‘Communities’ and county talk tippage money
By Dave Sykes
The Morrow County
Court and representatives of
the five county com m uni
ties sat down Friday to talk
about the re-distribution of
nearly $1 million in tippage
fee income generated at the
Finley Buttes landfill near
Boardman.
R e p r e s e n ta ti v e s
o f the cities o f Heppner,
lone, Lexington, Irrigon and
Boardman joined together in
January to demand that the
county turn over the major-
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Bessie W et/ell Newspaper Library
University o f Oregon
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VOL. 126
NO. 46
8 Pages
Wednesday, November 14, 2007 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Hughes successful in spike elk hunt
ni, ns pm
■
■
4
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Jessica Hughes shows off her first spike elk that she got
on the opening day of spike season on the family ranch in
IJkiah.
County Clerk’s Office releases un
official results for special election
Precinct
1 Boardman
2 Irrigon
3 Lexington
t fteppner/Hard-
man
Total
Precinct
1 Boardman
2 Irrigon
3 Lexington
Î fteppner/Hard-
man
Total
Measure 49
Yes
278
432
82
110
Measure 49
No
290
346
129
174
367
414
1269
1353
Measure 50
Yes
132
173
37
61
Measure ;
No
438
612
173
223
173
613
576
2059
Measure 49 modifies Measure 37; clarifies the right
to build homes; limits large developments; protects farms,
forests, groundwater.
Measure 50 amends the constitution: dedicates
funds to provide health care for children, fund tobacco
prevention, through increased tobacco tax.
G-T closed for the holidays
The Heppner Gazette-Times will be closed on
Thursday, November 22, and Friday, November 23, for
the Thanksgiving holiday. All deadlines will remain
the same.
ity o f the funds which come
from fees levied on each ton
o f garbage dumped at the
landfill. The fees average
around $80,000 per month,
or ju st under $1 m illion
per year, and currently go
d irectly into the county
general fund.
The c itie s have
threatened to take the issue
to the voters if the county
did not turn over more of the
funds, and in August they
filed a ballot measure with
the county clerk that would
force redistribution o f the
money.
If approved by vot
ers beginning in fiscal year
2 0 0 8 -2 0 0 9 , th e c o u n ty
would give up 25 percent
o f the tippage fees to cities.
In 2009-2010 that would
ju m p to 50 p ercen t and
2010-2011 it would top out
at 75 percent.
The ordinance stipu
lates that the cities’ portion
will be divided in half, with
one half the funds divided
equally among the cities,
and the other half divided
according to population.
The m easu re has
been filed, but according to
the clerk's office, the nec
essary 187 signatures have
not been turned in for the
measure to be on the ballot
in May.
B oardm an M ayor
Ed Glenn, who represented
the cities group, said Friday
if a redistribution agreement
were not reached the group
would begin gathering the
signatures after the first o f
the year.
Glenn told the coun
ty court his group would
represent the “communities”
o f M orrow C ounty. “ We
want a second chance to
make a first impression,” he
said. In response to criticism
that rural county residents
not living in the cities would
be unrepresented under a
redistribution plan, Glenn
said his group would better
represent the ““communities”
o f the county than either the
county court or the needs
and issues committee.
Currently the needs
and issues committee meets
once per year to award a
certain amount o f tippage
money to various groups
and entities throughout the
county. The county court,
which decides how much
tippage money needs and
issues gets each year upped
the amount to $235,000 in
2007. Glenn said the city
governments are closer to
the needs o f the communi
ties than the county, or the
needs and issues committee,
and would be better at giv
ing out the money.
“People outside cit
ies are co n cern ed ,” said
Commissioner Gary Grieb.
Grieb said the ordinance
(what could be voted on)
does not address communi
ties.
Sr. Center gets $1 million
plus help package
m
■
i
The Heppner Sr. center
has been aw arded a package
o f loans and grants o f over
$1 m illion that will help
keep it going for “the next
20 to 30 years”, the city
council was told Monday
night.
The City, which oversees
operation of the center, was
told the package in clu d
ed $861,509 in grants and
$290,000 in low interest
loans that will help make the
financially struggling facil
ity v iable for the foreseeable
future.
The money does come
with some rules that may
change the rents for some
residents, however.
Darlee Rex of Rex Devel
opment of Pendleton applied
for the grants for the city and
said by phone conference
with the council Monday
that the government money
is designated for lower in
com e type housing, and
residents whose income ex
ceeds a certain level will be
required to pay one third of
their income for rent if they
wish to live at the center.
She said according to the
grant rules four o f the 19
units could be rented to over
income indiv iduals and still
qualify.
“Over time this is going
to keep this place going for
the next 20 to 30 years,”
said council member George
Koffler. “ I think we are go
ing to have to take the good
with the bad.”
“ When you take govern
ment money you have to
take their rules,” said Rex.
“ It is a hard pill to swallow
but I don't know any other
way to fund this and make
affordable housing available
to seniors,” Rex added.
The city has struggled in
the past to make basic up
keep and repairs costs on the
facilities and still keep rents
reasonable.
The funding will allow
the center to upgrade the
ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE:
MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M.
«
ed $18,000 in tippage mon
ey from the needs and issues
committee this year to be
living quarters with weath- used for the repairs.
The mayor swore in
eriz atio n , new cabinets,
Keith
Lew is of 440 Terrace
appliances, windows and
Dr.
to
the
council to replace
other improvements. The
refinancing will reduce the Glenn Baker who recently
city’s debt interest on loans resigned. Lewis has a history
on the St. Center to about o f public serv ice including
2 percent for 20 years, Rex continued page 3
had told the Gazette-Times
earlier.
Martha Andrew s of An
drews Architects of Portland
will be handling the project
and was at the m eeting
Monday. “ We need to be
High winds swept
aware o f a population (at
through
the area on Monday,
the Center) that is special,
and we will do our best not November 12. The follow
to upset them,” she said of ing damage reports were
made:
the remodeling project.
-The Farm Builder’s
Andrews said tenants
w ould be m oved around roof in Heppner w as getting
ready to fly offbecause o f all
during the remodeling.
H eppner resident Ed o f the w ind.
-The complete roof
Struthers asked the coun
o
f
a
bam
was lifted off the
cil to make efforts to have
the roof fixed. He said his structure and was blocking
mother lives at the center Highway 74. The Oregon
and was displaced when the Department o f Transporta
roof leaked. The architect tion responded to remove
said she would need more the debris.
-Strong winds
info rm atio n on the ro o f
to address whether or not caused dirt to blow across
money would be spent on Highway 207 making it hard
to see.
repairing it.
-The Morrow Coun
Koffler also asked An
drews if local contractors ty Sheriff’s Office was un
were going to be given a able to locate a downed tree
shot a doing work on the Sr. in the area o f the Heppner
Center. “Can we give prefer Day Care.
-A Fir tree fell and
ence to local contractors?”
Koffler asked. “ We have to hit some lines as it came
bid it out, but we don't have down on SE Court Street in
to take the lowest bid," Rex Heppner.
-A tree blocked most
said. She said there would
have to be justification for o f the road on County Road
not taken the lowest bid, 678.
-There was no vis
however.
ibility
near
the Wagon Trail
In other business the
council approved bids to fix Farms area o f Lexington.
-Large amounts
the city hall roof, $18,750,
o
f
tum
blew
eeds partially
and the fire hall roof for
blocked
Willow
Creek Road
$7,560. The city was award-
near the reservoir.
Wind
damage
reported
Ed («Irmi
Terry Tallmann
Glenn said the cities
would take care o f entire
communities and would use
a type of grant application
to give out the funds. “The
principal goal is to have reli
able sums o f money they can
plan on from year to year, as
well as coming up w ith their
ow n plan on for allocation of
funds,” Glenn said.
County Judge Terry
Tallmann asked if tippage
funds were redistributed to
cities, would they continue
to fund current organiza
tions and entities such as
Extension, Soil and Water,
Water Master and Neighbor
hood C enter? Glenn said
that this was the respon
sibility o f the county. The
county currently puts about
$670,000 tippage fees into
the general fund with about
$185,000 going straight to
various organizations and
entities.
“The purpose of the
tippage fees should not be
to backfill the county or
city budgets,” said Glenn.
He said if the cities receive
more money a committee
o f people both inside and
outside the city limits should
be used to determine use o f
that money.
“None o f us want
this to go to vote,” Heppner
Mayor Les Paustian said.
“We want compromise, but
we (the cities) need the help.
We are in a bind (financial
ly) and I think a compromise
can be made,” he added.
“ We are not out to
threaten the county,” said
Heppner City Manger David
DeM ayo said. “ We want
give and take.”
““I am more inter
ested in the process,” said
County Commissioner John
Wenholtz. “ I am not ready to
make a decision today. We
are having a good discus
sion and making progress,”
he said.
A compromise
worked up by several com
munity members was dis
cussed by the two groups.
The c o m p ro m ise woul d
have given m ore m oney
(35%) to the cities next year,
but less in future years. No
action was taken.
“The ball is in the
county court's hands,” said
Gl enn at the end o f the
meeting.
“ We need to think
about this,” responded Tail-
man.
The m eetin g was
not contentious with both
groups agreeing to meet
again Dec. 4 at 9a.m.
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