Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 11, 2020)
NEWS Wednesday, november 11, 2020 HermIsTonHeraLd.Com • A3 Hermiston Energy Services rates will increase would climb from $111 a month now to $117 in Jan- uary and $124 in October, according to Hermiston Energy Services General Manager Nate Rivera. City councilors said rais- ing costs on things is the least favorite part of their job, but it’s their job to keep the city running as its own costs rise. “Sometimes we need to realize we have to make these hard decisions, and sometimes it’s no fun because we’re going to raise the electricity, but if we want to survive, we have to do that,” Councilor Manuel Gutierrez said before mak- ing the motion to accept HES’s recommendation. By JADE MCDOWELL neWs edITor The Hermiston City Council approved a rate increase for Hermiston Energy Services during their Monday, Nov. 9, meeting by a 4-2 vote. Overall, rates will go up by 6.98% in January 2021 and another 6.9% in October 2021, but the effect to each customer’s bill will depend on the class they fall under and how much energy they use. Residential rates will go up by 6.1% in January, small commercial by 7.92%, large commercial by 8.67% and irrigation by 7.57%. The average residential user Before the vote, Rivera told the council that HES has been pulling $85,000 a month from its reserves and has delayed maintenance in order to put off the rate increase for as long as pos- sible during the pandemic, but even with that strategy, HES projected to have a more than $1 million deficit for the 2020-21 fiscal year, mostly driven by increases in the cost of the power that HES purchases from Bonne- ville Power Administration. The proposed increases would cover that deficit, he said, and allow for an expected 1% increase from BPA next year. But it would not cover the capital proj- ects that have already been delayed, increases in labor or equipment costs, or replac- ing any of the money drawn from the reserves. HES is a not-for-profit entity, Rivera said, so all money raised from rates goes straight back into running the utility. Three Hermiston resi- dents — Renata Morgan, Jackie Linton and council- or-elect Maria Duron — tes- tified at the meeting, asking the council to consider ways to reduce the burden on res- idents. Morgan said she would rather see more fre- quent 1.5% increases than a 7% increase all at once when her paycheck isn’t going up 7%. “I understand what you’re saying here about this, but what I don’t under- stand why you let it get so far,” she said. Linton said she under- stood that people could apply for help with their bill, but many seniors on a fixed income who were used to working to support them- selves for 50 or more years will not always be willing to ask for charity. Rivera had previously highlighted ways that residents struggling to pay their bills can get help. Those include HES’s online “smart hub” where cus- tomers can track their usage, rebates on energy-efficient appliances, free energy audits and the HEAT fund available to help pay low-income cus- tomers’ bills. Echo Fire District mixes up tax bills Council approves zoning change, annexation Police chief also approved to sign updated deadly Use of Force Plan By JADE MCDOWELL neWs edITor Land use decisions by the Hermiston City Council during their Monday, Nov. 9, meeting could pave the way for future commercial development on the northeast side of the city. The council approved annexation of an 11.5-acre property at 455 E. Elm Ave., behind Walmart. The annex- ation came at the request of Steve Richards of Eastern Ore- gon Development LLC. Richards owns Highland Mini Storage in Hermiston and other storage facilities in the region, and previously tried to build another set of storage units on Highway 395 near Rogers Toyota, before the council denied his zon- ing request in October 2019. On Nov. 9, City Planner Clint Spencer said it was his under- standing that Richards planned to add a similar storage devel- opment to part of the Elm property and use the rest for new retail space. In a separate agenda item, the council also approved change to the comprehensive plan map for a 1.9-acre set of properties on the north side of West Theater Lane. Developer John Ucney of UK Properties submitted the application to change the seven existing lots from multi-structure residen- tial to outlying commercial. Spencer said the developer doesn’t have a specific plan for the tract of land yet, but hopes to market it for commercial use. Council approves police agreements During their Nov. 9 meet- ing, the city council also approved Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston to sign a mutual aid agreement and a document known as the Uma- tilla County Deadly Physical Force Plan on behalf of the city. The physical force plan was created after the Ore- gon Legislature mandated in 2007 that all counties create such a plan. Umatilla Coun- ty’s was last updated by local law enforcement agencies in 2008, and Edmiston said, given the increased scrutiny on police use of force this year, he suggested the agen- cies review the plan. City Manager Byron Smith told the council there were no significant changes made to the 12-page plan during the review process, and the coun- cil approved it without fur- ther discussion beyond clari- fying which agencies the plan covers. “Now what we’re present- ing to you is essentially the same plan, but it has been looked at and reviewed, and I think that’s an important piece that we’re staying current on things like this,” Smith said. Each law enforcement agency is responsible for set- ting its own policies with offi- cers concerning events lead- ing up to officers shooting a suspect or using other meth- ods of deadly force, but the plan outlines what takes place after such an incident occurs. It states that a “law enforcement agency of pri- mary responsibility” will con- duct a criminal investigation while the involved officer’s employing agency will con- “The main key is really to start that conversation with them and let them know there is help avail- able; they just need to work with us, and as long as a customer is willing to work with us, we’re not in a situ- ation where we’ve ever tried to shut them off. As long as they’re making the best effort they can, we’ll work with them,” he said. Hermiston Energy Ser- vices supplies about 5,200 customers in Hermiston with electricity. The rest of the city is mostly covered by Umatilla Electric Coopera- tive, which HES contracts with for labor but which is a separate utility that sets its own rates. duct a simultaneous adminis- trative review. It outlines the steps those agencies should take, how the involved offi- cers should be debriefed and that the district attorney — who has the sole authority to decide if a grand jury should be convened — should be notified as soon as possible. It also requires that all agen- cies signing the plan should require at least four hours a year of training on use of force for its officers. In addition to the use of force plan, the council also authorized Edmiston to sign an updated version of the mutual aid agreement between Hermiston and neighboring law enforcement agencies in Umatilla and Morrow counties. Edmiston said the agree- ment comes into play almost every day, as personnel from city, state and county agen- cies assist each other. The agreement also outlines the structure of the Major Crimes Team, which is made up of detectives from multiple agencies and is mobilized in the event of a homicide or other serious crime. By JADE MCDOWELL neWs edITor Residents within Echo Fire District have been sent notice that they were overbilled on their property taxes due to a filing error for the district’s bond. Taxpayers who have not paid their prop- erty taxes yet can pay the lower amount on their new, corrected statement, accord- ing to the letter. Those who already paid the amount in their initial statement will receive a refund for the difference “in the next few weeks.” Rachael Reynolds, director of taxation and assessment for Umatilla County, said the error came from paperwork filed by the fire district that mistakenly levied the dis- trict’s $500,000 bond over one year instead of 10. The district also notified residents in a statement on its Facebook page, apologiz- ing for the error and any inconvenience it caused. Echo Fire District is an all-volunteer fire district of 25 volunteers, covering 496 square miles in the county. According to information provided by the district before voters passed the $500,000 bond in May, the bond will pay for new equipment, including the replacement of a 1964 fire engine, and the addition of a new bay to the fire station so that the district can park all of its engines indoors. NEW HEROES PROGRAM! www.BonneysAg.com Military, Firefighters, Medical Employees & Police ID REQUIRED SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICING! RUGGED, RELIABLE, RED...AND THAT’S NO BULL!!! NEW 2205 BRANSON HYDRO TRANS Quick Latch Bucket $ 13,500 Zero down - $195/month 4.24% for 84 months, oac NEW 4x4 BRANSON 2515R 2200 Loader Lift Capacity Tractor with Loader - $ 19,500 OR Tractor Loader Backhoe w/ Thumb - $ 23,950 NEW BRANSON 3515CH Heat, A/C, Stereo, 3’ RD Function Hyd Value, 35hp with rebates ONLY - $ 28,500
