Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current, April 12, 2023, Page 6, Image 6

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    SIX - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, April 12, 2023
CREZ III approves five new data centers
-Continued from PAGE ONE
total additional fees paid by
Amazon over the 15 years
would be around $78.2
million.
The big news in these
new agreements may be
Amazon’s agreement to
future bonding. While the
tech giant had previously
not been included in any
bonding, the 2023 agree-
ments include Amazon’s
promise to be included in
any future county bonds.
Under that agreement, Am-
azon will pay an amount
equal to what they would
pay in taxes on any new,
qualifying bond. Qualifying
bonds include voter-ap-
proved general obligation
bonds to finance public
utilities, public education,
fire, public health, park
and recreation facilities and
public safety.
The CREZ III board is
made up of representatives
from the Morrow County
Board of Commissioners,
the Port of Morrow and
the City of Boardman. The
board entered executive
session to discuss the agree-
ments before returning to
open session to make its
decision. Before executive
session, Morrow County
Commissioner Jeff Wen-
holz recused himself from
discussion and voting due
to an ongoing investigation
by the Oregon Government
Ethics Commission, so al-
ternate Mike Gorman was
present to vote in his place.
Other Business
In other business at the
CREZ III meeting, Sweek
informed the board that he
had not yet found new legal
counsel for the board. He
said he had contacted four
law firms as possible legal
counsel, but they had all ei-
ther expressed a conflict or
said they didn’t have time to
represent the CREZ.
Farm Kids 4-H gets dairy tips
Isabel Ogden (right) and Jules Archer get dairy showmanship
tips from Darcy Sexson of Stanfield. -Contributed photo
GAR SWANSON
Patrick Gregg of Corey,
Byler and Rew had orig-
inally been the CREZ III
attorney but had resigned.
Sweek said CREZ II coun-
sel David Blanc was not
interested in the job.
“So we do not have a
legal counsel at this point
and I do not know where
else to go,” said Sweek.
The CREZ III board
directed Sweek to prepare
a request for proposals to
further the search.
The board also dis-
cussed House Bill 3011,
which Sweek said would
involve Business Oregon in
putting together agreements
for CREZ III.
“It’s unclear what the
scope of Business Oregon’s
authority may be in doing
that,” said Sweek.
The bill, if passed,
would also move the ex-
emption period to eight
years with potential of an
additional two years at 50
percent exemption.
“So this is government
legislation being able to in-
tervene as far as enterprise
zones?” clarified board
member and Boardman
Mayor Paul Keefer.
“Yes,” Sweek said,
adding that proponents
of the bill were calling it
“transparency, but that it
did involve the state in local
business.
CREZ III Board Chair
Joe Taylor, who is also Pres-
ident of the Port of Morrow
Commission, asked how far
the bill had gotten. Sweek
replied that it had a hear-
ing in the House Revenue
Committee on April 4, but
no action was taken.
Sweek added that sev-
eral large Western Oregon
counties had testified that
they saw problems with the
bill and that it would need
to be reworked. There was
a possibility, he said, that
the bill wouldn’t survive
this legislative session but
might come back in a future
session.
“They don’t want to
make Oregon appear to
be not business friendly,”
Sweek added, “and that’s
really the only thing we
have to attract businesses,
is the enterprise zone.”
Gorman said he was
concerned because, the way
he read the bill, it would
affect existing agreements
whose exemptions hadn’t
started yet.
“That could be chal-
lenging,” he said, “because
both the enterprise zone
board and/or the business
firm may have negotiated
something different.”
Members and parents in the Morrow County Farm Kids
4-H group listen to Darcy Sexson give a presentation on dairy
showmanship during a recent meeting. Front L-R: Cameron
Proudfoot, Mason and Madison Orem, Isabel and Olivia Og-
den, Riley Archer, Cameron Proudfoot, leader Brandi Orem
and Jules Archer. Back L-R: Leader Eric Orem and parents
Jason Proudfoot and Jarrod Ogden. -Contributed photo
By Jules Archer
It was a cold windy day
on Sunday, April 4, but that
didn’t stop the Farm Kids
4-H group from holding a
meeting and learning about
dairy.
Jules Archer, an eighth
grader at Heppner Jr/Sr.
High, hosted the dairy meet-
ing. This is her fifth year
in the Threemile Canyon
Farms Heifer Program. She
has two heifers—Primrose,
eight months, and Hershey,
11 months. This is also her
second year showing beef
with Farm Kids and her first
year with a breeding project
in FFA.
Club leader Eric Orem
asked Darcy Sexson of
Stanfield to be the guest
speaker. She and her hus-
band were two of the judges
last year at the Morrow
County Fair.
“With the guidance of
Darcy, I even learned some
new things when it comes to
dairy,” said Archer. “Yes we
can always learn something
new, but when it comes to
a project that is just making
its comeback to fair, we
really need to focus on the
simple details so we all do
well in the showing. Dairy
is nothing like beef when
you walk into the ring.
“I heard the sheep barn
used to be fully dedicated
to family milk cows at fair,”
Archer added. “Wouldn’t
that be cool to see again?”
Club members learned
that dairy heifers are easy to
manipulate; members can
get them to set up without
much effort, so they don’t
need show sticks. They also
learned that, while show-
ing, they will be walking
backward, normally be
dressed in all white, and
that the only non-clipped
hair is on the top line and
belly.
“Darcy pointed out lit-
tle things that will help
us all with our livestock
judging to give us that extra
edge when we meet with the
judge and give our reason-
ing,” said Archer.
Members ended the
meeting by discussing
where their next meeting
will be and talking about the
community service projects
they are planning.
“All-in-all I feel it was
a great meeting and I hope
the rest of our group en-
joyed it as much as I did,”
said Archer.