(,*+7+HSSQHU*D]HWWH7LPHV+HSSQHU2UHJRQWednesday, November 22, 2023
November Heppner City Council Meeting Heppner’s new State
Championship Sign
-Continued from PAGE ONE been out of compliance pner Rural Fire Protection dead deer from properties
(ODOT) funding. Doherty
said the most concerning
cutback at the moment was
the possible reduction in
snow plowing. However,
Doherty said the cutbacks
would also affect future
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“So that’s something
that the entire state is going
to face,” he said.
ODOT attributes the
cutbacks to reduction of
funding, largely from fewer
gas taxes as people drive
less or switch to more fu-
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like electric cars or hybrids.
The city manager also
reported that the city’s new
cameras have been installed
and are live. Heppner city
employees have access to
the cameras, but Doherty
said he is working on get-
ting additional users such
as MCSO set up on the
system.
“It’s the user rights, and
it gets a little tricky,” said
Doherty.
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had conducted a walk-
through with ODOT regard-
ing the city’s complaints
on the state ADA-ramp
construction, and many of
them had been or would be
resolved. However, some
issues, such as stamped
concrete replaced by cinder
rock, were out of ODOT’s
hands.
“When it came down
to the fact that there was
a class-action lawsuit, the
lawyers and engineers came
up with a whole list of
things they had to do, that’s
what they had to follow,”
said Doherty.
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the city is waiting for Con-
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Once those are submitted,
the city will submit them to
the state and see what kind
of funding it will receive.
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ects are both waiting on
responses from the Dept.
of Environmental Quality.
Doherty also reported
that the resident who had
with the animal code had
removed the animals. The
Water St. residence with
multiple code violations
had also been cleaned up to
the city’s satisfaction.
Heppner Fire Chief
Steve Rhea reported that the
Heppner Fire Department
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tion from the Insurance
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city’s rating has gone from
5-8 to 4-4Y, which Rhea
said is an improvement.
Rhea suggested the
council meet with the city’s
insurance company to de-
termine what effect that
would have on insurance
rates within the city, but
said he thought the change
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homeowners’ insurance.
It might lower the rate for
commercial properties.
Meanwhile, the 4Y
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age area outside of town,
he said, should trigger a
“huge” decrease in insur-
ance rates there, possibly
even cutting rates in half.
Rhea also reported that
things slowed down in Oc-
tober thanks to increased
rain. The Heppner Fire
Department had 177 calls
total with 22 chief calls, re-
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secured the landing zone
three times, and respond-
ed to one motor vehicle
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the city.
The fire department
also conducted controlled
burns around the city and
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senior high students, as
well as working with Kev-
in Payne of the Morrow
County Natural Resources
Conservation Service on a
Small Woodlands Grant for
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Ranch, Cutsforth Park, and
Penland Lake.
The department is still
awaiting a new tactical
tender from the Oregon
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as well as the long-delayed
Type 3 engine for the Hep-
District.
MCSO Lt. Nathen
Braun reported 277 patrol
deputy hours for a total of
392 MCSO hours in Hep-
pner for October. Dog calls
were down, he said, but
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seven citations issued. Total
number of incidents in the
city were 212.
The council also dis-
cussed drivers not stop-
ping when turning right
from May St. to Main St.
because they are used to
having a free right turn.
John Doherty said the free
right at the intersection will
be put back in place, but it
is not posted that way right
now, and there is no indica-
tion of when the contractor
will replace the signs.
Heppner Public Works
Director Chad Doherty
reported that he had sent
letters to residents with
the results of the lead and
copper testing. Doherty said
the city had one line that
was high lead, but the water
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so it wasn’t an immediate
concern.
The public works di-
rector also reported that
city crews removed two
in town.
Councilor JoAnna
Lamb also pointed out that
the sign for Willow Creek
was in the creek. Doherty
said he would get some-
one down to the creek to
remove it.
Barb Orwick reported
that the Neighborhood Cen-
ter gave out 83 food boxes
in October, serving 186
people. They also gave out
15 food boxes to isolated
individuals. The annual
food drive collected about
1,400 pounds of food from
South Morrow.
She also reported that
the Neighborhood Center’s
annual giving tree will go
up the day after Thanksgiv-
ing. The children’s shop-
ping day will take place
Dec. 10 at St. Patrick’s
Senior Center.
While the Neighbor-
hood Center still takes food
donations, Orwick said they
are still not taking dona-
tions for the thrift store due
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The next meeting of the
Heppner City Council will
take place Monday, Dec.
11, at 7 p.m. at Heppner
City Hall.
Lunch
& Dinner
Menu
Heppner’s new Mustang State Champion sign.
- Photo by Cindi Doherty
The Heppner chamber of commerce along with the
Howard & Beth Bryant Foundation and Heppner Jr Sr
High sponsored a new State Championship sign that
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sponsoring two more signs to be put up on Hwy 74 &
206. The Heppner Chamber of Commerce gave thanks
to Allred Landworx for the professional installation and
Steve and Mindy Wilson for allowing a sign to be installed
on their property later this year.
Broker
Chris Sykes
541-215-2274
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Tuesday - night 6-9pm $2 hard shell tacos
Wednesday Spaghetti and meatballs with
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Live Music Dec. 16th featuring Sunny Led-
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375 W Union Ave, Heppner
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MLS#: 23224220
177 N. Main
P.O. Box 337
Heppner, OR 97836
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