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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 7, 2024)
200 attend a successful Town and Country Awards in Heppner 50¢ VOL. 144 NO. 6 8 Pages Wednesday, February 7, 2024 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Wrapping up the commissioner recall meetings By Chris Sykes Another contentious recall meeting was held in Irrigon, this time with the presence of County Com- missioner Roy Drago and Lisa Pratt, Board Chair of Boardman Fire, who were new faces at the meeting. The ASA plan and transparency 6WXDUW 'LFN PDGH WKH ¿UVW VWDWHPHQW H[SUHVVLQJ Citizens for Morrow Coun- ty Liberty and Justice want a resolution rather than a recall. He proceeded to outline numerous concerns that his group has with the county commissioners. One issue he brought up was the GHYHORSPHQWRIDQHZ$6$ plan, which, according to him, lacked clear justifi- cation. 6WXDUW HPSKDVL]HG that the lack of commu- nication and transparency from the commissioners was deeply concerning. He criticized their failure to involve the Morrow County Health District in the deci- sion-making process, which he believed was an essential stakeholder in such matters. The commissioners’ disre- gard for honesty and ad- herence to established rules was seen as problematic by 6WXDUWDQGKLVJURXS &RPPLVVLRQHU 6\NHV was the first to speak on behalf of the county. He PHQWLRQHG WKH QHZ $6$ plan and emphasized that ZKHQZHWRRNR൶FHD\HDU ago, this issue was on his GHVN 6\NHV VDLG VLQFH this matter was in dispute, he sought the guidance of their county council who advised them that the issue ZDVTXLWHFRPSOH[DQGVXJ- JHVWHGVHHNLQJWKHH[SHUWLVH of an attorney. The attorney said that it was indeed the county’s responsibility to HVWDEOLVKWKH$6$DQGWKDW was the course of action KH DGKHUHG WR 6\NHV VDLG he believed it would be neglectful towards the res- idents of Morrow County if the commissioners were to disregard the legal advice given to them and there are no ulterior motives, I don’t have any, and no conspira- cies are going on. He then reiterated his statements from prior meet- ings and talked about the $6$ H[SODLQLQJ WKDW WKH\ are currently in the process of having their proposal reviewed by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA). Once approved, they will proceed with selecting a healthcare provider for the GLVWULFW 6\NHV H[SUHVVHG disappointment over the health district’s decision to discontinue their am- bulance service before the John Murray MCHD Commisssioner Roy Drago issue could be fully re- solved. Despite the coun- ty’s request to continue the service in the interim, the health district chose not to comply. Regarding transparen- F\ 6\NHV VWDWHV WKDW WKH\ held four public hearings to gather input, even though WKHUH ZDV QR R൶FLDO SODQ in place at the time. He assures the public that a plan will be presented, and they will hold five more public hearings in each city, as necessary. The current plan can be found on their website, but it is not yet ¿QDOL]HGRUDSSURYHGE\WKH 2+$ ZKLFK KDV WKH ¿QDO authority in such matters. John Murray, repre- senting the Morrow County +HDOWK'LVWULFWZDVXSQH[W He stated that the district has been operating ambu- lance services for 30 years without any intervention or assistance from the county court. They have achieved this while maintaining one of the lowest healthcare WD[LQJ UDWHV LQ HDVWHUQ 2U- egon. 61 cents per 1,000 permanent rate and 99 cents per 1,000 rate with supple- mental levy. Murray announced that after the recent Health Dis- trict board meeting held last Monday, they have VHQWDQ$6$FRQWUDFWWRWKH commissioners. He said the contract is intended to facilitate the signing of an agreement that would provide coverage for the entire county and guarantee uninterrupted service. Murray compares the WD[ UDWHV RI RWKHU KHDOWK districts in eastern Oregon, highlighting that Morrow County’s rates are consider- ably lower. He emphasizes that the health district has diligently and efficiently managed its funds, even utilizing critical access Medicare dollars from the 0HPRULDO +RVSLWDO WR R൵- VHWH[SHQVHVWRWKHFRXQW\ However, Murray raises concerns that the health district’s funding may be jeopardized if the Board of Commissioners develops D $6$ ZKLFK JRHV against federal rules that provide for these federal dollars or they will drasti- FDOO\ DOWHU WKH WD[ UDWHV RI the health district. Murray concluded by emphasizing that the ulti- mate decision-makers for the county’s healthcare fu- ture are the Board of Com- missioners, not the health district’s board of directors. The responsibility falls on the commissioners to make informed choices that will sustain the rural healthcare system and consider the long-term impact on the community. Morrow Commission- er Drago approached the microphone and said, ac- cording to their records, the last time OHA (Oregon Health Authority) approved DQ$6$ ZDV LQ +H FODUL¿HG WKDW WKLV LQIRUPD- tion was not his statement, but the official stance of OHA. Drago read a letter from OHA to the county commissioners stating that they had not received an up- dated plan and he claimed that letter was sent to the county in 2021. Commissioner Drago said he was not directly accusing anyone but high- lighted that the commis- sioners had inherited this issue and are actively work- ing towards resolving it. Murray returned with a rebuttal, stating that he can obtain copies from OHA RIWKH$6$VWKDWKDYHEHHQ ¿OHG HYHU\ ¿YH \HDUV +H emphasized that it is the responsibility of the county WRSURYLGHWKH$6$VWRWKH OHA. 0XUUD\DOVRH[SUHVVHG his desire to hire a lawyer who would provide him with answers that align with his preferences. He pro- SRVHG JDWKHULQJ ¿YH ODZ- yers in a room to determine whether they could reach a consensus or at least arrive at a similar opinion about WKH$6$ DQG WKH FRXQW\ Additionally, Murray men- tioned that other healthcare lawyers in the state may not necessarily agree with the views of the county’s lawyer. He also had concerns about the County Adminis- trator, Matt Jensen, and his contingency plan to secure interim ambulances in case an agreement couldn’t be reached. Murray questioned how the selection process Morrow County issues a statement on the Health Districts ASA contract Morrow County - Jan- uary 31, 2024, Morrow County Health District (MCHD) submitted a con- tract on January 30, 2024, to continue ambulance ser- vice for the County past their 90-day notice to termi- nate service on March 12, 2024. The contract received is a long-term contract that was self-serving, unlawful, could not be terminated for 5 years, and was not in the best interest of the residents of Morrow County. There was no discussion regard- ing MCHD paying for legal counsel to draft the contract, as that was MCHD’s choice DQGR൵HUDQGWKHFRQWUDFW received was a surprise and a disappointment. While the contract is described as an effort to continue service leaving no area of the County out, it is better described as an effort to interfere with the County’s legal obligation to imple- ment a new Ordinance and $6$3ODQLJQRUHV2UHJRQ law, and uses what MCHD apparently perceives to be an advantage it created by giving its 90-day termina- WLRQQRWLFH6SHFL¿FPDMRU items include the following: • MCHD is attempting to strongarm the Coun- W\ LQWR DQ H[FOXVLYH DQG non-terminable agreement for ambulance services, and for control over ambu- lance services within the County. This is contrary WR 256 D which requires the County to “consider any and all -Continued to PAGE FIVE was conducted. He again mentioned that MCHD had sent a contract to Mor- row County, indicating that MCHD’s proposal was likely to be shelved. This would create a gap in service, and the contract signing deadline. During this time, the county would be searching for another provider and initiating the process in mid-February. Murray raised concerns about the committee mem- bers responsible for select- ing the service provider during the interim period, DV WKH$6$ KDG QRW EHHQ assigned yet. He was con- cerned about who would be chosen to provide services and the implications it may have. Murray confirmed that there had been no pub- lic meeting regarding this matter to his knowledge. He pointed out that deci- sions like these were often made behind closed doors, making it challenging to trust the information being conveyed and the discrep- ancy between public state- ments and actual actions was a recurring problem that needed to be addressed. 6\NHV UHVSRQGHG E\ saying that this is still a work in progress, and ev- eryone is guessing what is in and is not in the new $6$ SODQ DQG LW KDV QRW been approved yet. When it is rolled out, everyone will be able to look at it. He reiterated that the Morrow County Health District set the drop-dead date for ambulance service, and the county wanted to keep working with the MCHD XQGHUWKHFXUUHQW$6$XQ- WLO D QHZ$6$ FRXOG JHW ZRUNHGRXW6\NHVVDLGWKH county did not kick them out. Jody Ferguson spoke and said that there is no way Morrow County is ready to replace the service by March. MCHD voted on Monday on a contract, they sent it to the county on Tuesday morning and she said she had not heard whether they have said anything about it or not. 6KH VDLG UHVLGHQWV of Morrow County deserve to have equal ambulance service that they have had LQWKHSDVW6KHVDLGVKHGLG not personally care how much the contract cost but VDLG WR VLJQ LW 6KH VDLG we would not be in this position if this would have been handled in good faith IURP WKH EHJLQQLQJ 6KH said she would agree that most people in the county would agree with her and said again to sign the con- tract. “You three commis- (L-R) Cameron Proudfoot, Janet Wilson, Tim Dickeson, Beth Dickenson, Molly Rhea, Faviola Juarez, and Jackie Juarez Emmel. -Photo by D2 Photography By Chris Sykes On Thursday, February 1st, the Heppner Cham- ber of Commerce held its annual Town and Country event to honor residents and business owners who consistently went above and beyond to help the com- munity. The atmosphere was fun, and the Gilliam %LVEHH EXLOGLQJ ZDV ¿OOHG with around 200 people in attendance. Tears of hap- piness were shed as the deserving recipients took to the stage to receive their well-deserved awards. Families came from GL൵HUHQW SDUWV RI WKH 86 to witness their loved ones being recognized for their outstanding contributions. Beth Dickenson’s family joined the event virtually from Iowa, connecting via video conference to con- gratulate Beth and Tim. After a thorough run- down of remarkable ac- complishments for lifetime achievement, presenter Jer- ry Conklin was abruptly interrupted by Molly Rhea, the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement award. Fed up with waiting, Molly FRQ¿GHQWO\WRRNWKHVWDJH snatched the microphone, delivered a funny speech, and thanked everyone. During the entire event, the crowd consistently stood up, applauding and cheering for the well-de- serving award winners. The drinks were served by Bucknums, while Alvin Lou from Happy Pappy took charge of preparing -Continued to PAGE THREE Rep. Smith appointed to ACSR joint committee Representative Greg Smith speaking at the senior center in Heppner, Or - Contributed Photo O n F e b r u a r y 2 nd , 6SHDNHU 5D\¿HOG DSSRLQW- ed Representative Greg 6PLWK 5+HSSQHU WRVHUYH on the Joint Committee on Addiction and Community 6DIHW\5HVSRQVH7KLVFRP- mittee will have the task of reviewing Measure 110 and proposing solutions to the public safety and behavior- DOKHDOWKFULVHVWKH6WDWHRI Oregon is facing. very serious issues. My approach will be one of justice and mercy,” said 5HSUHVHQWDWLYH 6PLWK LQ D press release, “Oregon must hold people accountable for the crimes they have com- PLWWHG EXW WKH 6WDWH PXVW also ensure that people in crisis have adequate access WRUHVRXUFHV6WULNLQJDEDO- ance between criminal ac- countably and the need for “This is going to be behavioral health resources a very challenging com- will be key to this commit- mittee, as we are tackling tee’s success”. Mustang sports this week 7KLV ZHHN LV 6HQLRU Night for basketball. The games are on Feb. 8th DJDLQVW6WDQ¿HOG-9*LUOV VWDUW DW -9 %R\V DUH DW 9DUVLW\ JLUOV DUH DW DQG 9DUVLW\ %R\V DUH DW 7:30. The theme is blue, -Continued to PAGE EIGHT and gold so please wear blue and gold to support your teams. There is also district wrestling on Friday Feb. 9th in Echo. It con- WLQXHVLQWR6DWXUGD\ZKHUH WKH ¿QDOV ZLOO WDNH SODFH We encourage you to sup- port our Heppner wrestling team. CALL 541-989-8221 ext 204 for more information
