50¢
HEPPNER
G T
azette
imes
VOL. 138
NO. 27 8 Pages
Wednesday, July 3, 2019
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Lexington shuts down after
failure to approve budget
Office closed; employees laid off
Local jewelry store gets new
awning
Randall Peterson, owner of Peterson’s Jewelry in Heppner, shows off the new awning recently
installed on the front of the business. The awning replacement project was a community effort
to help one of Heppner’s oldest and well-liked businesses.
Funding for the new awning came from community members and businesses. Willow Creek
Valley Economic Development Group awarded a matching Business Enhancement Grant
of $3,350. Also helping out was the city of Heppner Public Works crew, Les Schwab Tire
employee Richard Hainline, Doug and Darlene Klock and Dale Bates. Seth Moses Roofing
and Restoration pressure washed and painted the front part of the building after the awning
frame was removed and donated the paint. They will be pressure washing, replacing boards
and repainting the side of the building. The Heppner Chamber of Commerce coordinated the
project. -Photo by David Sykes.
Ione’s 4 th of July Schedule
Wednesday, July 3
Golf Tournament Willow Creek Country Club
Heppner July 3rd, 9 am
Volleyball Tournament Ione City Park July 3rd, 4 pm
Thursday, July 4
Lexington town hall is closed with a sign on the door.
By David Sykes
The town of Lexington
has closed, and it’s not clear
when it will re-open.
The closure came after
the town council did
not approve its 2019-
20 operating budget.
Not enough coun-
cilmembers were
present at a June 27
public hearing, so Mayor
according to state Marcia
law, if a budget is not Kemp
passed by June 30
the town cannot spend mon-
ey. Mayor Marcia Kemp
said without an approved
budget she had no choice
but to shut it down.
“Due to failure of Lex-
ington Council members
not fulfilling their council
duties by not attending the
advertised budget hearing
meeting to approve the
operating budget for 2019-
2020, the Town of Lexing-
ton is officially closed. The
town employees have been
laid off. The State of Ore-
gon has been contacted and
is offering aid,” Kemp said
in an email to the Heppner
Gazette-Times.
The town has two em-
ployees a town clerk and a
maintenance man, and both
were laid off, Kemp said.
“I went in Sunday, signed
their paychecks and they
no longer have jobs,” she
said. Both are eligible for
unemployment she added.
She also collected the keys
to the city properties.
Until the city is open
again the city cannot pay
its bills nor can residents
come to town hall to pay
their water bills. The bills
can be mailed but Kemp
said she is not collecting
the city’s mail at this time.
Following the closure
Kemp immediately be-
gan contacting state agen-
cies and other officials on
what to do. Kemp said the
State Revenue Department
didn’t have much advice
as there is little precedent
for municipalities missing
their budget deadlines. In
addition to awaiting word
back from the state, she has
also contacted the
League of Oregon
Cities for legal ad-
vice. The town does
not have a designated
legal attorney. She
said Representative
Greg Smith’s office
was also contacted
Sunday and was told
he would check with state
agencies Monday.
Kemp said a commu-
nity meeting is planned for
Monday, July 8, at 7 p.m.
at Town Hall, but even if a
quorum of councilmembers
is present, the budget can-
not be passed at that time.
“Because we are past the
deadline, we don’t have the
legal authority at this time
to hold a budget hearing,”
she said.
There are four mem-
bers of the town coun-
cil and only one of them,
Marcia Sticka, attended
the June 27 budget hear-
ing. Councilmember Bobbi
Gordon was out of town on
a planned vacation, and Bill
Beard and Curtis Thompson
said they just forgot.
Councilmember Bill
Beard later told the Gazette
that he simply has a busy
life and forgot about the
meeting. Curtis Thompson
also said, “I forgot about
the meeting or I would have
been there.” Both Beard
and Thompson stated that
a simple reminder phone
call would have allowed
them to attend the meeting.
Beard reported, “The town
recorders we have had in
the past always called or
sent reminder emails for
special meetings and that
no longer happens.”
Bobbi Gordon said, “I
made it very clear to the
mayor and the council at
the June council meeting
that I was going to be out
of town on the night of
the scheduled meeting but
would be happy to attend
if they could schedule it
for another date. When I
returned from my vacation,
I received a message saying
a special meeting would be
held July 2. I then found
out that there is a meeting
to be held July 8 by reading
the notice on the door at
the town hall. I didn’t ever
receive another message
stating the July 2 meeting
would not be held and it
was going to be held on July
8 instead.”
By not passing the
$737,549 operating bud-
get, Kemp said she is also
concerned about bond pay-
ments on the firehall and
whether the city is con-
sidered to even have fire
coverage at this time. There
is even a question if the city
will lose its tax levy for the
year. Kemp said she hoped
to have answers to many
of these questions at the
community meeting.
The missed budget
deadline and failure to ap-
prove a budget is just the
latest problem facing the
city. Previous council meet-
ings have been filled with
arguments over filling a
vacant council seat, with
Kemp insisting she had the
authority to vote on coun-
cil replacements. Beard
and Gordon argued that
according to town charter
the mayor cannot vote on
filling council vacancies
unless there is a tie. Kemp
and Sticka disagreed. Af-
ter much arguing amongst
councilmembers, members
of the public and various
legal opinions, the seat was
finally filled at a June 11
meeting when Thompson
was voted in by a vote of
two to one. Beard and Gor-
don voted for Thompson
and Sticka voted against.
Kemp did not vote.
Lexington gets OK to hold
budget hearing July 9
In a late breaking development in the Town of Lexington closure story (see above),
Mayor Marcia Kemp has informed the Heppner Gazette-Times she has received legal
advice to reschedule the town’s 2019-20 budget hearing for Tuesday, July 9 at 7 p.m.
at the Lexington town hall. Kemp said legal counsel from the League of Oregon Cities
informed her to proceed with a new hearing date, which if then passed by the town
council, will give the city its new budget and allow it to re-open. A copy of the proposed
city budget is published on page five of this week’s Gazette-Times.
Fireman’s Breakfast Ione Fire Hall 7:00 -10:00 am
Creative Care Preschool 5k Walk/Run
($10 Registration) Ione City Park 7 am Reg./Walk starts at
7:30 am
Ken Turner Memorial Horseshoe Tournament
Horseshoe Pits 9:00 am
Cruz-In Car Show Ione City Park 10:00 am
3-on-3 Basketball Tournament 2nd Street,
In Front of Legion Hall 10:00 am
Vendors & Booths Ione City Park 11:00 am
Fish Pond, Frog Jump, Bike Raffle Fire Hall/Park 11:00 am
Altar Society Pie Sale Ione Fire Hall
(or Church Basement) 11:00 am
Parade (Grand Marshal: Joe & Anita Orem)
Main Street 1:00 pm
Free Swimming Ione Swimming Pool 1:30-3:30 pm
Bingo Ione Legion Hall 2:00-4:00 pm
Talent Show Amphitheatre Stage 3:30 pm
Reg./Show at 4 pmge 4:30-6:00 pm
Game On! Video Game
Trailer & Laser Tag Ione City Park 5:00-8:00 pm
Boat Trip Auction/Raffle Drawings
Amphitheatre Stage 8:00 pm
Fireworks Display Dusk
Heppner was slightly warmer
in June
According to prelim-
inary data received by
NOAA’s National Weather
Service in Pendleton, tem-
peratures at Heppner aver-
aged slightly warmer than
normal during the month
of June.
The average tempera-
ture was 63.6 degrees which
was 0.8 degrees above nor-
mal. High temperatures av-
eraged 78.1 degrees, which
was 1.5 degrees above nor-
mal. The highest was 92
degrees on the 14 th . Low
temperatures averaged 49.1
degrees, which was 0.2
degrees above normal. The
lowest was 40 degrees, on
the 9 th . On one day, the
temperature exceeded 90
degrees.
Precipitation totaled
0.68 inches during June,
which was 0.70 inches be-
low normal. Measurable
precipitation, at least .01
inch, was received on seven
days with the heaviest, 0.25
inches reported on the 27 th .
Precipitation this year
has reached 10.20 inches,
which is 1.54 inches above
normal. Since October, the
water year precipitation at
Heppner has been 14.21
inches, which is 1.49 inches
above normal.
The outlook for July
from NOAA’s Climate Pre-
diction Center calls for
above normal temperatures
and below normal precip-
itation. Normal highs for
Heppner during July are
85.7
MORROW COUNTY GRAIN GROWERS
350 MAIN STREET, LEXINGTON OR
CONTACT: JUSTIN BAILEY, 541-989-8221 EXT. 204
Offers vary by model and are subject to availability. Rebate and financing offers valid on select 2015-2019 new and
unregistered Polaris ® RZR ® , RANGER ® , Sportsman ® , GENERAL ® , and ACE ® models purchased between 6/1/19 -
6/30/19, but availability of the offers and the offer terms may vary by State, so see your local authorized dealer for
complete details. "Rates as low as 3.99% APR for 36 months. Examples of monthly payments required over a
36-month term at a 3.99% APR rate: $29.52 per $1,000 financed; and with a 60-month term at a 6.99% APR rate:
$19.80 per $1,000 financed. An example of a monthly payment with $0 down, no rebate, an APR of 3.99% APR for
36 months at an MSRP of $12,699 is $374.87/mo. total cost of borrowing of $796.27 with a total obligation of
$13,495.27. Down payment may be required. Other financing offers may be available. See your local dealer for
details. Minimum Amount Financed $1,500; Maximum Amount Financed $50,000. Other qualifications and
restrictions may apply. Financing promotions void where prohibited. Tax, title, license, and registration are separate
and may not be financed. Promotion may be modified or discontinued without notice at any time in Polaris' sole
discretion. WARNING: Polaris ® off-road vehicles can be hazardous to operate and are not intended for on-road use.
Driver must be at least 16 years old with a valid driver's license to operate. Passengers, if permitted, must be at
least 12 years old. All riders should always wear helmets, eye protection, and protective clothing. Always use seat
belts and cab nets or doors (as equipped). Never engage in stunt driving, and avoid excessive speeds and sharp
turns. Riding and alcohol/drugs don't mix. All riders should take a safety training course. Call 800-342-3764 for
additional information. Check local laws before riding on trails. © 2019 Polaris Industries Inc.