Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current, February 15, 2023, Page 8, Image 8

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    EIGHT - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, February 15, 2023
Boardman city council meeting
-Continued from PAGE ONE training focused on defen- Thirty-five gallon carts for “It’s been very refreshing county and see if there’s a surprise presentation to
greet with the public.
Boardman Councilor
Cristina Cuevas said she ap-
preciated all the community
partners and residents who
showed up to meet the can-
didates and provide input.
Keefer also mentioned the
good community turnout to
meet the city manager can-
didates despite conflicting
events in the city.
“We had a lot of peo-
ple in the community step
up and be involved in our
city manager search,” said
Keefer. “That is Boardman
coming out and saying, ‘We
want to be involved in our
community.’”
He also noted that ev-
ery person asked to be on
an interview panel came.
The interview panels alone
consisted of 30 people.
“That was a big effort,” he
said. “People took time off
to come and be part of a
panel and give their input.”
Kevin Miracle of Waste
Connections was present at
the meeting to request the
increase and give updates
on what the company has
been doing since Waste
Connections purchased
Sanitary Disposal in De-
cember of 2021.
Miracle said they have
spent $2.8 million this past
year on equipment, wage
increases, facility upgrades,
equipment at the trans-
fer station and improve-
ments to the bailer. Includ-
ed in that $2.8 million is
$670,000 in roll-off boxes
and rear-load containers,
as well as four rear-load
trucks, two roll-off trucks
and three automated trucks.
“So the company has
spent a lot of capital within
all the cities and counties
that we’re in,” said Miracle.
He said they have also
placed drive cams in the
trucks, which record to the
front, inside the cab, and
have an alley camera.
“So there’s an almost
360 view that we have
that we’re able to actually
pull that up if a customer
says, ‘Hey, I think your
guy bumped into my car,’”
he said.
“The drive cam is also
in place to make our good
drivers even better,” he add-
ed, “which is a great thing.
We’ve spent quite a lot of
money on training for the
drivers.”
Aside from normal
training, he said they also
bring in a trainer from the
California Highway Pa-
trol to conduct a four-hour
sive driving.
He said proposed
spending for this year is
$1.4 million, which will
include two more roll-off
trucks and another $670,000
in carts, containers and roll-
off boxes.
The City of Board-
man’s last recorded rate
increase for Sanitary Waste
was 9.2 percent in Septem-
ber of 2019, and Miracle
said Waste Connections is
requesting a 16.13 percent
increase March 1, 2023. He
said he realized that was a
short window.
“We’re doing what we
can to improve when it
comes to our employees,
making sure that our wages
are at a competitive rate,”
he said. “We had some is-
sues when we first started
where we had to increase
wages in order to keep the
employees.”
Boardman Councilor
Cristina Cuevas questioned
why, if the company wanted
the rate increase in March,
the council was just hearing
about it now.
“It’s taken us a year to
kind of get our feet under-
neath us,” said Miracle, and
added that it was during
budget discussions in Octo-
ber that they decided to look
at rate increases this year.
“When we’re looking at
the residents, as a resident,
I would appreciate notice,”
said Cuevas. “Two weeks.
That time frame seems
pretty short.”
“That time frame is
negotiable for us, as long
as we know we’re getting
where we need to be,” Mir-
acle replied. “But the longer
we push it out, the more
that it could go up because
of the CPI (consumer price
index).”
Boardman Cty Man-
ager pro tem Rick Stokoe
added that costs like this
are typically included in
the city budget, so a rate
increase now could create
a budget shortfall between
March and July.
“Preferably, notice at
the beginning of the year
is great,” agreed Boardman
Finance Director Marta
Barajas, “because that’s
when I’m putting together
the budget.” She added
that the budget committee
usually meets in May.
Utility clerk Toni Con-
nell provided a breakdown
of the new rates. For resi-
dents with 90 gallon carts,
the difference will be $1.49,
from $13.22 to $14.71.
seniors will increase $1.26,
from $9.38 to $10.64.
Consensus among
council and city staff
seemed to be that March 1
was too soon to implement
a rate increase, and that it
would be better to have it
take affect at the beginning
of the fiscal year. Stokoe
and Barajas said they would
need numbers by April in
order to prepare a resolution
for the council to approve
the rate increase. That rate
would go into effect July 1.
Barajas gave the De-
cember financial report,
noting that the big activity
in December was the bud-
geted interfund transfers.
Those transfers, such as
from the general fund re-
serve to the water reserve,
show as an expense in one
fund and revenue in the oth-
er, which made the month
appear as if it had a lot
of activity. The city also
opened escrow accounts for
the two contractors current-
ly on the general obligation
fund projects. Barajas said
the city is finished with the
expenses for the dog park,
and that project is complete.
Rick Stoddard of Bar-
nett & Moro was also pres-
ent and gave the council the
2021-2022 financial audit
report.
“When we do this, we
compare what the city has
recorded with supporting
documents,” he explained.
Those supporting docu-
ments included documents
from third parties, such as
bank statements, invoices,
etc.
Stoddard said that,
aside from a couple of mi-
nor issues, there were no
problems with the audit.
One issue Stoddard did
bring up was the absence
of a 2021 single audit that
should have been complet-
ed but wasn’t.
“The testing that me
and my team member did
gave me nothing that I felt
needed to be communicated
here today,” he concluded.
Barajas added that Bar-
nett & Moro was a new
firm the city had hired,
replacing a previous firm.
The previous firm was close
to finishing the 2021 audit.
She said one reason the city
had moved to a new firm
was because the previous
one was no longer doing
municipality audits.
“The difficulty of get-
ting our audits completed
by them was definitely a
second reason,” she said.
to get the 2022 audit filed.”
Stokoe said the city
manager search process
had “enveloped” city staff
over the past few weeks, but
he did report that they are
working on a wastewater
receiving station. Previ-
ously, wastewater trucks
from around the area would
come and dump at the city’s
lagoons, which took up a lot
of staff time. “That go to be
problematic,” he said.
The city stopped re-
ceiving wastewater, so the
only place for local com-
panies to dump was either
Pendleton or Arlington.
The wastewater receiving
station would be a place in
Boardman that companies
could access with a key
card without having to call
city staff.
He said the city re-
ceived up to $400,000 fund-
ing for that project from one
of those companies, and
engineering firm Anderson
& Perry is currently in the
design phase for it. The
project should be com-
pleted soon, he said, and
should not be a cost to the
city. Companies would be
charged per gallon to use
the station, but that fee has
to be determined.
Stokoe said he had also
discussed the Columbia
Ave. water and sewer up-
grade at a work session
with Anderson & Perry.
The project will go out for
bid and the city will try to
get that wrapped up quickly.
“We’ll see how that
goes,” he added. “It’s a
process. Nothing happens
in city government over-
night.”
Stokoe also said city
staff is in the process of ob-
taining easements to com-
plete a new loop road.
Boardman Councilor
Brenda Profitt brought to
the council’s attention that
the West Extension Irri-
gation District is burying
their line out on Paul Smith
Road. The city and county
each have responsibility for
a piece of Paul Smith.
Profitt said this would
be an excellent opportuni-
ty to put in some kind of
walking path for residents,
which had been one of
the council’s goals. While
no plans had been put in
place previously, she said
she thought it would be a
good time to find out what
it would take in terms of
planning and funding.
“At least start the con-
versation, possibly, with the
any way to work coopera-
tively about getting a safe
walking path down Paul
Smith Road,” she said.
“There’s a possibility that
we could capitalize on an
opportunity.”
The council heard the
police report from acting
Boardman Police Chief
Loren Dieter. Stokoe ap-
pointed Dieter as acting
chief when he himself was
selected as city manager
pro tem.
Dieter reported that the
police department is main-
taining a busy pace. He
also said the BPD opened
a new position recently,
anticipating the retirement
of school resource officer
George Shimer later this
year, and that he would be
reviewing applicants at the
end of the month. He also
reported that he and officer
Shane Brandon had attend-
ed an Active Shooter Level
1 train the trainer class in
Idaho and can now train
other Boardman police for
those situations.
In other business:
-The council approved
a resolution authorizing and
intergovernmental agree-
ment (IGA) for Oregon
Public Works Emergency
Response Cooperative As-
sistance. The IGA is an
agreement among member
governments that if the city
has a disaster or natural haz-
ard issue, then the city can
use resources from other
jurisdictions to help with
the disaster.
-Boardman Chamber
of Commerce Executive
Director Torrie Griggs gave
Boardman PD Officer Lo-
ren Dieter. The chamber
selected Dieter as Front
Line Worker of the Year
for 2022.
-Keefer recognized
Karla Jimenez for her work
on the Boardman Planning
Commission. Jimenez was
unable to attend the meet-
ing, but Keefer displayed
a framed certificate and
plaque she would be re-
ceiving. “It’s just one way
that we’re trying to recog-
nize the individuals who
are volunteering for their
community.” Keefer said
he remembered her as a
“great kid” in high school
and said, “She’s grown up
to be a very good young
woman.”
-The council also ap-
pointed Edith Velasco as a
budget committee member
for the city and Boardman
Urban Renewal. Velas-
co’s term will end Dec. 31,
2025. The city is still look-
ing to fill budget committee
vacancies.
-Building clerk Jackie
McCauley said the city had
sold quite a few building
permits, mostly for new
townhomes at Tidewater.
Twelve units are being built
there. She said the city is
seeing new homes come
in, though not as quickly
as last year. The city also
broke ground on its city hall
expansion.
-Keefer again wel-
comed visiting students
from Riverside High School
and encouraged them to be
involved in their commu-
nity.
cation Service District is
currently accepting nomi-
nations for InterMountain
Regional Teacher of the
Year. Nominations are open
statewide through Feb. 28.
Anyone can nominate a
teacher by visiting https://
oregonteacheroftheyear.
org/nominate/.
Nominated teachers
will be notified and will
submit their applications by
March 31. Each Oregon ed-
ucation service district will
select a winner from their
region in May. Regional
teachers of the year will be
honored across the state in
September 2023. Regional
winners receive a cash prize
of $1,000.
In October 2023 one
the year will be named the
2023-24 Oregon Teacher of
the Year and will be eligible
to apply for the honor of
the National Teacher of the
Year.
Time to nominate your
favorite
teacher
InterMountain Edu- of the regional teachers of
Death Notice
Bruce D. Bergstrom—
Bruce D. Bergstrom died
on Feb. 10, 2023, at his
home in Stanfield at the age
of 69 years. He was born on
May 12, 1953, in Heppner.
At his request there will be
no service.
Please share memories of
Bruce with his family at
burnsmortuaryhermiston.
com. Burns Mortuary of
Hermiston is in charge of
arrangements.
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