Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 6, 1996)
« • • • ■m * W 4T % 41 -■* 4* ' 4 «•* 1 -■% -♦ * ■* l *■-♦'-• *■* - *t * » * •!- « « -1 -« - ♦ I » -* * • - é *«< k4 I l'4T I '♦• » 4 4 ♦ • -# «• <• « V -’ *? ; : : « # 4 - - -V e .. 0 ■ - •: « . • ■* / '4L. • : • * ' V • • ■* **• -J , . *• V /» . • .♦ < „•». \ : • Ad hoc committee recommends jail in county PESSIE U O F ORE WE T Z E L L NEWSPAPER t. I B HEPPNER 50 < imes VOL 115______ NO 45______ 8 Pages Wednesday, November 6, 1996,______ Morrow County Heppner, Oregon "Vital signs good" at MCGC The Morrow County wy Grain Growers posted record profits last Fiscal year, with each department showing a good bottom line, the co-op management told gathered members at the annual meeting Monday night, Nov. 4. ""All your vital signs are good," accountant Steve Green told the crowd who had just year were just over $38 million. In other business Mills also announced expansion plans for the co-op including a service station convenience store in Lexington, and expanded repair services at its facilities in Sherman County. "We think the future looks both bright and promising," Mills said. enjoyed a beef dinner. Co-op General Manager Larry Mills said the good health of the co-op was due to increased sales and watching expenses. "And we’re off to a good start this year," Mills added. Profits for the co-op were $892,144, up from $423,806 last year, this on sales o f over $45 million. Total sales last The defeat o f the Morrow County tax base measure not only left the county finances somewhat insecure, but also dashed county officials' plan to use the six percent automatic yearly increase over the tax base to help fund a county jail. County officials held meetings in all the towns in Morrow County to discuss the jail situation and promote passage o f the county tax base. Officials said the increase could help fund a jail, however, there is no guarantee that the money would be used for that purpose. Morrow County Judge Louis Carlson and commissioner Ra> French told an audience of around 20 people at a meeting at Heppner High School Wednesday, Oct. 30, that the Jail Ad Hoc Committee recommended building a Morrow County Jail and that the committee favored passage of the tax base to help fund the jail. They estimate that the cost o f building a 35-bed facility, which is recommended, would be around $3.5 million or 25 cents per thousand of assessed valuation. Operation costs for a 35-bed jail are estimated around $600 thousand a year or 43 cents per thousand assessed valuation. The tax burden on a homeowner with a $60,000 home would be $40.80 a year. Building a jail would create ' ••■'** Vl’.V*. . V. - • :• i f - 1 - r f i - t . 12 to 15 jobs in the county, but French added that he did not consider building a jail to be economic development. Residents have increasingly become concerned about setting prisoners free because jail space is simply not available. The county currently purchases jail bed space from other counties, but the problem is that space is dwindling. French said that 75 percent of all the criminals in the county are released. Currently, only three beds are available for Morrow County in jails located elsewhere. Morrow County now spends around district to build a y ail. This option would cost tn< ie county $2.7 million for jail construction and $564,000. line tax burden is estimated at $36.60 ayear for a homeowner with a $60,000 home. Officials say this option woul d create a disproportionate tax burden on county residents, compared to the benefit received. The third option discussed was to continue to purchase bed space from other counties when it is available. The estimate of annual operational cost for this option for 35 beds would be $702.000 a year- $33.80 a year for a homeowner $180,00 a year to house with a $60,000 home. County officials stressed prisoners at those jails. that if a jail is built, funds Prisoners may only be housed must be available for in adjoining counties. operation. If the tax base was Morrow County Undersheriff Verlin Denton said that the jail not passed, voters would have situation now creates a vicious to pass a levy each year. circle. Denton said that now, if Failure any one year would someone is arrested, but there create major problems for the is "no room at the inn", the county , they said and monies criminal is cited and released. could not be earmarked for jail If the criminal then fails to operation. appear, a warrant is issued for Another funding option is his arrest. But, if there is still creation of a special jail no jail space, then the criminal district with its own tax base. is still on the street. However, county officials say "We could build a 35-bed that a special district would jail and it would be filled in a "adversely impact other taxing month," added Denton. districts from compression. Other options were They maintain that this option considered and rejected by the could be detrimental to other ad hoc committee. The county serv ices. co m m ittee considered recommending that Morrow County join a five-county “ . a • ' - VA‘ * A 4 • * • • V? V *. r '1 —;v • « • ‘V x fv k s* *» - ■ \ ,**• • • • -»• • ; *. *;, \ .‘ I • »K * * , l V«. V* - , , V f / *>; * $ *. Ì *, • .S-'j *V ^r. * /» ■A :>• , '*'• .Èv . . V J; ’ , * - V *••• ■, • A ^’ •* » * . . . * ^ ’ -1 ■ •*. „ ’ -i 'y.. ' r a • _l # • V' : ■< ; r ‘ Characters appear all over town 1 * r -~w - • c , X ÎS General Election Resull tsL- Ca ndi< dat< B E — T V h ~ Morrow County s: T u e s . , Nov. 5, 199 6 Si R N X 1 N G T O N i R R 1 G O N i 0 N E O A R D M A N •1 - -2: ' ; *, *¿4 j -- •vt*: y- . v f- , ■ , . . - ■ . . ’ . ; • . ' > •.. T O T A L S . > ',V V > '• . ■ ~ 7^ V- ' A. , . 4 - ¿r~ .N ' U n it e d S ta te s P r e s id e n t a n d V ic e P r e s id e n t B o b D o le & J a c k K e m p 275 118 131 228 206 958 B ill C lin to n & Al G o re 290 68 108 339 256 1061 92 13 22 153 107 387 109 423 349 1436 300 197 778 R o s s P e ro t & J a m e s C a m p b e ll V » . • • - . V j ' X - - 5 1 1 U n it e d S ta te s S e n a to r 399 G o rd o n S m ith 184 T o m B ru g g e re U .S . R e p r e s e n ta tiv e in C o n g re s s 156 37 60 S e c o n d D is t r ic t ' . * A M ik e D u g a n 199 36 56 332 218 841 B o b S m ith 525 163 19 6 365 342 1591 O r e g o n S e c r e ta r y o f S ta te S ta n A sh 208 104 10 6 216 202 836 P h il K e is lin g 350 77 12 5 410 299 1261 V r The yellow brick road wound its way through the Bank o f Eastern Oregon last Thursday as Dorothy, the scarecrow, the wicked witch, tin woodsman, the good witch, the cowardly lion and o f course Mr. Wizard himself, all appeared at the bank for Halloween. _ ’ . A , ' - > -> •- . V • ~ .» t ■ . . . V, w- w. ' « - -■» S ta te T r e a s u r e r J im H ill 295 61 98 390 278 1122 B e v C la m o 333 12 0 14 4 268 256 1121 A tto rn e y G e n e ra l V ic to r H o tte r 262 10 9 128 254 243 996 H a rd y M y e rs 272 57 93 364 251 1037 S ta te S e n a to r , 2 8 t h D is t r ic t K e v in M . C a m p b e ll 283 85 11 8 486 T e d F e rrio li 209 110 13 4 453 fu d g e o f t h e C ir c u it C o u r t , S ix th D is tr ic t G a rry R e y n o ld s 593 111 127 420 316 1274 R o b e rt R id g w a y 239 67 92 215 177 794 M o r r o w C o u n ty C o m m is s io n e r W illia m “ W h is k e r B ill” M a rre n 145 35 44 133 141 498 J e rry P e c k 197 54 76 11 0 10 9 546 362 10 5 138 458 309 1372 J o h n W e n h o lz won M o r r o w C o u n ty T re a s u re r M a rg o S h e re r G a y le G u tie rre z won C it y o f L e x in g to n D u a n e D is q u e 260 69 76 360 271 1036 358 12 9 183 296 270 1236 C o u n c ilp e rs o n s won S ta n K e m p J e a n B ra z e ll won 50 50 45 45 46 46 C it y o f B o a r d m a n M la y o r T e rry T a llm a n won W illia m B ro w n 234 234 135 13 5 C it y o f lo n e C o u n c ilp e r s o n s 36 36 won 90 90 R o b e rt B all won 95 95 B e tty G ra y won 83 83 C le o C h ild e rs J o e l B a rn e tt t :» ■ (L-R) Ghouls Dot Halvorsen, Irene Swanson, Darrell Vinson, Sue Vinson and Rose Moe showed up for a pre-Halloween lunch at the St. Patrick’s Senior Center meal site, Wednesday, Oct. 30 Prepare for the cold with pipe insulation and heat tape at Morrow County Grain Growers L e x in g to n 9 8 9 -8 2 2 1 1 -8 0 0 -4 5 2 -7 3 9 6 » w » 1 |.» m n m P * * * > m * 9 II '■** ♦ - 4* -P » .- . -1 -V cv‘>- ■-.• ••
