(,*+7+HSSQHU*D]HWWH7LPHV+HSSQHU2UHJRQWednesday, February 7, 2024
Recall meeting wrap up in Irrigon
-Continued from PAGE ONE questioned why the county down to it, it is the County ing regarding the nitrates wanted to see the contracts
ed by claiming that there
sioners are here to serve the
people and we deserve the
same ambulance service we
have had. I encourage you
to think about the people
you serve, slow down your
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plan, possibly add multiple
providers and do it right the
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clear that you want there to
be or you are being pres-
sured to have multiple pro-
viders, whatever, we don’t
care, we are talking about
right now, this moment, we
need you to do what’s best
for over 12,000 residents,
not the few who want to
block MCHD. You claim to
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Amazon. Get around the
table with the health dis-
trict, negotiate the details,
and sign the contract. Let
Morrow County residents
have less to worry about.”
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Dick said that there is not
enough dialogue at the
commissioner meeting and
wanted it to be like the pre-
vious commissioner meet-
ing where he said they let
people talk back and forth
with commissioners during
the meetings.
New Circuit Court
Building Site
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on the committee that estab-
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rodeo grounds. He asked if
parking had been secured
for the new building.
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the process was all in open
and documented in the min-
utes. He said it began when
Circuit Court Judge Hill
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that the current courthouse
is unacceptable. He said
Judge Hill highlighted the
lack of security and insuf-
ficient room space, em-
phasizing that this concern
had been raised for quite
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researched the problems
with the old courthouse and
began working towards se-
curing a new location since
Judge Hill had suggested an
alternative by removing the
circuit court from Heppner
and combining it with the
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obtained funding for half
of the project. Additionally,
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the City of Heppner and
asked for potential sites,
resulting in the provision of
nine options. After an open
meeting, they collectively
selected four sites and vot-
ed to hire an architectural
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to discuss one of the private
properties, as they wanted
to keep this information
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use of county funds.
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the project manager is cur-
rently working on develop-
ing the plans for the build-
ing. However, he acknowl-
edged that the number of
parking spots required for
the facility has not yet been
determined. To gather this
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a member of the Planning
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al pictures of the site during
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afternoon. These images
will enable architects and
planners to accurately count
the available parking spaces
and assess any potential
shortfall.
Wages
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changed his mind about
salaries and said he has
seen how hard the commis-
sioners have worked and
he knows how hard he has
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on that one. He does want
to see the commissioners
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can meet with them. He also
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administrators.
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Mellissa on Zoom
posed a question regarding
whether the commissioners
admitted to dividing the
service between Boardman
Fire and Morrow County
Health District.
Commissioner Drago
responded by stating that
he was unaware of the accu-
sation’s origin and insisted
that they had not selected
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the county. He emphasized
that they have no prede-
termined notions about
who will be chosen for the
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tablished, anyone interested
can apply for it. Drago said
Morrow County Health
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stating that if they don’t
receive the entire service
area, they don’t want any
part of it and said he found
this confusing seeing that
having more ambulances
in the service area would
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Drago announced that
there will be five open
town hall meetings. During
these meetings, attendees
will have the opportunity
to ask questions, and the
commissioner and his team
will do their best to pro-
vide answers and engage
in discussion. Drago also
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Administrator Matt Jensen
was not present at the meet-
ing this time due to a threat
of a lawsuit that prevented
him from attending.
Murray took to the mic
again and asked how is
Irrigon’s Fire supposed
to grow when Boardman
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Columbia Development
Authority (CDA) and all
the growth in the CDA,
doesn’t the 4 billion dollars
from the Port of Morrow
cover most of the costs?
Boardman Fire wants the
CDA because it is an area
where more development
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is the CDA rep from the
county, Murray asked the
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Wenholz) When did his
committee vote to send
out a Request for Proposal
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services in that area? I un-
derstand this is a CDA-re-
lated question and you may
not have all the details,
but your representative
should know. Where is the
legal RFP for services in
the CDA? And why does
Boardman Fire believe
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bulance services and take
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these kinds of questions
raise concerns about the
lack of transparency in the
decision-making process.
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Murray and said the CDA
and the county commis-
sioners are two separate
entities. We do not have
control over the CDA, and
they do not control us. They
hold their own meetings
and have their own boards.
These are two distinct en-
tities.
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garding the issue of the
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the service district to cover
the CDA, it is ultimately
the County Commission’s
responsibility to decide. I
asked Administrator Jensen
about it, and he said that the
commissioners will address
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resolved. Murray said the
power and responsibility lie
with the County Commis-
sion in making decisions
like these.
Murray continued, ac-
knowledging that these
matters often happen
behind the scenes. The
County Commission holds
substantial power and re-
sponsibility. I have learned
to appreciate the position
they are in a lot of the time.
However, when it comes
Commission that has the
authority.
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why this issue hasn’t been
discussed openly is be-
cause we have not reached
that point yet. It will come
before the County Com-
mission for discussion and
consideration. We will
bring it to the agenda when
it is ready and have all
the necessary information.
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vide answers and make
decisions before thoroughly
discussing and considering
the matter. Demanding im-
mediate answers without
having all the facts in front
of us is not a reasonable
approach. We need to have
a clear understanding of
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proper discussions before
making any decisions. The
CDA has not even been
discussed yet, so it is not
fair to demand an answer
at this stage.
Teresa (Tess) Rehak,
a Morrow County resi-
dent stepped forward to
address a question that had
been raised by a previous
speaker regarding who had
authorized the county to
seek temporary ambulance
services in the interim if
the county does discontinue
ambulance service. Tess
asserted that the state had
provided authorization for
this action, and she em-
phasized that the Health
District was well aware of
this fact as it was clearly
stated in the Oregon Re-
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the misinformation that was
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that nobody had mentioned
the county purchasing am-
bulances, in response to a
statement made by Coun-
ty Administrator Jensen
claiming to have secured
ambulances. According
to Tess, Jensen had fol-
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a suitable alternative and
securing the ambulances.
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this action was necessary
because the health district
had decided to terminate
ambulance services after
the levy - which had been
proposed and passed to en-
sure ambulance availability
- was approved by voters.
Amazon tax abatement
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to inform the crowd that
we can secure better deals
from Amazon. The Morrow
County Commissioner re-
cently approved a package
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additional Amazon data
centers in eastern Oregon
However, he was concerned
about the limited employ-
ment opportunities they
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increase in power consump-
tion, equivalent to powering
200,000 homes. The main
reason Amazon is coming
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Dick said the com-
missioners have limited
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such deals compared to
Amazon, one of the biggest
companies in the world. He
claimed other counties, like
Wasco, have reduced prop-
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their agreements with Ama-
zon and Google. In contrast,
we are granting Amazon
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which raises questions
about where this money
ultimately goes and leads to
disputes in the county.
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abatement for Amazon un-
til our county develops
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courage, and integrity to
negotiate better deals. We
should not forget that Am-
azon needs us more than
we need them, as they rely
on our electricity and infra-
structure.
Nitrates
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pressing his frustration that
none of the commissioners
attended their group meet-
in the groundwater. How-
ever, he acknowledged that
Commissioner Drago and
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previous meetings but have
now discontinued their par-
ticipation.
Akers said nitrate pol-
lution is his passion area
and doesn’t care about the
courthouse and all the other
“bullsh*t” that goes along
with it. He commended
what John Murray and Kel-
ly Doherty have been doing
at the Port.
There is an urgent and
pressing issue at hand re-
garding nitrogen pollution
that must be addressed. Ak-
ers stressed the importance
of receiving support from
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tively tackle this problem.
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appointment in hearing
about the supposed “great
things” the commissioners
have done, as they have had
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the state and the continuous
dumping practices have
failed the community. He
stated that this dumping is
nothing short of reckless
and harmful. It serves no
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leads to the contamination
of our soil and, consequent-
ly, our wells. Akers de-
clared that we can no longer
ignore this issue and must
take action at every level.
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Akers by saying, “It’s in-
teresting. These two gen-
tlemen want me recalled,”
as he pointed at Akers and
Dick. “They held a meet-
ing to generate support
for a recall, and now he’s
blaming the nitrate issue on
the County Commission-
ers. Man Roy, (referring
to the other county com-
missioner in the audience)
we must be so powerful if
we can supposedly pollute
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gestured towards Akers and
continued, “He sits there
and asks us to list all the
great things we’ve done.
Well, I can tell you what
we’ve accomplished. We
have provided fresh water. I
even instructed departments
to come up with a list of our
contributions. We dedicated
5,000 man-hours and over
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to address the issue. We
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federal grant. The problem
is, when I took office, I
realized the severity of the
nitrate issue. The county
didn’t cause it, but I made
it a priority to identify and
solve the problem.”
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lems encompass various
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out of the total 4,700 wells,
20% are located in Morrow
County, while the remain-
ing wells are situated in
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to tackle these challenges
head-on, the federal gov-
ernment, in conjunction
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Wyden, has allocated fund-
ing of 1.7 million dollars to
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Tamara Mabbit, the planner
who is working towards
resolving the issues. Fur-
thermore, there are plans
to enlist the services of a
reputable water company to
conduct a thorough assess-
ment of the situation and
provide a comprehensive
overview of the problem.
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Wyden and Merkley came,
I’d say, okay, are you going
to do the lifting on this? Are
you guys going to be with
us? Each time they always
said, we’re going to be with
Morrow County.
Akers again came to the
mic and claimed that the
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by former County Com-
missioner Mellisa Lindsay
and County Planner Tamra
Mabbott. Akers claimed
that the three current county
commissioners could stop
it and stop it tomorrow and
with the Port of Morrow.
John Murray, who
was elected to the Port of
Morrow Board last year,
addressed the issue of wa-
ter disposal and the Port’s
responsibility. In his opin-
ion, the Port has not done
enough in the last ten years
to address this issue. Mur-
ray believes that the coun-
ty should assist citizens
until a resolution is found.
The Port acknowledges the
problem and has been work-
ing in collaboration with the
DEQ and EPA to develop a
plan for better water treat-
ment. To fund this proj-
ect, the Port has borrowed
hundreds of millions of
dollars. Murray posed the
question of whether they
should shut down the Port
and cease water operations
but answered it himself by
saying that it is not a viable
option. The Port Commis-
sion has chosen to continue
with its plan in partnership
with the DEQ. Murray said
they have outlined a plan
to eliminate nitrates from
wastewater by mid-2025.
However, he emphasized
that this process cannot be
instant and will require the
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ponds and treatment cen-
ters. He understands the
frustration of the commu-
nity but emphasizes that
shutting down businesses
is not a feasible solution.
While efforts have been
made to mitigate the ni-
trates in well water, even
with perfectly clean water,
there may still be residual
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the water is applied to the
soil. Despite the costs in-
volved, Murray stresses that
the Port’s primary concern
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and ensuring the well-being
of the community.
Dick wanted to discuss
the issue further and refer-
enced two individuals, John
Murray and Kelly Doherty,
who are both board mem-
bers of the Port of Morrow.
According to Dick, these
individuals, like the county
commissioners, inherited a
problem. Dick then shifted
his focus to Oregon House
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the budget board and his
oversight of funding for the
DEQ. According to Dick, it
has been documented that
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action had been taken seven
years ago, the issue would
have been resolved by now.
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that the Port seemed uncon-
cerned about the harmful
effects of their actions,
such as “pouring out the
poison” and making deals
with Amazon for their own
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this situation should have
been addressed years ago,
and he vowed to bring forth
evidence to demonstrate
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position to protect the Port.
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annual salary from the Port,
implying a potential con-
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was a significant amount
of corruption and unethical
practices within the politi-
cal realm.
Commissioner Drago,
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GMA board, came up and
listed the contribution to
the water issue from last
year. The water provided
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funding for that comes from
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gon miscellaneous revenue.
Drago asked Akers
what he thought the solu-
tion would be.
Askers said, let’s have
some of these industries
that are putting nitrate in
the groundwater step to
the plate, don’t just leave
it all on the Port. There
are things businesses can
do internally to reduce ni-
trates. Akers said I am not
about shutting down every
industry in Boardman, that
would be a lot of jobs, and
its political suicide. But
we can do things that are
better for the community.
He claimed that the nitrate
numbers in the wells con-
tinue to increase. Akers also
claimed there is a lawsuit
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Drago stated that the
problem of nitrate contam-
ination has been a persistent
issue for quite some time,
long before the Port and
industry in Boardman. As
early as 1954, a well in
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Groundwater Management
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nitrate levels of 57 parts per
million. (According to the
Environmental Protection
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imum contaminant level
for nitrates is 10 parts per
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problems, and all public
water supplies must adhere
to these regulations. It’s not
a new issue and it’s been
here forever. Drago again
asked what to do and said
he didn’t know what the
right solution is and there
isn’t one right solution.
There are lots of things that
need to be done. We are
working at it, and we want
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make any business do any-
thing, the DEQ is in charge
of that, and issues permits.
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and will take time.
There was a vote taken
at the end of the meeting
to recall the commissioner
and it went 8 votes No and
6 yes.
There were additional
speakers and members of
the community who at-
tended the recall meeting,
and further information is
available from the event.
The entire meeting was
recorded on video. The
final meeting took place
on Tuesday, February 6th
in Boardman. If any new
or important updates arise,
the Heppner Gazette will
provide coverage of it.
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