Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (June 4, 2025)
Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, June 4, 2025 -- NINE Circuit court plans Morrow County receives clean audit last fiscal year move forward -Continued from PAGE ONE public safety, which togeth- place Wednesday, June -Continued from PAGE ONE The additional meet- ings will push back the schedule a little, but the final report should still be ready for review and adop- tion by the BOC by the end of August or beginning of September. “I think that’s a good call,” said Morrow County Commissioner Gus Pe- terson. “Definitely push it back and get more feed- back.” The county has also been sending out surveys to residents to gather opinions. Jensen said that, while he hadn’t attended any of the meetings fully, the re- sults he heard were a little surprising. “The general consen- sus was, we need a lot of healing. We need a lot of emphasis on unity,” he said. “And a lot of feedback that they appreciated the county for taking these steps.” “Overall, the feedback was that is was great that we were getting together and talking about these things,” he added. “I’ve heard positive things about this,” agreed BOC Chair David Sykes. I’m glad you’re doing this.” In other business at the meeting, the board ap- proved the appointment of Teiko Villegas of Boardman to the Transit Advisory Committee. Villegas is not replacing an existing mem- ber but is filling one of several empty seats on the committee. The BOC also denied a travel request for Morrow County Planning Director Tamra Mabbott to attend a wastewater symbiosis study tour in Denmark. Mabbot received an unsolicited invitation to attend the event later this month and proposed that it was justified because of the county’s regulatory role for industrial waste- water treatment and the current impacts of nitrates in northern Morrow County groundwater. “This is a very impact- ful training that several members of the Port staff as well as several of the industries up there have par- taken of,” said Jensen when presenting the request. “It directly ties into the impact of nitrates in our ground- water in northern Morrow County.” The hosting organiza- tion offered a scholarship to help cover half the cost of the training, but the re- maining cost would still have been about $5,000. Jensen said he didn’t see the training as setting a precedent for future trips but did feel it was important for the county. “We are a regulator. We need to have an understand- ing of what’s going on and the changes in this,” said Jensen. “Having the county staff have an understanding of what’s going on is an im- portant factor to consider.” Peterson said he had heard multiple people speak of the event and knew the Port was looking at it for models and ideas. “If we have somebody who’s also familiar with that at a county level, I think that would be of immense value,” he said. Peterson moved to ap- prove the trip, but the mo- tion died without a second or further discussion. Strategic plan workshop next week YOUR AD COULD BE HERE! The meetings are a chance for the public to engage in the creation of the county’s new strategic plan. Call or text questions to 801-388-4667. Sup er ch The Morrow County Commissioners will hold a public workshop in Hep- pner next Wednesday, June 11, to receive public input regarding the county’s stra- tegic plan. The workshop will take place at 5:30 p.m. at the Willow Street Innova- tion Hub, 188 West Willow St., Heppner. A North Morrow work- shop will take place June 10 at 5:30 p.m. at the Port of Morrow Riverfront Center, 2 Marine Drive, Boardman. “I consider these small, very technical errors, noth- ing that indicates any kind of a weakness or a break- down in your systems,” he said. Bingenheimer also re- ported no deficiencies in the county’s internal controls. Senior manager Kathy Wilson, also from Singer- Lewak, provided additional insight into the county’s financial standing. “The county is in a pretty good position,” she said. Morrow County’s unre- stricted net position stood at $22 million, and the county held $76 million in net capital assets, reflecting an increase of about $7 mil- lion. The increase includes investments in road and airport construction and large equipment purchases. Wilson noted that long- term liabilities such as net pension liability rose by about $1 million, but as- sured the board it was not alarming. “This measures as if the county is going to pay all of this today. It’s a really big number but it’s nothing to be ultra concerned about,” she said. The county’s total net position increased by $15,552,917, or 15.41 per- cent, largely due to govern- mental operations. As of June 30, 2024, the net po- sition totaled $116,449,236. Most of this is tied up in capital assets, which are used to provide services to citizens and are not avail- able for future spending. Governmental fund balances also saw signif- icant growth. The gen- eral fund increased by $1,658,083, the road fund by $1,726,290, the capi- tal improvement fund by $9,758,902, and nonmajor governmental funds com- bined for an increase of $3,864,575. Revenues came primar- ily from property taxes (29 percent), strategic invest- ment program payments (22 percent), operating grants and contributions (20 percent), and charges for services (15 percent). Major expenses were for general government and er accounted for 62 percent of total expenses. The full audit report is available on the Morrow County website. Also at the meeting, BOC set a public hearing date for the possible annex- ation of land into the Board- man Fire Rescue District. On May 15, the Colum- bia Development Authority (CDA) submitted a request to have parts of its Morrow County property added to the Boardman Fire Rescue District (BFRD). The fire district has already agreed to the request and continues to support the move. Now that the petition has been officially received, Morrow County is required by state law to hold a public hearing on the proposal. If approved, the land will be officially added to the fire district, meaning it will receive emergency services from BFRD. While the request might seem straightforward, on- going disputes between BRFD and Irrigon Rural Fire Protection District (IRFPD) have resulted in the Irrigon fire district filing a court injunction to halt the annexation. Defendants in the injunction are Morrow County, Port of Morrow, BFRD and the CDA. IRFPD is disputing the annexation of the proper- ty into the BFRD on the grounds that the property should be annexed into its own district under a sepa- rate ORS. H o w e v e r, M o r r o w County Administrator Matthew Jensen said the county had received what appeared to be a fully legal annexation request and that Oregon Revised Statutes requires a public hearing for such a request. “Acknowledging the fact that there might be a legal challenge based on a separate ORS,” he said, “I believe that we are required legally to set that public hearing.” The purpose of the hearing will be for public comment. The BOC will not make a determination at the hearing. The hearing will take 11, at 9 a.m. at the Irrigon Government Center, 215 NE Main Ave, Irrigon. The board of commis- sioners also rescinded a previous decision regard- ing funding for the Lower Willow Creek Ground- water Recharge Project (LWCGRP) and agreed to funding in the amount of $20,000. The funding is for a feasibility study on the groundwater recharge project. On September 4, 2024, the Morrow County Board of Commissioners ap- proved $20,000 in funding for the (LWCGRP), with the condition that affected landowners contribute an additional $19,000. However, when the invoice was submitted, it showed that the Port of Morrow—not local land- owners—had provided the remaining funds. As a result, the payment was denied for not meeting the original condition. LWCGRP returned to the board last month and asked the commissioners to reconsider that require- ment. They argue that cur- rent market challenges have placed smaller farmers— the intended landowner contributors—at a disad- vantage. To stay on track with other funding deadlines, the group requested that the board rescind the previous motion and approve the $20,000 in county funding without requiring matching funds from landowners at this stage. Morrow County Com- missioner Jeff Wenholz balked, saying he saw the funds as benefiting individ- ual businesses and that he thought landowners should have some “skin in the game” in order to receive the funding. “I have a hard time justifying to the other citi- zens of the county why they are subsidizing someone’s business,” said Wenholz. Morrow County Com- missioner Gus Peterson countered that it was an opportunity to affect how farming was done in that area, which could, in turn, affect taxes. “This is a huge poten- tial in terms of how this could change what could be done around Willow Creek,” he said. “This could be, if it plays out right, a big win for everybody in- volved.” The board voted 2-1 to rescind the previous mo- tion and approve $20,000 in funding, with Wenholz dissenting. In other business, the board heard from Justice of the Peace Glen Diehl that the Justice Court continues to see an increase in traffic and criminal cases. He said he thought the increase was a combination of a greater law enforcement presence and an increase in both population in the county and people passing through. He also noted that Mor- row County Circuit Court, in particular, is getting bus- ier, which causes conflicts with the space shared by the two courts and the Morrow County District Attorney. “I had to cancel court and had people showing up who were cited to appear who could not appear,” he said, adding a plug to “hurry up and get our new building.” He also reported that court clerk Robin Jones will be retiring in Septem- ber. He hopes to get a new clerk hired by July so they can train with Jones before she leaves. The BOC also ap- proved changes to contract terms with Dr. Emily Jack. She had previously con- tracted with the county as a public health official but been a contracted employee who provides family plan- ning services. To simplify the arrangement and avoid IRS, BOLI, and insurance complications, the county has placed both positions under an hourly employee contract. Under the new agreement, Dr. Jack would be paid $150 per hour with timecards tracking her work by position, replacing the current monthly stipend. WWW.HEPPNER.NET Submit News, Advertising & Announcements Letters To The Editor Send Us Photos Start A New Subscription connection r u yo e rks g o r w t e a ain N t n u o lue M B h t i w F d ee p S - igh H t e n r e t n I iber Act today and get a SPECIAL OFFER Call 541-676- for New Residential Fiber Customers 9228 Or Email graphics @rapidserve.net We also offer design and printing ser vices Heppner Gazette-Times Sykes Printing Dear Future BMN Customer, Imagine downloading, streaming and surfing the web at speeds that only fiber internet can provide. As a welcome to the Blue Mountain Networks fiber network, we’re thrilled to announce a special offer to new customers getting fiber internet for their home! Don’t miss out. Call or email now and let us show you the future of amazing internet connectivity! Call us at 541-370-3093 or visit us online at bluemountainnet.com/sales today to claim this limited time offer! Why Choose BMN? - Locally Owned & Operated - Ultra-fast speeds to stream movies and browse - The most reliable Internet connection around - A special, limited-time offer! Your Fast & Reliable Internet Awaits! (541) 370-3091 bluemountainnet.com/sales bmnsales@bluemountainnet.com Offer valid for new residential fiber customers only, not valid for Commercial or Business customers or BMN existing customers. Terms and conditions apply. View full BMN Terms & Conditions of Service online at https://bluemountainnet.com/terms-conditions-of-service. Only valid in select markets.Services are subject to availability, please contact Blue Mountain Networks for details. Offer applies to first-time residential customers only. Former Blue Mountain Networks accounts previously not in good standing or who have disconnected service in the past 60 days are not eligible. Equipment rental is not included in the standard monthly fee and will be billed at an additional monthly rate. Taxes, surcharges and fees not included. Equipment must be returned to Blue Mountain upon service termination, otherwise Unreturned Equipment Fees will apply. Actual Internet speeds based on a wired connection. Offer expires 08/31/2024. Other restrictions may apply.
