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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (June 8, 2016)
HEPPNER G T 50¢ Progress continues on new ire hall azette imes VOL. 135 NO. 22 10 Pages Wednesday, June 8, 2016 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon With the foundation laid, the new ire hall in Heppner is going up by leaps and bounds. The hall is estimated to be complete in late August. -Photo by David Sykes Warm weather expected to continue through June Heppner seniors turn their tassels The 25 members of the Heppner High School Class of 2016 held their commencement exercises on Saturday, June 4, in the Heppner High School gymnasium. -Photo by Sandra Putman Despite some cold and breezy days and near-freez- ing night, weather in the month of May averaged warmer than normal in the Heppner area, a trend that is expected to continue through June, according to the National Weather service. According to prelimi- nary data received by the NWS in Pendleton, the average temperature in May was 57.9 degrees, which was 1.8 degrees above nor- mal. High temperatures av- precipitation of at least .01 inch was received on seven days with the heaviest, 0.74 inches, reported on the 15 th . Precipitation this year has reached 5.93 inches, which is 1.35 inches below normal. Since October, the water-year precipitation at Heppner has been 9.77 inches, which is 1.57 inches below normal. The highest wind gust was 35 mph, which oc- curred on the both the fourth and eighth. The outlook for June Smith has plan to deal with PERS bubble By David Sykes Oregon Representative Greg Smith says he did not create the PERS (Pub- lic Employee Retirement) funding crisis, but he has a plan on how to deal with it. And as an inluential mem- ber of the legislature and the Co-Vice Chair on the Ways and Means, he’s in a pretty good place to push for those changes. The State of Oregon has a $22 billion unfunded liability in the PERS fund, Smith said at a recent meet- ing of the Heppner Cham- ber of Commerce. “I did not create the PERS crisis,” he is quick to point out, explaining how in the 1980s the public employee unions wanted a pay raise but was instead given a generous guaran- teed retirement fund, one the state now has no money to pay for. Smith says this gener- ous funding arrangement has been challenged several times in court and each time it has been ruled a contrac- tual agreement which the legislature cannot change. “The Supreme Court says we have to pay it Temperatures are expected to remain above normal with near-normal moisture for the month of June. Oregon District 57 Representative Greg Smith recently addressed the Heppner Chamber of Commerce. Smith is in a good position to wield considerable inluence, as he is Co-Vice Chair of the Ways and Means Committee in this year’s legislative session. -Photo by David Sykes and the State of Oregon must honor it, and as vice co-chair of the Ways and Means I see a tidal wave coming at us,” Smith says of the large amount of un- funded payments the state and tax payers are obligated to pay. “We have to handle it,” he adds, saying there are 25 more years of the payments in the pipeline. To “fix” the problem Smith says his plan is for the state to take out bonds for the next 25 years, pay the PERS with the bonds and effectively “get the is- sue off the table.” “This will stagger the payments out of the general fund. You are going to have to pay the bill and I feel this is the best way to do it,” Smith told the Chamber of Commerce. He says the al- ternative is to “keep rolling along” and dealing with the payments in each budget cycle with the uncertainty that brings to the budgeting system. Smith says small tax- ing districts will have the most dificulty dealing with the large PERS liability, but Energy Siting Council to discuss Wheatridge Wind Facility The Wheatridge Wind Energy Facility is on the agenda when the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council holds its meeting June 17 in Boardman. The meeting will be held at city hall and starts at 8 a.m. No public comment will be taken at the meeting, and the Wheatridge Wind Farm is only one of seven items on the council’s agenda. The council will re- ceive a presentation and review the Draft Proposed Order for the Wheatridge Wind Energy Facility, ac- cording to the agenda. “The Council will not permit comments on any issue that may be the basis for a con- tested case,” it states. The council had taken public comment on the facility at an earlier meeting. The new facility will consist of 292 towers and stretch from the Bombing Range to the outskirts of Heppner, and will also be located partly in Umatilla County. Marijuana edibles now legal OHA provides information to help keep children safe On June 2 edible mari- juana products containing up to 15 mg of THC be- came available for retail sale in registered medi- cal marijuana dispensaries across the state to adults 21 or over. Although zoning laws regulating marijuana dispensaries may vary from city to city, the accessibility of marijuana edibles still creates a safety concern for children. Smoking marijuana has the added risk of harmful smoke exposure, but eating or drinking marijuana still exposes you to THC, the chemical that makes you high. While you quickly feel the effects of smoked -See MARIJUANA EDIBLES/ PAGE TEN that the local school district has done a good job with its PERS. It was pointed out that Morrow County chose not to participate in PERS at the time, and therefore has a lower retirement liability than most public bodies. In other comments to the chamber Smith said the proposed corporate tax increase coming to voters for approval is a bad deal for Oregon and he urged a no vote. “That tax comes right off the top of gross sales,” he points out. He said it would be a bad deal for our local businesses like MCGG and Columbia Ba- sin Electric. “Keep in mind what it is going to do to business. Corporations will not want to expand here in Oregon,” he said. He said there is a $1.4 billion shortfall in the state budget this biennium and voters will hear a lot of talk to pass the new corporate tax. “It is sales tax on ste- roids,” he told the chamber. “IP28 (the corporate tax bill) is not in the best inter- ests of this community or this state,” he said. eraged 70.3 degrees, which was 1.6 degrees above nor- mal. The highest was 83 degrees on the fourth. Low temperatures averaged 45.6 degrees, which was two degrees above normal. The lowest was 34 degrees on the 20 th . Precipitation totaled 2.22 inches during May, which was 0.56 inches above normal. Measurable from NOAA’s Climate Pre- diction Center calls for above-normal temperatures and near-normal precipita- tion. Normal highs for Hep- pner rise from 73 degrees at the start of June to 81 degrees at the end of June. Normal lows rise from 47 degrees to 51 degrees. The 30-year normal precipita- tion is 1.38 inches. Final report of 2016 snow season predicts low summer streamlow The last of the winter’s snow at McKenzie Pass. -Photo courtesy of Bill Overman (Oregon NRCS) PORTLAND, OR— Oregon’s snow season was shortened by early snow- melt, even after most of the state’s mountains achieved near-normal to above-nor- mal seasonal snowpack. Warm temperatures and rapid snowmelt during April resulted in an unusual amount of snowpack loss, even breaking records in -See SNOW REPORT/PAGE TEN FATHER'S DAY SPECIALS WRANGLER ORIGINAL COWBOY CUT JEANS 13MWZ $21.95 ON SALE 10% OFF DANNER & GEORGIA BOOTS ALL OTHER MEN'S CLOTHING 25% OFF MAK E DAD HAPP Y Morrow County Grain Growers Green Feed & Seed 242 W. Linden Way, Heppner • 676-9422 • 989-8221 (MCGG main ofice)
