A2 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015
LOCAL WEATHER
Pet of the week
Today's Weather
Hi, my name is Buddy. I am a male
Australian-mix available for adoption at
the Humane Society of Eastern Oregon Pet
Rescue in Hermiston.
I was a Hermiston stray, and I need a
new home. I’ve already had my shots, and
I am good with children and other dogs. I
about 1 to 2 years old and can be adopted
for $125. I come with a free vet check and
a three-day return policy. If I am neutered
within 60 days of adoption, my owner will
receive a $50 refund.
If you are interested in welcoming
Buddy to your family, please stop by the
humane society at 1844 N.W. Geer Road,
Hermiston, or call 541-564-6222.
Local 5-Day Forecast
Sat
Sun
3/7
66/34
67/37
The Hermiston Eagles Lodge will host
a corned beef and cabbage dinner as a
fundraiser for a muscular dystrophy char-
ity from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. March 14 at the
lodge, 160 N.W. Second St., Hermiston.
The event costs $7 and will also feature a
silent auction, cake walk and dance. For
more information, call 541-567-2909.
FEES:
continued from page A1
to Amazon but a recognition
that there are other places
they can go ... This is taking
a close look at our compet-
itive situation for those data
centers.”
Finance Director Melissa
Ince said, at the 3.5 percent
rate, UEC is estimated to
contribute about $420,000 in
fees next year. Future growth
would cause UEC to reach the
cap and limit the city’s reve-
nue, Ward said, but the growth
may not occur without it.
Ward said the increased
property tax revenue collected
by the city from new develop-
ments would also offset the
reduction in franchise fees. Al-
though the Amazon facilities
are not currently paying prop-
erty taxes during the tempo-
rary abatement period granted
within the city enterprise zone,
Ward said the city will begin
receiving property tax revenue
next year.
“I understand that this puts
us in sort of a delicate situa-
tion,” he said. “We are lim-
RATES:
continued from page A1
Rivera said HES also incurs
costs to maintain transmis-
sion lines and could reduce
long-term expenditures by
proactively planning and
addressing problem areas.
HES last adjusted its
rates in 2003, Rivera said,
and the bill for the city
utility, which serves 5,229
customers or 63 percent
of Hermiston, would still
71/39
69/45
Mostly cloudy. Highs
in the upper 60s and
lows in the mid 40s.
Sunrise Sunset
6:24 AM 5:52 PM
Sunrise Sunset
7:22 AM 6:53 PM
Sunrise Sunset
7:21 AM 6:54 PM
Sunrise Sunset
7:17 AM 6:57 PM
Portland
67/39
Salem
68/38
Willow Creek Symphony will perform
at 4 p.m. March 15 at the Irrigon Jr/Sr.
High School Gym. The program will fea-
ture music for the whole family. The con-
cert is free, and a reception will follow the
performance.
The Willow Creek Symphony is
an Inland Northwest Musicians West-
ern-oriented youth/preparatory sym-
phony comprised of approximately 30
members. The concert is sponsored by
the Morrow County Unified Recreation
District. Corporate sponsors also in-
clude U.S. Bancorp Foundation, PGE
Foundation and The Oregon Community
Foundation.
6WDQ¿HOG&RPPXQLW\&HQWHU
breakfast today
The Stan¿eld Community Center will
host its monthly breakfast from 7 a.m. to
10 a.m. today. This is a fundraiser for oper-
ations of the Stan¿eld Community Center.
Prices for a breakfast meal cost from $3 to
$5.
iting our ability to generate
revenue from our franchise
fee, but we are also poten-
tially sending out a message
that we are friendly to large
businesses, large electric cus-
tomers, and I think that that
probably is going to be, for a
variety of reasons, something
we’re going to be looking at
in terms of bene¿ting from
a much larger scale than we
currently are. I think that’s a
valuable consideration here.”
The 20-year agreement
also includes a ¿ve-year ad-
justment clause, Ward said, so
the city could make changes
to both the rate and the cap, if
necessary, in ¿ve years.
UEC Finance Manager
Kevin Ince said the coopera-
tive passes the franchise fees
it must pay directly onto its
members as a separate line
item on commercial and in-
dustrial bills and included in
the rates for residential cus-
tomers. He said, although the
cooperative does not “want to
incentivize” any of its mem-
bers, this issue could impact
future development.
“We typically retain a rel-
atively neutral position,” he
said. “Having said, we made
some sizable investments in
bringing the electrical ca-
pacity to those sites in antic-
ipation of their full build-out
plans, so we appreciate the
council’s consideration here
because not imposing the
cap, which you’ve acknowl-
edged is reviewable every
¿ve years, may lead them to
invest more heavily in other
areas, which I don’t think
would be in either the city of
Umatilla or Umatilla Elec-
tric’s best interest.”
Mayor Dave Trott said, with
this agreement, city of¿cials
would send the message that
the city has a “business friendly
atmosphere.” Councilwoman
Mary Dedrick agreed.
“I think that it is a good
message, and it would be
nice to see more businesses
out in the port area than what
has been going on for quite a
while,” she said.
Although the Paci¿c Pow-
er agreement that was updat-
ed about two years ago does
not include a cap, Ward said
a similar limit would presum-
ably be included when it is
renewed.
be less than the other two
electric providers within
the city. For 1,500 kilowatt
hours, Umatilla Electric
Cooperative would charge
$121, and the company for
which the city took over in
2001, Paci¿c Power, would
charge $193, according to a
graph from Rivera, which
shows an Oregon average
of $158 and a national av-
erage of $208.
The U.S. Energy Infor-
mation Administration esti-
mates the average residen-
tial price nationally is 13
cents per kilowatt hour, Ri-
vera said, compared to the
HES proposal of 6.8 cents.
541-667-4184
Mon-Fri 10am-6pm • Sat 10am-5pm
1055 S. Hwy 395, Ste. 333 • Hermiston, OR 97838
facebook.com/essenceemporium97838
Sunrise Sunset
7:19 AM 6:56 PM
Eugene
66/37
Medford
72/35
Pendleton
62/32
Hermiston
66/34
La Grande
64/31
Bend
62/28
Ontario
64/33
Burns
59/29
Klamath Falls
66/29
Area Cities
City
Albany
Ashland
Astoria
Baker City
Bend
Brookings
Burns
Coos Bay
Corvallis
Eugene
Hi
67
71
61
62
62
66
59
62
67
66
Lo
39
36
37
30
28
44
29
40
39
37
Cond.
mst sunny
mst sunny
mst sunny
sunny
pt sunny
mst sunny
sunny
pt sunny
mst sunny
mst sunny
City
Florence
Grants Pass
Hermiston
John Day
Klamath Falls
La Grande
Lakeview
Lincoln City
Mcminnville
Medford
Hi
63
71
66
62
66
64
65
63
67
72
Lo
40
36
34
33
29
31
28
42
38
35
Cond.
pt sunny
mst sunny
pt sunny
sunny
mst sunny
sunny
pt sunny
pt sunny
pt sunny
mst sunny
City
Newport
Pendleton
Portland
Redmond
Roseburg
Salem
Springfield
The Dalles
Tillamook
Vale
Hi
59
62
67
66
69
68
67
69
63
64
Lo
40
32
39
29
40
38
34
40
38
34
Cond.
pt sunny
sunny
pt sunny
sunny
pt sunny
pt sunny
mst sunny
pt sunny
mst sunny
sunny
Cond.
sunny
mst sunny
pt sunny
mst sunny
sunny
City
Houston
Los Angeles
Miami
Minneapolis
New York
Hi
62
81
80
38
38
Lo
50
55
70
24
33
Cond.
cloudy
sunny
pt sunny
pt sunny
mst sunny
City
Phoenix
San Francisco
Seattle
St. Louis
Washington, DC
Hi
77
72
61
58
47
Lo
52
50
38
33
36
Cond.
sunny
sunny
sunny
sunny
sunny
National Cities
City
Atlanta
Boston
Chicago
Dallas
Denver
Hi
60
36
42
58
53
Lo
35
26
25
44
28
Moon Phases
UV Index
Sat
3/7
Full
Last
New
First
Mar 5
Mar 13
Mar 20
Mar 27
©2010 American Profile Hometown Content Service
Sun
3/8
Mon
Tue
3/9
3/10
Wed
3/11
3
3
3
3
3
Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate
The UV Index is measured on a 0 -
11 number scale, with a higher UV
Index showing the need for greater
skin protection.
0
11
Corrections
It is the policy of the Hermiston Herald to correct errors as soon as they are
discovered. Incorrect information will be corrected on Page 2A. Errors commited
on the Opinion page will be corrected on that page. Corrections also are noted in the
online versions of our stories. Please contact the editor at editor@hermistonherald.
com or call (541) 564-4533 with issues about this policy or to report errors.
For Herald news, advertising or subscription information:
• call 541-567-6457
• email info @hermistonherald.com
• stop by our offices at 333 E. Main St.
• or visit us online at www.hermistonherald.com
Rivera’s recommenda-
tion would also increase
costs for average small
commercial customers by
7.45 percent, large com-
mercial customers by 11.84
percent and irrigation cus-
tomers by 6.34 percent.
$20.00 East Oregonian & Hermiston Herald
our
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P o t s o !
G old
Call Paula
541-278-2678
Yard Sale Kits - $5.00
From Dr. Hibbert,
Lacee, Jessica, Bailey, Heather, and Sarah
541-612-3707
68/45
Sunshine. Highs in
Times of sun and
the low 70s and lows clouds. Highs in the
in the upper 30s.
upper 60s and lows
in the mid 40s.
25 words, 3 days, private party only
• Accessories
3/11
Sunny. Highs in the
upper 60s and lows
in the upper 30s.
Place a Yard Sale Ad
• Vapor Shop
Wed
3/10
Some clouds in the
morning will give
way to mainly sunny
skies for the afte.
Baby Affair takes place today in Willow Creek Symphony
Hermiston
performing in Irrigon
Hermiston Eagles Lodge
hosting fundraising dinner
Tue
3/9
Oregon At A Glance
NEWS IN BRIEF
The Baby Affair, a health expo for fam-
ilies with young children, will take place
from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. today at Hermiston
High School, 600 S. First St. The event
helps families learn about resources in the
community, with opportunities for vision
screenings from the Casey Eye Institute at
Oregon Health & Science University and
ages and stages developmental screening.
Information will be available about lac-
tation support, car seat safety, gestational
diabetes, gardening, dental health, karate
for kids, postpartum depression, building
healthy relationships, nutrition and more.
Mon
3/8
Includes 2 signs & stakes,
price stickers & coupons
The meeting begins at 7
p.m. Monday at Hermiston
City Hall, 180 N.E. Second
St.