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VOL. 140
NO. 51
10 Pages
Wednesday, December 22, 2021
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
CREZ ponders division of money
Has $9 million to disburse
By David Sykes
The Columbia River
Enterprise Zone II (CREZ
II) met last week to begin
discussing plans to divide
up nearly $9 million in
payments in lieu of taxes
it received this year. But in
the end the board decided to
wait another month before
making any decision.
Before postponing
their decision however,
the nine-member board,
made up of three represen-
tatives each from the Port
of Morrow, Morrow County
and the City of Boardman,
heard multiple requests
from entities and groups
across the county seeking
a piece of the funds.
The main decision fac-
ing the board appears to be
should it continue with its
past strategy of disbursing
much of the money through
local economic develop-
ment groups or begin tak-
ing individual “asks” from
groups and organizations
around the county. And at
last Friday’s meeting there
was no shortage of those
asks.
For example the new
broadband team asked the
board for funds to match for
state and federal grant mon-
ey to build out broadband in
the county; the Workforce
Partnership wants money
for worker relocation pro-
gram; the Morrow County
Health District is seeking
money for an urgent care
building in Boardman; Co-
lumbia River Community
policy continues the board
will need to decide what
Health asked for money population percentages to
to expand its facility with use in this distribution for-
more exam rooms; Board- mula.
man police are seeking
In a break from pre-
funds to build a 10-lane 50- vious years, however, last
yard indoor shooting range; year the board gave money
the District Attorney asked directly to its three “spon-
for money to hire a special soring” entities, the Port of
investigator; Boardman Morrow, city of Boardman
Fire and Rescue wants a and Morrow County. It also
new training fa-
gave $200,000 each to
cility and the cities
Ione, Lexington and
of Ione and Hep-
Heppner suggesting the
pner are looking
money be spent on in-
for infrastructure
frastructure. The CREZ
funding. In all,
has always sent funds
CREZ chair Don
directly to the county
Russell said there
education fund fulfill-
was about $4.5
ing its pledge to support
million in “asks” CREZ II
education in the coun-
from these groups. Chair Don
ty. It also purchased a
In the past the Russell
large fire engine for the
CREZ board has
Boardman Fire District
resisted accepting money in support of public safety.
requests from individual
The CREZ II has been
groups and entities, not operating and disbursing
wanting to be in the posi- funds for the past ten years
tion of deciding what does and in the beginning de-
and does not get funded. fined four categories for
Instead, the board funneled how the money would be
much of the money to eco- spent: Education, public
nomic development groups safety, housing and com-
in Boardman, Irrigon and munity enhancement. Last
south county and let those year it added a fifth, infra-
groups field requests and structure.
disburse funds locally in
CREZ receives these
their respective communi- large amounts of money
ties. CREZ chairman Don each year from businesses
Russell indicated he likes who locate in the enter-
this system and urged the prise zone located in north
board to continue with this county at the Port of Mor-
method of money disburse- row near Boardman. These
ments.
businesses receive gen-
If it does continue fund- erous property tax breaks
ing the economic develop- and instead of tax property
ment groups in the past it taxes, pay money directly
has used a formula based to the CREZ, which then
partly on population. If this decides how the money
will be spent. CREZ II last
year came to an end and
will no longer be accepting
new businesses, however
it will continue to receive
and disburse large amounts
of money for the next 15
years.
A new CREZ III has
been authorized by the state
of Oregon and covering
the same area, however it
has so far not made any tax
deals with new businesses.
Amazon Web Services has
built large server facilities
in the area taking advantage
of the tax breaks and is ex-
pected to continue building
there. Lamb Weston, Til-
lamook Cheese and other
companies also are located
in the enterprise zone and
take advantage of the tax Isla Trahan, 4, enjoyed the first snow to hit the area on Mon-
day. -Contributed photo.
breaks.
At times there has been
criticism of the generous
tax breaks given the compa-
nies, prompting Russell to
remind people that some of
those businesses most like-
ly would not be in Morrow
County at all without the
enterprise zone. “The enti-
ties (businesses) are making
payment in lieu of taxes that
is significantly less in some
cases than the tax revenue
they would pay if they were
on the books at full book,”
Russell said at last week’s
meeting. “But would they
be here if they were on for
full book? Probably not
because there are 70 enter-
prise zones in the state of
Oregon, and they would go
somewhere else in the state
of Oregon or Washington,”
he pointed out.
City dedicates
Thomson Square
Lexington starts planning for next year’s
May Day celebration
The dedication ceremony for Thomson Square in Heppner
was held December 18 with members of the Thomson family
attending -Photos by Kathleen Cutsforth.
Participants in the first May Day celebration parade last May. -File photo.
last week’s council meet-
ing, Josie Miles gave a fire
department report. Miles
said the fire department has
been doing joint first aid
training with the Ione Fire
Department. She also re-
ported that the department
received a new brush rig
from the Oregon Depart-
ment of Forestry (ODF)
fire pool, a 2005 Ford F550
which will replace the 1979
Dodge. The Dodge has been
in service in Lexington
since 1990 and will be de-
commissioned and returned
to ODF.
The council also heard
a report from town mainte-
nance man Curtis Thomp-
son who said the new chlo-
rine unit is working well.
He also said he checked on
the emergency generator at
the well and it is function-
ing properly as it should.
Recorder Janette El-
drige reported the town au-
dit has been completed and
she presented each coun-
cilmember with a copy.
She also said the town has
received a contract from
Anderson Perry Engineers
for an agreement to do work
for the town. They will be
doing an assessment study
of the town’s water and
sewer systems. Eldrige said
she had also turned in a
request to Business Oregon
for a $40,000 grant to pay
for the two studies.
Heppner held a dedi-
cation and ribbon-cutting
ceremony for Thomson
Square on Saturday, De-
cember 18. Members of the
Thomson family, Bruce and
Phyllis Thomson and their
daughter, Stacey; and Mer-
edith (Thomson) Walters
and son Aaron attended the
ceremony.
“The Thomson family
is grateful and honored that
the city dedicated the area
where the store stood for
so many years,” Meredith
Walters told the Gazette.
According to family,
James George Thomson Sr.
arrived in Heppner in 1892
and shortly thereafter estab-
lished the Thomson Bros.
27.
David, April, Bobbi
and Giselle, the staff at
Heppner Gazette-Times,
wishes everyone a very
merry Christmas.
grocery and department
store. James G. Thomson,
Jr. began working at the
store in 1926, then in 1946
he and his wife, Madge,
purchased the business and
remodeled the building.
They retired in 1979 and
the business was sold. In
May 1983, a fire engulfed
and destroyed the building.
CALL
541-989-8221
G-T closed
Christmas Eve
The Heppner Ga-
zette-Times will be closed
for the Christmas holiday
on Friday, December 24.
Normal business hours will
resume Monday, December
Thomson Square marker
installed.
E L E VAT E YO U R A DV E N T U R E
ext 204
NEW
2022
FOR
By David Sykes
The town of Lexington
held its first organizational
meeting last week to plan
for its second annual May
Day celebration. Mayor
Juli Kennedy told the town
council at its December
meeting last week that there
was a “good turnout” at the
meeting where nine people
came to plan for next year’s
event. Kennedy said there
were a lot of good ideas
discussed and she urged
everyone who wants to help
to attend the next meeting
Monday, Jan. 10 at 6 p.m.
at Lexington Town Hall.
“If we are going to do all
the things we decided to
do last night we are going
to need all hands on deck,”
the mayor said. “Anybody
that wants to get involved
please come; that would be
wonderful,” she said of the
January meeting. The first
May Day celebration last
year featured a parade and
various activities.
In other business at
for more
information
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