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