Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 14, 2016)
Landlords now responsible for unpaid city water bills HEPPNER G T 50¢ azette imes VOL. 135 NO. 36 10 Pages Wednesday, September 14, 2016 New ordinance shifts responsibility of delinquent bills from renter to owner By David Sykes A new ordinance passed Monday by the Hep- pner City Council shifts re- sponsibility for unpaid city water and sewer bills from the renter of a property to the owner, or landlord. The ordinance was passed to make it easier for the city to collect on unpaid water and sewer bills when the renters move out and walk away still owing the city. The city will still set up accounts and bill renters for their water and sewer, it just now requires that renter to give the city the name address and phone number of the property owner, and that “owner of a rental property shall be responsible for any unpaid water or sewer accounts of his or her tenants.” The new ordinance also requires “written consent signed by the owner which allows the transfer of liability for any delinquent utility service accounts of the tenant to the owner.” Prior to passing the ordinance the city held a hearing to take input from the public. Heppner resi- dent Cody High, who is also running for mayor in the upcoming election, spoke out against the ordinance, saying that water and sewer bills are agreement between -See CITY WATER ORDI- NANCE/PAGE THREE Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Circuit court asks to alter judge bench at Secretary of state courthouse visits Morrow County County not quite ready to alter historical furniture By David Sykes A proposal by the Mor- row and Umatilla Circuit Court to alter the bench area in the historic courthouse in Heppner met with some resistance recently when the plan was presented for approval to the County Commissioners. Trail Court Administra- tor Roy Blaine came to last week’s county court meet- ing with a request to cut the historic wood bench and in- stall electrically adjustable table legs to “enable a large portion of the work surface to be raised or lowered for the comfort of whichever judge is using the court- room,” he said in a letter to the commissioners. Blain said that there are now two large computer monitors on the bench work surface. He said three of the five judges are have trouble seeing over the monitors, and is requesting that the modifications be made in order that the judges can see the courtroom better. “We value and appreciate the historic nature of the Mor- row County Courthouse, and of the courtroom itself, and we also appreciate that the County Court has worked with us over the years to enhance sound characteristics of the room, electrical and computer network access, and other modern technology im- provements,” Blaine said in his letter to the commis- sioners. “We believe that this project is in the spirit and character of retaining the historic nature of the courtroom while improving its usability for any judge who might hear matters in the courtroom,” he added. Commissioner Leann Rea had the most vocal con- cern about the plan, saying that every other alternative should be explored before the historical bench is cut and altered. “I have a real problem with destroying the integ- rity of that bench,” she told Blaine. “I think there should be another way.” She said she had res- ervations about doing any alterations to the bench. “I think every other option should be explored, maybe look at different chairs.” She said the State Histori- cal Preservation should be consulted before anything is done. “We plan to retain a carpenter who has experi- ence with restorations to en- sure that the work surface is carefully cut and the edges Morrow County Clerk Bobbi Childers (left) and Oregon Secretary of State Jeanne P. Atkins pause for a photo during Atkins’s visit at the Morrow County Courthouse in Heppner Tuesday. Secretary Atkins says she is on a mission to visit every county clerk in Oregon before the November election. Her visit one of several in Eastern Oregon this -See COUNTY COURT/ to Childers in Heppner, week, was her 28 th stop. -Photo by Andrea Di Salvo PAGE THREE Cody High appointed MCSD announces good start to new school year to fair board The Morrow County Court has ap- pointed Cody High to the Morrow County Fair Board. The court took the action at its Sept. 7 meeting in Heppner. High is a resident of Heppner and had expressed interest in serving on the fair board. The vote to appoint High to the three-year fair board Cody High term was unanimous. By April Sykes Morrow County School Superintendent Dirk Dirk- sen, at the district’s Mon- day night meeting at Sam Boardman Elementary, told the board that the school year is off to a good start. Dirksen said that district enrollment was at 2,270 students, up from last year. He estimated that after the dust settled, the increase would likely be closer to 60-65 students over last year’s enrollment. Dirksen mentioned that there was talk about the possibility of a 120-unit apartment complex and 60 new homes going into Boardman. He said that with around 5,000 jobs at the Port of Morrow, around 3,000 workers drive in for their jobs, rather than living in Boardman. He said that the last time regular apart- ments (not designated for specific populations) were built in Boardman was in the 70s. “It’s kind of exciting,” he commented, concerning the possibility of population growth in Boardman. Dirksen also mention the drastic need for bus drivers. He said that with the lack of substitutes, com- pleting activity runs and getting everyone home has been a challenge, especially if a driver calls in sick. He urged interested people to contact Mid Columbia Bus to apply. Dirksen commented on the district’s increases in the number of computers and other technology, saying that it is “getting us closer and closer to one to one.” He also discussed the Police searching for person of interest in Boardman shooting Hospital foundation helps fund new ultrasound machine for PMH The Morrow and Uma- tilla Major Crime Team is investigating a fatal shoot- ing that occurred around 9 p.m. Sunday night in Board- man, including a search for a juvenile “person of inter- est,” according to a news release from the office of the Morrow County district attorney. Police were called to an address located at 600 Wilson Road Trailer Park on a report of a male with gunshot wound. When po- lice arrived they found Evencio Salas Birrueta, 27, of Irrigon with an apparent gunshot wound. Officers immediately began lifesav- ing measures on the victim. These efforts were unsuc- cessful, and the victim was pronounced deceased by emergency medical per- sonnel. Through interviews with witnesses and analysis of the crime scene, the Mor- row and Umatilla Major Crime Team is attempting to locate a juvenile person of interest in the case. No further information was given about the juvenile, -See PERSON OF INTER- EST/PAGE TWO Hughes named Round-Up princess Makenzi Hughes of all her life. That experi- Heppner has received the ence was accented by her coveted honor of being active involvement in FFA, named a princess on the serving in leadership posi- tions, and 4-H, win- Pendleton Round- ning several awards, Up court this year. including many in Hughes, 18, beef showmanship. is the daughter of “I plan to make Kevin and Angie the Pendleton Hughes of Heppner. Round-Up proud,” A 2015 graduate Makenzi said Hughes of her of Heppner High Hughes placement on the School, she now at- tends Blue Mountain Com- court, “by representing munity College studying them as a cowgirl, ambas- sador for their town and the agriculture education. Hughes is continuing a community.” Look for Hughes en- tradition within her family; sister Jessica Hughes was a tering from the west at the Pendleton Round-Up Prin- Pendleton Round-Up rodeo cess in 2012. Hughes says kick-off this Wednesday, she has been riding horses Sept. 14, at 1:15 p.m. By Andrea Di Salvo Pioneer Memorial Hos- pital has a new ultrasound machine, thanks in large part to a grant from the Pioneer Memorial Hospital Foundation. Foundation board rep- resentative Larry Mills said the organization was started a number of years ago to accept tax deductible dona- tions for health care. “If anyone wants to send us a check, we’re al- ways open to that,” quipped Mills. The foundation’s schol- arships for local graduates entering the health care field are well known, such as the Earl & Hazel Wil- son Health Care Education Scholarship and the Dr. Wallace Wolff Memorial Scholarship. Another way the foun- dation aids local health care is by helping with improve- ments used for health care in the area. This time that improvement came in the form of a new ultrasound machine for Pioneer Me- morial in Heppner. The foundation gave the hospital a grant for $30,000, which covered a large chunk of the $44,263 machine. Morrow County Health District CEO Bob Houser said the machine was a necessary upgrade for -See HOSPITAL GRANT/ PAGE TWO -See SCHOOL DISTRICT/ PAGE SEVEN Tuesday in Heppner, Pioneer Memorial Hospital Foundation members handed over a grant check for $30,000 to help fund the hospital’s purchase of a new ultrasound machine. Pictured L-R: Morrow County Health District CEO Robert Houser, Foundation Chair Larry Mills, PMH Lab and Imaging Manager Betty Hickerson and Foundation member Tonia Adams. -Photo by Andrea Di Salvo WE HAVE FALL COLORS, MUMS, ASTERS, CABBAGE, KALE AND PANSIES NOW IN STOCK 10% OFF DANNER & GEORGIA BOOTS Now thru September 30 Morrow County Grain Growers Green Feed & Seed 242 W. Linden Way, Heppner • 676-9422 • 989-8221 (MCGG main office)
