Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (March 21, 2012)
SIX - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, March 21,2012 SHERIFF’S CONTRACT -Continuedfrom PAGE ONE only gets a midlevel deputy, and they do not keep a pa trol car after it is taken out of service. Heppner does get the vehicle when it comes out o f service. Matlack also said he did not at this time know what the total contract would be, as the county is still in negotiations with the union representing the deputies. Matlack said the increase could be anywhere from 1.5 to 3.5 percent in the personnel budget. The council agreed to go ahead and authorize the new con tract with a built-in 3.5 percent personnel increase, which would be reduced if the contract negotiations turn out to be less. The council also discussed the advantage o f having the sheriff de partment’s main offices in Heppner. “Having the sher iff department here is one reason we don’t have much crime,” Mayor Les Paustian said. C o u n cilm em b er John Bowles, who is also a deputy, agreed, saying, “It is a huge reason we have no crime.” In other action, the council heard from hom eowner Ed Tamasky, who said he received a packet from Oregon Department o f Transportation about the coming project on Bar- ratt Blvd. The state is go ing to be doing extensive work on that street, and Tamasky’s home is located there. It appears the state may need to purchase some of Tamasky’s property to complete the renovation of Barratt; however, he was concerned because the in formation he had received so far did not say how much property was needed. “The packet shows property they are going to take but it is just a blue line on my property,” Tamasky told the city council. "Is it 30 feet, is it three feet? I don’t know how much you are taking from me. Are you going to take my tree and part of my yard?” Tamasky said the state is going to meet with him to discuss the project. He said it was his under standing that if they cannot come to an agreement, they will go to mediation and, if that is not successful, he and the state would go to either binding arbitration or condemnation. “I want it on the record that I feel coerced,” Tamasky said. He was con cerned because the city was scheduled that night to sign an eminent domain authori zation with the state on the Barratt property. “Eminent domain is not something any city wants to do. It is not a desirable thing,” said Pub lic Works Director Brian Harmon. City attorney Philip Spicerkuhn said the action to approve use of eminent domain was a required part of the contract w ith the state and if it was not passed “technically" the city would be in breach of its contract with state redoing Barratt Blvd. The council voted down a motion to delay ap proval of the use of eminent domain, and instead voted to approve the agreement with the state. Harmon assured Tamasky that he would contact the state and get the situation worked out. “I will make sure we get an answer by next Monday close of business,” he said. In other business, the council discussed the procedure for replacing the city manager Dave De- Mayo, who is retiring. A discussion was held about possibly com bining the public works position with the city manager’s position like Pilot Rock apparently has. Paustian said the city manager now has to follow certain state man dates and would need to be knowledgeable of these, and that there is a lot of re sponsibility that goes with the job. Spicerkuhn said that changing the position could be done by changing the city charter. Paustian said th? council should wait until applications for the position are received before making a formal decision. Heppner citizen Sam Hombeck was at the m eeting and he recom mended the council not go this way. Hombeck said he has seen it implemented in other cities and it did not work too well. Sheriffs Report for February 2012 Traffic- There were 18 traf fic stops, resulting in 15 warnings and three cita tions. A person called MCSO and reported a driv ing complaint. Deputies were unable to locate the vehicle. A deputy contacted a person who parked a ve hicle in an alley. A motor vehicle crash was reported, resulting in no injuries. A motor vehicle crash was reported, resulting in the driver being arrested and issued a citation for driving while license suspended. C ode E n fo r c e - ment- Twenty-six animal complaints were reported. Two citations were issued for Maintaining a Dog as a Public Nuisance. Six cats and one dog were trans ported to Pet Rescue. Four code violations involving parked/abandoned vehicles were initiated. A deputy made contact with a resi dent about a fence. A person called MCSO and com plained about the gravel on the road, to traverse the caller’s driveway. Theft Complaints- A person called MCSO and reported they gave money to another person to buy cigarettes and the other person has not re turned with the cigarettes or money. Deputy made con tact and the money was re turned. A stolen cell phone was reported. A deputy investigated a theft from two businesses. A person reported a lost purse, which was returned. H ow ever medication was still miss ing from the purse. All Other- Pi, person called MCSO and reported they heard voices outside their home. A deputy checked the area but was unable to locate anyone. A deputy re sponded to a burglar alarm. It was determined to be a false. A deputy investigated an assault. A person called MCSO and reported their ex-spouse was refusing to pay the caller as required. A deputy contacted the caller and advised the caller it was an issue the caller had to resolve through the caller’s attorney. A deputy contacted juveniles who were trespassing and in the process of letting out animals. A caller reported a neighbor was piling debris on her property. It was de termined to be a civil issue. A disturbance was reported at a residence. The people involved were contacted by deputies and the issue was resolved. MCSO investi gated graffiti downtown. A juvenile was arrested for Harassment. A person re ported to MCSO that other people made some inappro priate comments to him. A deputy contacted the com plainant, who was advised of his options. The parents of a juvenile reported they could not locate their son, who was driving around with his girlfriend. The juvenile returned home. A parent reported their teen ager was having sex with another teenager. It was determined to be consen sual and not violating any laws. A deputy responded to a residence for a sui cidal person. Community Counseling was contacted. A person called MCSO to report they received a prank phone call. An elderly per son reported people were inside with a firearm. It was determined to be a medical issue with the reporter. A resident called MCSO and reported two people entered the caller’s residence. The suspects were identified; however, the resident did not want to pursue criminal charges. A person reported hearing adults and children crying nearby. A deputy responded was unable to locate anyone crying. Chamber lunch meeting A pathw ay to jobs. An investm ent In m ia i counties. the Morrow ^Pacific project Bringing new jobs and opportunity to Morrow County The Morrow Pacific project is being developed to provide a coal export route to U.S. trade allies in the Asia-Pacific market. With your support, it will also provide new jobs and economic opportunity in Morrow County. Cieating Jobs The project, which is being developed by Ambre Energy, will bring an estimated 25 jobs to Morrow County. It will also create 25 jobs in Columbia County and 55 jobs in the transportation of coal - for a total of 105 local jobs overall. These will be family-wage jobs with benefits, in the range of $50,000 to $90,000 per year. Supporting M o rro w County The local economy will benefit in other ways as well. ■ The project will pay an estimated $750,000 in property taxes to Morrow County annually and $850,000 in annual fees to the Port of Morrow, based on initial shipping estimates of 3.5 million tons. ■ In addition, Ambre will make a voluntary annual contribution of approximately $350,000 to support K-12 education in Morrow County, based on a 10-cents-per-ton contribution. Show Ypur Support These jobs and benefits could begin as early as mid-2013. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is currently reviewing the project and has invited public comments. Community support is crucial during the public comment period to make this opportunity a reality. Please visit www.MorTowPacific.com and click on Show Your Support. It’s easy and quick - and it will make a difference in bringing jobs and opportunity to Morrow County. ■ Morrow Pacific Project Paati Every aspect of the project has been designed to meet O regon’s high standards. All facilities will be enclosed, barges will be enclosed and alt operations are designed to elim inate dust and spillage. ambreenergy The next meeting of the Heppner Chamber of Commerce will be held Thursday, March 22, at noon at All Saints Episcopal Church in Heppner. Dirk Dirksen and Daye Stone will be there to talk about the Morrow County School District budget; they will also be updating chamber members on the status of the technology classes they are working on to accom modate future jobs in the wind farm industry. Cost of lunch is $9; Murray’s Drug will cater. Participants are asked to RS VP for chamber lunch meetings by the Wednesday before. Farm transportation amendment passes Senate L a st w eek , the United States Senate passed by voice vote a bipartisan amendment sponsored by Oregon Senator Jeff Merk- ley intended to make it eas ier for farmers and ranchers to transport their products to market if they operate near state lines. The amendment was cosponsored by Sena tors Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Pat Toomey (R-PA). “ T his is a huge win for Oregon’s farmers and ranchers," M erkley said. “Farmers and ranchers don’t become commercial truckers just because they happen to live near a state line. I am pleased that we were able to cut red tape and put this arbitrary dis tinction to an end.” “ M aintaining the historical exemption for farm vehicles from the re quirements for commercial truckers is very important to Oregon wheat growers,” said Blake Rowe of Oregon Wheat Growers League. T h e A m e ric a n Farm Bureau, the Oregon Farm Bureau and the Ore gon Wheat Growers League all endorsed Senator Merk- ley’s amendment. Forest collaborative meeting scheduled The Umatilla For est Collaborative Group will meet at the National Forest Supervisor’s Office in Pendleton on Thursday, March 22, at 10 a.m. The office is located at 2517 S.W. Hailey Avenue. This group o f di verse stakeholders meets regularly to explore and develop opportunities for collaborative recommen dations to the U m atilla National Forest. The group currently is w orking to develop a recommendation for a project on the dry for est site of the Kahler Unit. Oregon Solutions supports and facilitates the group by providing services and an internet presence. To learn more about Umatilla Forest Collaborative Group activities, access the web site at http://orsolutions. org/osproject/ufcg. The N orth Fork John Day Watershed Coun cil is host to the group. Executive Director Elaine Eisenbraun would like to invite anyone who is in terested in the operations o f the Umatilla National Forest to attend these meet ings. Call the Heppner Gazette Today! 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