Court discusses public assistance

During the regular meeting of the Harney County Court on May 4, Harney County Commissioner Dan Nichols provided an overview of his trip to Yale University.

Nichols explained that he was invited to speak on a discussion panel regarding collaboration and land use. He was joined by Tim Blount, executive director of Friends of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, and Cynthia Martinez, chief of the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Nichols said he discussed the pros and cons of public land ownership, and made it clear that things need to change in the West. He added that people were much more receptive to his message than he anticipated.

“Once again, we have not the number of enemies that we think we have,” he said, adding that there are a lot of well-meaning people who need to be “told the right story,” and he encouraged the community to assist with this education process.

“There are problems in the West, and they can be resolved,” he said. “People are stepping up and resolving them.”

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During the public comment period, Rob Frank expressed concern about an influx of individuals coming into this community to receive public assistance.

“Unless we’re offsetting one person leaving and one coming in, the population doesn’t show that to be a fact,” Harney County Judge Steve Grasty replied, adding that he’s  been told repeatedly that people are not being sent here.

However, he explained that a single individual has a greater impact on the system in Harney County than he/she would in Portland, and noted that the food pantry at the Harney County Senior and Community Services Center was overwhelmed during the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

Mitzi Defenbaugh asked whether the county could stipulate that it will not accept refugees. Grasty replied that this language would conflict with the equal opportunity agreements that the county has signed.

Harney County Commissioner Pete Runnels said there is a waiting list for Section 8 housing vouchers in Ada County, Idaho (which is where Boise, Idaho is located), but there aren’t waiting lists in Malheur and Harney counties. He added that, in order to obtain a voucher, applicants have to reside in a county for one year. However, after they obtain the voucher, they can use it anywhere in the nation.

Nichols said he shared Frank’s concerns, and he expressed frustration regarding a shortage of people who are willing to work.

“The working class has had enough of supporting everyone else,” Nichols said. “There are a lot of things that need to be fixed, and it has to come from the people en masse.”

Herb Vloedman said people should have to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits. Grasty replied that he and Nichols have been advocating for drug testing for years.

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Harney County Planning Director Brandon McMullen reported that two land use matters are scheduled for hearing before the county court on May 18.

The first hearing, which is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. in Grasty’s office at the courthouse, is to consider Harney Rock and Paving’s application for a conditional use permit to expand an existing aggregate mine on Hines Logging Road. The proposal also requires an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan aggregate inventory listing.

The second hearing, which will be held in Grasty’s office at 2:30 p.m., will address updates to the Harney County Zoning Ordinance regarding general exceptions to lot size requirements related to reductions in parcel size due to a U.S. Public Lands Survey adjustment or dedicated public way (such as a road, railroad, utility, or other public use).

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Grasty reported that the court is waiting to receive a response from Steve Beverlin, forest supervisor for the Malheur National Forest, regarding coordination for the Blue Mountains Forest Plan Revision process, which will guide the management of approximately 5 million acres of the Malheur, Umatilla and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests.

During its previous meeting, the court considered signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) for cooperating agency status. However, after some discussion, the court agreed to send a letter to the USFS inquiring about coordination prior to signing the MOU for cooperation.

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The court met with Jerry Grondin, JR Johnson, Ivan Gall, Jason Spriet, Justin Iverson, Harmeny Burright and Darrick Boschmann of Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) to discuss appointments to the Harney County Groundwater Study Advisory Committee (SAC).

The SAC is being formed to track and provide input on the groundwater study that OWRD is conducting in the Greater Harney Valley to provide additional information regarding the aquifer system and whether there is opportunity for new groundwater development in some parts of the study area.

In a letter dated April 15, Grondin, who is an OWRD hydrogeologist, explained that ongoing groundwater level measurements are occurring on a quarterly cycle (January, April, July and October) at more than 100 wells and every two hours at about 10 wells via recorder equipment. Additional “synoptic” groundwater level measurements are occurring semiannually before the irrigation season in early March and after the irrigation season in late October/early November at the quarterly, recorder, and additional “synoptic” wells.

Johnson, who is the watermaster for District 10, explained that the Groundwater Division of Oregon Water Resources became concerned with the development of groundwater in the Malheur Lake Basin and stopped issuing groundwater permits about a year and a half ago.

Unfortunately, about 39 groundwater applications were caught in limbo with no real pathway to move forward. Thus, a rules advisory committee was formed to develop rules that will allow applications pending as of April 15, 2016, to be approved if certain criteria are met. Adopted by the Oregon Water Resources Commission on April 13, the rules also outline a process to plan and conduct the study in coordination with the SAC.

So far, five people have submitted letters of interest for serving on the SAC. Since the goal is to have a committee of 10-12 people, the deadline for submitting letters was extended, and Johnson and the court will contact community members who might be interested in serving on the SAC.

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In other business, the court:

• was addressed by Vloedman regarding the number of mosquitoes on the nature trail.

Vloedman also requested a copy of last year’s audit and management letter. Grasty said those documents are available in a packet that can be obtained from Administrative Assistant Sharon Johnson;

• noted that the information provided by Beverlin during the previous county court meeting included both past and upcoming timber sale projects;

• received a letter from Beverlin stating that sealed bids for the PL Deck timber sale were opened on May 11. The total estimated quantity on this sale is 11 continuous cover forestry (CCF);

• was waiting to receive documents from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regarding an opportunity to establish a local loan fund to create economic development opportunities. Nichols expressed concern regarding indebtedness, and the court discussed the risks associated with accepting the loan. Grasty said the court can’t move ahead with the loan until it receives the information from the USDA;

• signed Ordinance 2016-76 in the matter of ratifying the intergovernmental agreement creating the Oregon Association of County Engineers and Surveyors (OACES);

• appointed Ramona Revak to fill a vacant position on the Harney County Library Advisory Board;

• reviewed water use requests;

• held an executive session at 1:15 p.m. to consult with legal counsel concerning the legal rights and duties of a public body with regard to current litigation or litigation likely to be filed. No action was taken;

• held an executive session at 2:30 p.m. to consider the dismissal or disciplining of, or to hear complaints brought against, a public officer, employee, staff member, or individual agent who does not request an open hearing.

Following the executive session, the court agreed to accept the recommendation of Jim Campbell, immediate supervisor of Harney County Weed Department, to terminate the employment of Richard Boushey, effective immediately;

• received a letter from OWRD Well Inspector Robert Maynard concerning the status of a group of monitoring wells that were abandoned at or near the former Tim’s Time Saver Market site, located at 306 Hwy. 20 N. in Hines. Maynard explained that the wells were abandoned in accordance with Oregon Administrative Rules 690-240-0510.

Grasty explained that there was a fuel leak on the property, which came into county ownership through tax foreclosure, and stated that he’s still looking for a letter from the Department of Environmental Quality declaring that no further action will be required;

• received a letter from Michael R. Honnick of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) regarding the Refuge Revenue Sharing Act, which provides for annual payments to local governments for lands under USFWS administration. An estimated payment of $76,059 will be provided to the county.

The next regular meeting of the Harney County Court will be held Wednesday, May 18, at 10 a.m. at the courthouse.