HEPPNER
G T
50¢
azette
imes
VOL. 136
NO. 12 8 Pages
Wednesday, March 22, 2017
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Kenny Family float takes first
in Great Green Parade
The Kenny Family, the 2017 St. Patrick’s Day Celebration grand marshals, took first
place in the great green parade
The Kenny Family,
grand marshals for the 2017
St. Patrick’s festival in
Heppner, took first place in
the Great Green Parade held
Saturday on Main St. in
Heppner. The Desert Shrine
Club was second.
The Heppner
Methodist Church was
first in the Irish Floats
– Business category. Al
Kader took second
In the Antique &
Custom Vehicles category,
Morrow County Museum
took first with their 1930
Model “A” Ford Truck.
Elgin Nagel was second
with a ‘37 Chevy.
First in the
Merchant category was
Heppner ODOT with
Community Bank taking
second.
County approves sheriff’s dept.
restructuring
By David Sykes
The Morrow Coun-
ty Court last week approved
a restructuring of the Sheriff
Department, meant to im-
prove efficiency and lower
overtime costs.
Under the new or-
ganization plan both the
chief civil deputy and the
detective positions will
be moved from an hourly
union represented position
eligible for overtime, up to
management and not union
represented or eligible for
overtime. ”The organiza-
tion restructure is designed
to create an efficient means
to accomplish our mission,
being efficient and produc-
tive while being fiscally
responsible,” Undersheriff
John Bowles wrote in the
reorganization plan pre-
sented to the court. “Our
number one objective is
public safety and providing
the best possible service to
the public,” he added.
Out of a total year-
ly $2.8 million budget for
labor, the sheriff ‘s depart-
ment currently budgets
$80,000 for overtime, and
department officials think
they may be able, with
these changes, to bring that
number down, possibly to
$60,000 per year. “Do you
feel you are going to de-
crease overtime?” County
Commission Chair Me-
lissa Lindsay asked Bowles.
“Definitely,” he said. He
added that the local union is
okay about moving salaried
positions to management,
and thus out of the bar-
gaining unit, but “Portland
may have a problem.” The
sheriff’s department is rep-
resented by the Teamsters
Union with headquarters
in Portland. “People would
be exempt from overtime
by this restructuring,” said
Sheriff Ken Matlack who
was also in attendance at
the meeting. “This rank of
people will not be getting
overtime anymore.”
In addition to the
changes in hourly to sala-
ried positions, the reorga-
nization will also make for
a smoother running and
efficient department, both
Bowles and Matlack told
the court. “This breaks
management down into
smaller units with better
management and better
results,” Bowles said. “I see
a much better product with
this structure.”
Commissioner Don
Russell said he appreciated
the work the sheriff put into
the restructuring plan and
said he would monitor its
effects on the department’s
future budget needs. “The
sheriff is elected to run his
department and he should
be able to shuffle the deck,”
Russell said. “But it’s our
responsibility to look after
the finances.”
In other discus-
sions about budgets and
finances, Matlack talked
about the increased patrol-
ling by the sheriff’s depart-
ment on Interstate Highway
84, which has lead to a
dramatic increase in fines
coming into the county.
Matlack said the Oregon
State Police no longer cov-
ers the freeway as much as
it once did. The county has
assigned a deputy to patrol
the approximately 28 miles
of freeway cutting across
north Morrow County, and
that one deputy has brought
in around $280,000 in fines
during a one-year period.
Matlack said it was speed-
ing tickets, with people
going “80, 85, 95 miles
per hour and truck tickets,”
that were the majority of
offenses.
The sheriff also
pointed out that the one
deputy has almost paid for
two positions, and a large
amount coming into the
county general fund, with
none of the funds going to
the sheriff’s budget. “There
is no quota going on here,”
said Bowles, but we are
talking public safety. More
tickets doesn’t reflect any-
where in our budget,” he
told the court.
The county court
voted unanimously to adopt
the new sheriff’s depart-
ment structuring.
In other business,
the court heard from Rex
Baker, the new loan officer
for the Greater Eastern Or-
egon Development Corpo-
ration, GEODC, who gave
an update on the county’s
equity fund. The equity
fund was originally estab-
lished in 2003 with fund-
ing of $500,000 from the
Oregon Legislature when
Three-mile Canyon Farms
was created. The fund is
used to loan money for eco-
nomic development such
as real estate or equipment
purchases in the county, and
at this point has $160,000.
Baker said some money is
starting to be repaid to the
fund and he also needs to
appoint several persons to
fill the loan board. He said
loan applications and infor-
mation about the fund are
available on the GEODC
website.
In further busi-
ness, the court heard from
Morrow County Planner
Carla McLane, who re-
ported that FEMA (Federal
Emergency Management
Agency) had approved the
Morrow County Natural
Hazard Mitigation Plan.
With the plan now in place
-continued ON PAGE
FIVE
President Donald Trump and Irish
Prime Minister send message to
Heppner on St. Pats Day
Rep Walden brings greetings
By David Sykes
Representative
Greg Walden made his
annual trip to Heppner to
help emcee the Coffee Hour
Saturday during the St.
Patrick’s Day Celebration,
and he brought with him
greetings from Washington,
DC, including from the
Irish Prime Minister Enda
Kenny, Vice President Mike
Pence, Rep. Nancy Pe-
losi, Speaker of the House
Paul Ryan and from the
President himself, Donald
Trump.
In presenting the
signatures to St. Patrick’s
Day Chairman Sheryll
Bates, Walden said he was
attending the annual Speak-
ers of Friends of Ireland
Luncheon March 16 in
Washington DC with the
president and others before
he departed, and he asked
them to sign the menu. “To
the people of Heppner best
wishes,” the Prime Minister
wrote. “Happy St. Patrick’s
Day Heppner!” said VP
Pence. “Happy Saint Pat- Signed menu wishing Heppner a happy St. Pats Day
rick’s Day to the people
of Heppner,” said Pelosi,
and “To the great people
of Heppner, Love,” wrote
President Trump. Ryan
signed his name.
Right: Congressman Greg
Walden (center, pointing)
presented a signed greeting
he brought from the Presi-
dent of The United States
and several others to the
Heppner St. Patrick’s Day
Celebration Saturday.
Friends Helping Friends announces St.
Paddy’s Festival door prize winners
Friends Helping Friends
has announced the door
prizes, their sponsors and
winners for the Friends
Helping Friends Remem-
brance Event held during
the 2017 Heppner St. Pat-
rick’s Festival.
The winners were cho-
sen from random drawings
from those who pre-regis-
tered and those that paid the
morning of the event, said
organizers.
-Bucknums: (four gift
certificates): Kathy & Phil
Carlson, Jim Crow, Latosha
Hedman and Janelle Ellis.
-Eric and Traci Dicken-
son McCready: John Deere
Products-Neon John Deere
Wall Clock-Dick & Nancy
Snider; John Deere Dom-
inos-Shanna Sallee; John
Deere Outdoor blanket/
Pad-Kevin and Petra Payne.
-Peggy Fishburn: Blue-
berry Breakfast Basket-
Keeley Nairns.
-Wildhorse Casino Pack-
age ($220 value) motel,
movie, and dinners: Judy
Buschke first registered
participant.
-Devin Oil gas cards:
Don and Judy Barber and
Kelly Boyer.
-Jaci Huges Drigen,
Nike gift card and em-
ployee store pass: Adidas
-Gordon and Judy Smith
Knight, Tumalo Lavender
gift basket- Judie Laughlin.
-Adam McCabe, kid’s
toy tractor- Jennifer Ash-
beck.
Judie Laughlin with her Tumalo Lavender gift basket
employee store pass card,
50 percent off purchase-
Toni Roach; Nike $50 gift
card, plus Nike employee
store pass 50 percent off
purchase-Healy Hisler.
-Gary and Barb Watkins,
$50 Shell gas card-Rex and
Janice Anderson.
-Hattenhauer Distrib-
uting (The Dalles) $100
gift cards: Hattenhauer
(Sinclair) gift card- Ash-
ley Lindsay; Hattenhauer
(Sinclair) gift card-Shelly
VanArsdale; Hattenhauer
(Sinclair) gift card: Cam
Wishart
-Hamley’s Steak House,
$75 gift certificate: Matt
and Darlene Clark.
-Evan and Annie Wey-
gandt, ECCO gift card, up
to $250-Joy Krein.
WE ARE READY
FOR SPRING!
NOW IN STOCK
PANSIES & PRIMROSE, POTTING
SOIL, AMENDMENTS, GARDEN
SEEDS + MORE ARRIVING DAILY!!
Morrow County Grain Growers Green Feed & Seed
242 W. Linden Way, Heppner • 676-9422 • 989-8221 (MCGG main office)