EIGHT - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, January 10, 2001
Wheat Foundation
School board approves controversial vehicle use policy
The Morrow County
School Board approved the
second
reading
of
a
controversial
resolution
setting the district's vehicle use
policy at its regular meeting
Monday night at Heppner
Elementary School.
The approved policy
would continue the district's
practice o f prohibiting district
vehicles for personal use,
while at the same time, giving
the superintendent discretion
in the issue.
According to wording
o f the policy, "The board may
approve the purchase of
vehicles to be used by staff for
district business, including
transportation services. The
superintendent will develop
and maintain regulations that
define the appropriate use and
care o f district vehicles and the
responsibilities o f district staff
using those vehicles."
The policy continued,
"Personal use o f district
vehicles is prohibited; except
for commuiting to and from
work
for
designated
employees and de minimis
(minimal) personal use such as
stopping to do a personal
errand on the way between a
business delivery and the
employee's home."
Those voting in favor
of the policy-Dwayne Carroll,
Gary
Frederickson,
Pat
McNamee, John Rietmann and
Julie Weikel-said that voting
against the policy would
negate contracts the district
currently has in place with
several district employees.
Board members also said that
they trust their employees and
believe that in a competitive
job market it may be difficult
to recruit administrators and
other experts without some
additional benefits, such as use
of vehicles.
Superintendent Bruce
Anderson commented that
because o f the size of the
district, distances traveled and
long work hours it would not
be practical, nor cost-efficient,
for the employees.
Anderson said that if
all
personal
use
was
prohibited, employees would
have to drive to Lexington to
pick up a district vehicle, drive
back to their respective jobs in
various parts o f the district,
drive back to the district office
to pick up their own vehicle
when work was completed and
then drive home again.
Anderson also said that
he supported the current
practice
because
certain
maintenance and computer
technology personnel not only
worked long hours all over the
district, but were often called
to work at odd hours of the
evening. If those employees
had to pick up the vehicles in
Lexington, he said, necessary
repair and maintenance would
be delayed.
He added however,
that if the board would build a
compound at the district office
he would be happy to comply
with a change in policy.
Board members Keith
Lewis and Barney Lindsay,
dissented with the majority
opinion,
saying
that
employees' personal use o f the
district vehicles is prohibited
and
also
against
IRS
regulations.
Anderson countered,
saying said that the use o f
vehicles by district employees
had been reviewed by the
district’s accountant and that
the particular employees must
declare that benefit on their
own tax returns.
Ann Murray, a member
of the audience, spoke out
against the district's action.
She said that since the district
cut 17 teachers to cope with an
earlier budget shortfall, every
bit o f money possible should
be used to rehire teachers, not
to pay for administrators' use
of district vehicles.
Also at the meeting the
board voted to spend $3,000
in order to increase state
funding to small schools. The
board stipulated that the
money would be donated only
if other small schools around
the state also contribute and
join in the battle to increase
small school funding.
The monies would be
used to develop a small school
funding formula that would
apply to all small schools
around the state and would be
used for lobbying purposes to
increase funds for these
schools.
Anderson said that he
would send a letter to all those
schools seeking funding and
support for the project.
The
board
also
approved
a
resolution
authorizing the district's $22
million capital bond levy for
new construction, repairs and
maintenance projects and
approved a notice o f the bond
levy election and ballot title.
Board
m em bers
expressed a desire that the
public is made aware that free
standing furnishings for new
school buildings will not be
included in the bond.
r
'Tiffanie iMun/çers & Travis Çreenup
Wedding: January 13, 2001, 3 p.m.
U nited Church o f Christ, lone
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board:
-heard a curriculum
report on writing from
Heppner Elementary teachers;
- a c c e p t e d
resignations/retirement from
Sharon Leinweber, Columbia
Middle School math teacher
and approved an interim
agreement with her so that she
may finish the school year
from March 1 through June
11 .
-approved employment
for: Terri Clay, temporary lone
Elementary
kindergarten
teacher,
replacing
Diana
Kincaid who is on medical
leave; Tanya Morris, CMS
part-time food service clerical
assistant,
replacing
Pat
Erickson.
-appointed
John
Kilkenny to the Heppner-
Lexington
Advisory
Committee until June 30,
replacing Kelly Merrill, who
moved out o f the district.
-heard the following
announcements: deadline to
file for board and advisory
committee positions, January
11;
bonds
and
ballots
workshop, Beaverton, January
11-12; Martin Luther King, Jr.,
holiday Monday, January 15;
next regular meeting, Sam
Boardman
Elementary,
February 12, 7:30 p.m.
Baker-Morrow Partnership
announces investment guidelines
The Baker-Morrow Regional
Partnership has finalized details
on two investment programs for
small businesses located in Baker
or Morrow counties. The two
programs include a marketing
fund
and
a
workforce
enhancement fund.
For the marketing fund, small
businesses are encouraged to
apply for grants to help develop
or
implement
marketing
strategies. Grants of up to $2,500
are available to help businesses
research a market or develop a
marketing plan. Grants of up to
$10,000 are available for
developing a new product line or
breaking into a new market.
Grants are awarded on a
reimbursement basis and must be
matched 1:1. The purpose of this
fund is to help small businesses
expand and create jobs.
Applications are due March 1.
For
the
workforce
enhancement
fund,
small
businesses are encouraged to
apply for grants to provide
worker training and education.
Grants of up to $500 per
employee or $5,000 per business
are available to help businesses
increase the skill base of their
current employees. Grants are
awarded on a reimbursement
basis, but no match is required.
Applications are due March 1.
In addition, the partnership
announced the creation of a small
projects fund where $75,000 will
be available for community
Colleges release
honor rolls
Linn-Benton Community
College
Linn-Benton
Community
College in Albany has announced
its fall 2000 honor roll. These
students earned a grade point
average of 3.5 or higher.
Following are the local students
who qualified:
Heppner-Kristen Marshall and
Lexington-Amy Papineau.
Eastern Oregon University
Eastern Oregon University has
announced its dean's list for the
2000 fall quarter. Dean's list
students achieved a grade point
average of 3.5 or better. Local
students who qualified are:
Heppner-Joshua Coiner, Lui
Chung-wen and Tsai I-Kuang.
facilities and readiness projects
listed on the county needs and
issues list. Awards will be
announced in March. Grants of
up to $7,500 will be made to
projects prioritized by each
county. Infrastructure projects
are not eligible.
"The guiding principal of this
partnership has been to make
strategic investments which will
have a regional payoff," said
board member Tom Sly of
Heppner. "The marketing and
workforce funds really get at the
heart of the challenges that face
small businesses. And the small
projects fund will give a boost to
projects that mean a lot to the
community, but can't attract the
big grant dollars."
The partnership will be
developing the details of other
investments
including
a
revolving loan fund for small
businesses, a business incentive
fund for business recruitment and
assistance to county economic
development
efforts.
The
partnership is still identifying
priority concerns in other
partnership initiative areas
including tourism, transportation,
leadership development, health
care, youth and family services.
The next partnership meeting
will be held at the Port of
Morrow in Boardman in March.
The public is invited to attend.
For more information or to
request an application, contact
GEODC, 276-6745 or NEOEDD,
426-3598.
Scholarship offered
The
Oregon
Wheat
Foundation, Inc is offering a
scholarship program for high
school seniors in wheat-
producing counties.
One $500 scholarship will be
made to a qualifying student
from each of the participating
counties which include Morrow,
Baker,
Gilliam,
Klamath,
Malheur, Sherman, Umatilla,
Union, Wallowa and Wasco. In
addition, one scholarship will be
awarded in the combined
Willamette Valley counties.
Assisted living center
Lexington G range topic
Lexington Grange will meet
Monday, Jan. 15, for their men's
pancake supper at 6:30 p.m.
The program will be presented
by Suzanne Jepsen who will
provide an update on plans for
the assisted living center. The
program is open to the public.
on
Saturday, January 13th, at 9 p.m.
at B eecher’« R estaurant in lo n e
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New officers will take over
their jobs for the year. During the
meeting, the charter will be
draped for past members
Kenneth Smouse and Dorthy
Wilson.
Wheatland Pomona will be
held at Willows Grange at lone
on Saturday, Jan. 27.
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Students whose parents are
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counselors,
scholarship chairman Cindy
Osterlund, P.O. Box 322,
Condon, OR 97823, or the
Oregon Wheat Growers League
office, P.O. Box 400, Pendleton,
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