's draw ing of the proposed facility Tuesday. Voters will be asked to ap prove a $975,000 bond levy to finance construction of the pool at Hager Park. Barbecue beef dinner planned The Senior class of Heppner High School will be serving barbecued beef during the game against Pilot Rock this Friday, Feb. 17. in the home ec room. Dinner will be served from 4:30 p.m. until the beginning of St. Pat’s weekend t .‘ c* the boys varsity game. The menu includes barbecue beef on a bun, salad, dessert and beverage. Price is $4 adults and $2 children 10 and under. Proceeds go towards the senior drug and alcohol free trip to Seattle, WA. Grade point averages up slightly The multi-use facility will in clude an indoor therapy pool for use in cool weather, and would be wheelchair acces sible. Ballots for approval of the pool will be going out to voters in the mail on March 10. Grade point averages are slightly higher at Heppner High School since the district went to a four-day school week, principal Steve Dicken son said Tuesday. Dickenson said he examined the grade point averages of 95 students and found a slight up ward trend. He said he examined soph- mores, juniors and seniors on ly, and only students who had attended school here last year. Dickenson said that of those checked, 57 students had higher grade point averages for the first term, 36 had lower and two had not changed. "My gut feeling is that there is barely any change, but if there is it is slightly higher, " he said. '* Morrow County Grain Growers Lexington 989-8221 1-800-452-7396 ’ * * *• * . * *“ N % « - * * » M y if. TH9KK SPR9KG Lawn and Garden supplies Arriving Daily . I . >: p q
