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HEPPNER G T 50¢ Local women’s vision becomes reality Historical building saved from destruction now a community events center with open house Friday azette imes VOL. 139 NO. 6 8 Pages Wednesday, February 5, 2020 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon After salary dispute treasurer withdraws from race Gutierrez says ‘ultimate goal is to get rid of me’ By David Sykes After 23 years as coun- ty treasurer Gayle Gutierrez is calling it quits. Elected six times by voters and serving since 1996, she told the budget commit- tee last week that up until three years ago she enjoyed the job, but since then has been subjected to “bully- ing” which is affecting her mental and physical health so she is withdrawing from the race. “The voters have had confidence in the job I have been doing as they elected me six times,” she said in a statement to the budget committee, which includes the three commissioners. “I have really enjoyed work- ing in the treasurer’s po- sition until the last three years. In those three years, I feel I have been subject- ed to passive/aggressive behavior and bullying. My mental and physical health is more important than any job,” she stressed. Her years-long disputes with the commissioners about county financial matters came to a head last Wednesday when the budget committee met in a special meeting to con- sider cutting her salary by up to 75 percent. This was the second special meeting of the budget committee to discuss the treasurer’s salary. Following another special meeting December 11, Amanda Rea, who had earlier filed to run against Gutierrez, dropped out of the race citing the ongoing uncertainty about the salary. “May not be a full-time job which makes me nervous to give up my normal full- time job,” Rea wrote in her withdrawal statement. “It has been over a month since the conversation began and I needed to choose for the sake of my normal job.” In stressing the impor- tance of her job and that “every single penny that goes in or out of the county goes through the treasurer’s office,” Gutierrez told the budget committee that last year she handled over $94 million in county mon- ey. County Clerk Bobbi Childers says now that no one is running if no one files for the position by March 10, a write-in could win the election in November general election, and they would then be in charge of handling those county monies. Commissioners at first defended their action to review the treasurer’s salary saying it was routine and proper for them to oversee and keep an eye on all county salaries. But after a confrontational meeting last week voted to take no action in singling out the Morrow County Treasurer Gayle Gutierrez quits after 23 years. treasurer’s salary and just move forward with the normal budgeting process, which includes review of all county salaries by a special compensation committee and then going on to a reg- ular budget meeting before sending the entire budget on to the commissioners for final approval. This action did not change Gutierrez’s mind however, as she an- nounced her resignation and subsequent withdrawal from the upcoming election at the meeting. Commissioners de- fended their review of the salary by saying maybe the position has been part time and drawing a full- time salary for many years. Commissioner Don Russell said 25 years ago the tax collection was taken out of the treasurer’s office and done elsewhere, and at that time the position may have become only a part time job. He said this is the reason the commissioners where now looking at the salary, and not a dispute with the current treasurer. The assessor’s office currently handles tax col- lection and Assessor Mike Gorman was at the meeting and said around tax time between October and De- cember it takes 100 percent of his staff’s time. Former assessor Greg Sweek was also in attendance and he said it was a good thing to have the collections done by the assessor instead of the treasurer since when there is “a problem with your tax bill you come to your assessor anyway. I think it’s a good thing.” “Tax collection fits with the assessor’s office. It’s very intertwined,” Gorman said. “I would recommend not moving it back (to the trea- surer’s office),” he added. Gutierrez said she could not do the job of tax collection because she doesn’t have the staff, pointing out that she is the only one in her office. In her letter to the budget committee Gutierrez gave a long list of duties which she feels makes it a full-time job. Commissioner Melis- sa Lindsay said the com- mission held the special meetings in order to settle what the treasurer salary was going to be so people filing for the position would know prior to running and before the election. Lindsay also provided copies of Oregon law which placed responsibility of setting elected officials’ salaries onto the county budget committee. In past practice, however, all county sala- ries are reviewed first by a compensation committee appointed by the commis- sioners, which then passes those recommendations on to the budget committee for approval before the final budget goes to the commis- sioners for adoption. A comparison of trea- surer’s salaries was provid- ed, however most everyone agreed that because of the difference in counties it was difficult to make com- parisons. “There is a saying that if you have seen one Oregon county, you have seen one Oregon county,” Russell said. Budget committee member Linda LaRue said she was “confused” as to why the budget commit- tee was singling out the treasurer’s salary for re- view. “Morrow County has had tremendous economic growth. That is why I’m confused why we’re redo- ing the treasurer’s salary?” she asked. “This is not about money. Why is this being considered?” LaRue also questioned why the commissioners were going outside the normal budget- ing procedure and consid- ering the treasurer salary alone. “Typically, it goes to the compensation com- mittee, then comes to the budget committee. I would expect it to come from the compensation then to us on the budget committee,” she pointed out. Commissioner Russell said he had faith in the compensation committee to do a good job of setting salaries of elected officials. “We have good representa- tion across the county. I’ve only voted one time against the compensation commit- tee, and that was when the commissioners wanted to raise their own salaries.” He said he voted against it but then the commissioners subsequently went on the following year to give each of themselves substantial raises. In arguing it was a bud- get committee job to review salaries, Lindsay said the compensation committee when making decisions is not provided with the details and information of -See TREASURER/PAGE THREE Melissa Lindsay (left) and Kim Cutsforth in the state-of-the-art kitchen at the new Gilliam Bisbee community building in Heppner. The two were the major forces behind making this new facility a reality. -Photo by David Sykes. By David Sykes But for the vision and drive of two local women, a treasured historical build- ing in downtown Heppner would have ended up a pile of rubble and turned into a parking lot. “We didn’t want to see that happen,” says Kim Cutsforth and Melissa Lindsay, the driv- ing force behind an effort to save the historic Gilliam and Bisbee building and turn it into a first-class com- munity events center with upstairs overnight suites ready for guests. The historic old build- ing was close to being lost forever as it was deteriorat- ing, out of date, and losing its main tenant, and unless the owner, Morrow County, could find someone to buy it, there was talk of tearing it down for a parking lot. “We didn’t want that. We didn’t want a parking lot,” Coun- ty Commissioner Melissa Lindsay says, but admits the county couldn’t contin- ue paying for maintenance and upkeep, especially with the major tenant Commu- nity Counseling Solutions moving out. So the two women went to work, and what they accomplished will be on full display for the public during an open house this Friday, February 7 from 5 – 7:30 p.m. It’s been a couple of years since the two walked through the building think- ing of what could be done with the old historic struc- ture. “I wanted something that when you walk in you say ‘wow’,” Cutsforth said of her original ideas. She said she envisioned an area downstairs where special events could be held, and then while walking through the upstairs offices she got the idea for some suites where people could stay overnight for events like weddings and reunions. One thing both she and Lindsay wanted was to preserve as much of the old historic look as possible. To accomplish the restoration, she enlisted the help of En- gineering NW of Ontario to do the design and engi- neering work. And local builder David Allstott was brought on as general con- tractor to turn their dreams into reality. “He did a great job,” she says. “He knew what we wanted and made it happen.” Construction on the project started about one year ago and today she says it is something Heppner can be proud of. Cutsforth is the ad- ministrator of the Howard and Beth Bryant Founda- tion which gives out grants locally for projects just like the Gilliam Bisbee building. “Howard and Beth loved Heppner and would be proud of what they helped accomplish here,” Cutsforth says look- ing around the remodeled facility which the founda- tion gave about $1.5 million to remodel. Knowing it would cost about $250,000 to have the building torn down and removed, the county donated about that amount and the building to the newly formed Heppner Community Foundation, which took ownership of the facility. The main doors open off of May Street in the heart of downtown. With a large hall and state of the art kitchen downstairs the facility is ready to seat up -See VISION/PAGE FOUR Heppner Community Foundation Board members Joe Armato, Kim Cutsforth, Sandy Mat- thews, Melissa Lindsay and Patti Allstott are ready to show off the newly remodeled building. -Photo by David Sykes. CHANDLER FAMILY RAFFLE Green Mountain Grill Daniel Boone Pellet Smoker W i n n will e r w i be l l b drawn e d r a w n February F e b r u a r y 1 14, 4 , 2 2020 0 2 0 Winner $5 each or 6 for $20 Proceeds will go to the Chandler Family Tickets available at the Lexington and Heppner Locations Green Feed Store Lexington Store 242 West Linden Way 350 Main Street Heppner, OR 97836 Lexington, OR 97839 541-676-9422 800-452-7396 or 541-989-8221
