Health district explores tax levy
Be3 3ie .'.'ctsall
U of 0 Newspaper Library
tu bane, OR 9 /4 0 3
VOL.123
N 0 .4
12Pages
Wednesday, January 28,2004
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
The Morrow County
Health D istrict Board is
exploring placing a tax levy
before the voters either in May
or November.
A measure in the May
election would require a
double m ajority to pass,
however, if the district chooses
to wait until November, the
financially strapped district
would not get the money until
the follow ing year.
Board Chair Larry
Mills, Heppner, and board
member Linda LaRue, lone,
said that they supported the
move, while board member
Ed Glenn, Boardman, said that
he didn't think the measure
would pass. Board member
Ken Matlack, lrrigon, also
expressed doubts about its
success.
“My view is that it’s
a cal 1 for the voters,’' said M i 1 Is.
Glenn said that the district
should be making cuts instead
of trying to float a levy. “What
we ought to be doing is figuring
how we can live within our
means," said Glenn. “1 don't
find anyone in Boardman who
would support it," he added.
But later he said, “It’s a major
decision. Before we start
cutting and slashing sen ices,
we’ve got to ask the voters
how they feel... as soon as
possible.”
If the financials don't
improve and a levy fails, the
board discussed options such
as closing the lrrigon Clinic
and terminating payments of
around S140,000 annually to
Dr. Robert Boss of Boardman
to subsidize his priv ate clinic.
Cutting emergency services in
the communities of Boardman,
lrrigon, Heppner and lone w as
not considered an option.
However, the board decided
to research the subject further
before deciding w hat direction
to take.
The district recently
closed Pioneer Memorial
Nursing Home as a means to
pare the district’s budget, as
government reimbursements
were not keeping up w ith the
real costs of operating the
nursing home.
The district has also
made stalling cuts. In addition
to cutting stafl'directly inv olved
in providing nursing home
care, the district cut one full
time position in the business
office/medical records, which
leaves two full-tim e
employees, one employee at
90 percent and two half-time
employees. In administration,
two full-time employees have
been reduced to 70 percent
and the CEO, chief financial
officer and personnel director
have each taken a five percent
reduction in pay since this past
summer and staff at Pioneer
Memorial Clinic have also
taken a five-percent cut.
Dr. Sam D atta, a
physician employed with the
district at PMC and Pioneer
Memorial Hospital, recently
volunteered to also take a five-
percent cut in his salary w hen
he learned that his staff had
taken a cut. “We really feel
fortunate to have him,” said
LaRue, and the remainder of
the board concurred.
CFO
N icole
Mahoney said that employees
whose time is reduced also
take a proportionate cut in
benefits, i.e., half-time workers
receive half benefits.
Despite the nursing
home closure and additional
cuts, the district’s bottom line
was still over $45,000 in the
red for December. However,
figures for that month might
have been fairly healthy if the
district had not endured an
unusually large (over $42,000)
write-off for bad debts. The
district’s loss for the year to
date is $288,638.
CEO Victor Vander
Does reported that the district
should hear about its
application for the "sw ing bed"
program within one or two
weeks. MCHD has asked that
all 25 beds be classified sw ing
beds, but anticipate that few er
beds w ill be granted. If the
application is successful, the
district may be allowed to
provide long-term care once
again. However, this program
would allow the district to
receive
greater
reimbursements than it was
able to receive when it
continued page 3
lrrigon High School could open this fall Chamber of Commerce elects 2004 officers
»
The Morrow County
School District may open the
new lrrigon High School this
fall, as per recommendations
from principals Dirk Dirksen
of Riverside High School in
Boardman and Ron Anthony
of Columbia Middle School.
Dirksen and Anthony told the
school board at a rescheduled
regular meeting Wednesday
night that previous staffing
concerns have been resolved
with a “minimum" of staff
transfers, which paves the way
for a fall 2004 opening.
Anthony said that only three
staff members would have to
change schools.
The board tabled a
decision on the issue until
further study.
With the opening of
the new school either in the fall
of 2004 or 2005, students
living in lrrigon who are now
attending Riverside High
School in Boardman will begin
attending school at the new
lrrigon High School. The
Columbia Middle School site
will then become a seven-12
school, housing both junior
high and high school students.
The facility will be called
lrrigon Junior/Senior High
School. Some projects still
remain at Columbia Middle
School to retrofit the school to
accommodate high school
requirements, such as installing
football field lighting, installing
bleachers, remodeling for a
shop, enlarging the library,
remodeling the office and
installation o f security
cameras.
Riverside High School
will also become a seven-12
facility when the lrrigon High
School opens and will be
called Riverside Junior/Senior
High School.
If the lrrigon High
School opens this fall, students
living in lrrigon who will be
juniors and seniors will be
given the option of attending
Riverside High School or the
new lrrigon High School. In
that case, only lrrigon seniors
may opt to attend Riverside in
2005-06. A nthony and
Dirksen told the board that
when students from the two
schools are combined for
athletic contests, during the
2004-05 year, they would
remain at the 3 A league level.
However, separately, the
schools will fall in the 2A
category, which means that
they will eventually compete
against Heppner and other
schools in that league. Dirksen
and Anthony said that varsity
sports will not be an option at
lrrigon High School until the
fall of 2005, however a JV
athletic program will be offered
at lrrigon for 2004-05. They
said that lrrigon students
younger than juniors or seniors
must petition the board to play
at a varsity level. In the event
of a 2004 opening. Riverside
High School will continue to
have both varsity and JV
sports and beginning 2005,
lrrigon High School will have
a varsity sports program.
MCSD was criticized
by several Boardman and
lrrigon residents who said that
the board failed to live up to
the criteria it established
before it would allow the
establishment of a high school
in lrrigon. Concerns were
raised at the Wednesday night
m eeting about loss o f
curriculum and members of the
audience pointed out that the
board earlier said it would not
split the school if curriculum
were lost. Dirksen said that
“everything will be offered,"
but added that the number of
classes would be reduced.
Board member John Renfro
explained to a concerned
parent after the meeting that
while scheduling may become
more difficult for students
because of a reduced number
of offerings, requirements
would still be satisfied, much
as they are at Heppner High
School.
Additional concerns
were raised about seventh
graders attending school with
high schoolers.
The establishment of
an additional high school in
Morrow County has not only
created potential funding
issues for the district, but a
possibility of impacting the
M orrow C ounty Unified
Recreation District’s budget,
resulting in a perceived
disparity in funding between
MCSD and the lone School
District and perhaps among
schools w ithin MCSD.
(MCURD is the entity that
funds athletic programs and
other extracurricular activities
for all schools in Morrow
County.) Renfro commented
during the meeting about a
breakdown in communication
betw een the district and
MCURD. Renfro said that
MCURD funded athletics for
students attending lone
Schools, which recently broke
from Morrow County School
District, at a higher rate per
student than students attending
Morrow County schools.
Renfro said that ISD received
$94,000, which amounts to
$640 per student w hile
M CSD received only
$318,000, which amounts to
$ 140 per student. Renfro said
that the MCURD Board also
wanted to dictate what sports
the schools offer. Renfro said
that if the revenues and
expenses are the same next
year, MCSD will be short
approximately $40,000. He
also said that if it were up to
him, he would turn the whole
athletic program over to
MCURD, which would then
not just provide funding, but
supervise the entire program.
In that event, athletics would
no longer be offered through
the schools, but rather
privately, much like the
European system. “I think we
have hit just a snag,” said
Kuhn. “I believe harmony will
prevail.” He suggested that the
district meet with MCURD
concerning the issue.
MCURD Chair Cydc
Estes told the Gazette-Times
last week that MCURD wants
to have a harm onious
relationship with MCSD. She
said that MCURD did not
want to micromanage the
continued page three
ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE:
MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M.
The Heppner Chamber of Commerce recently installed new hoard members and
officers for the year 2004. Left to right: Bert Houweling, Larry Lutcher, John Murray,
Brenda Sherrell (vice president), Nancy Gochnauer (2nd vice president), Victor Vander
Does (president), Nancy Snider, Barbara Hayes (treasurer), and David Sykes.
Also honored at the annual Chamber luncheon January 13 was Bonnie Wenberg,
owner of Artisan Milage. Wenberg was honored for her efforts to better her Heppner
business, both locally and on the Internet.
Measure 30
. fire
. . u-*
u Hardman
Structure
hits
ballots due Feb. 3
There was a fire in said Heppner Fire Chief Rusty
a
Ballots for Measure
30 are due in by Tuesday, Feb.
3 at 8 p.m. The vote on
Measure 30 will determine
whether a tax increase will go
into effect.
B allots may be
mailed, but must be to the
Morrow County Courthouse
by 8 p.m. Tuesday, or can be
hand delivered at several
locations in Morrow County.
All locations except lone Bank
of Eastern Oregon are open
until 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Locations include: Morrow
C ounty C ourthouse-11 eppner;
Bank of Eastern ()regon- lone
Branch, open until 4 p.m.;
Lexington Public Works;
lrrigon Justice Court Lobby;
and the Boardman Behavioral
Health Building.
Hardman, Saturday, Jan. 24
that totally destroyed extra
living quarters and a pump
house on Lauren A llen’s
property. The fire was thought
to be started by a w ood stove,
Estes.
The living quarters
were used to house family of
the Allen’s. ITie main house on
the property, however, was not
damaged.
Fair Board announces 2004 theme
The Fair Board has
The winner is Jack
picked a theme for the 2004 Yocom of Heppner. Yocom
Fair. The theme is “Come will receive a $25 gift
Experience the History of the certificate for his w inning entry.
Morrow County Fair."
Additional flu vaccines available at
Heppner Clinic
The Morrow County available in the Heppner
H ealth D epartm ent has Clinic,
Thursday, from 8:30
received an additional supply a.m.-12p.m.and
l-4:30p.m.
of flu vaccines, fhe vaccine is
ALL PAINT AND
PAINTING SUPPLIES
50% OFF
Morrow County Grain Growers
Lexington 989-8221 • 1-800-452-7396
For farm equipment. vuit our web »ite at www mcgg.net