Greetings from City Hall –
Although the calendar tells us it is almost May, it seems like the March of 2004 came back to visit. At the same time, we are swiftly coming up to seeing the Garden Club hanging baskets on the street lights. I finally got my snow tires off today, but I forgot I have to go to La Grande on Thursday and it could very well snow on Meacham Pass south of Pendleton. But the trees are starting to look good and the grass is greening up and the streets are looking fresh and clean. Mrs. Mead’s Third Grade class went uptown to do their annual cleanup in front of the business district and immediately called the Mayor’s office when they got back to the classroom. They reported to me that the only garbage they could find was a sales slip from the store. I consider that remarkable and at least partly attributable to the new (expensive) garbage cans we have on the street. It could also be attributable to the wind that the wind farm people say we don’t have but has been blowing almost non-stop since January. Heck, our garbage could have blown to Heppner by now. But the kids told me that there is still garbage to pick up at the school, so we are going to work with the kids and get some of the older cans into strategic places so they can do their good citizen work right at school.
Economic Development and Land Use – Local and State
What was once held up to the rest of the country as the model for Land Use law, the regulations in the State of Oregon have become the burden to economic development that results from too much of a good thing – overregulation. In a great article in the current LOCAL FOCUS, the house publication for the League of Oregon Cities, Mike McCauley, LOC’s Executive Director asks the question, “Can more regulations solve a problem created by too many regulations?” In this session alone, there are many new land use related bills coming from both the House and the Senate on how the State should “review”, “permit”, ”preempt”, “limit”, and otherwise interfere with how the people at the lowest and most appropriate decision making level can make the most economically effective land use decisions. All this is an attempt to fix the problem of too much regulation, but as Mike says, just creates “another layer of regulation on top of the already Byzantine code imposed over land use.” Land use should be a local issue, yet we at the city and county level are consumed with time- and mind-numbing State-level regulations that are created in ever-increasing layers as we try to “fix” the problem of over-regulation. If you have ever tried to do something that was more difficult than working with Lego’s, working with land use laws and regulations is only marginally harder than herding owls. DeOra lives with that problem every day. The League is continually monitoring and commenting on the legislative efforts we feel are detrimental to good economic development practices. It is now possible without too much effort to find someone with a very good (read: legal) reason why almost anything can be stopped. The LOC Board of Directors and Staff have put Local Control as a top priority during our visits to the Capitol. Our Oregon “model” land use laws have become woefully detrimental to our economy and it will take both sides of the House and Senate a while to dismantle the morass of regulations that have affected our economic development over the past several years. If you have time, stop by and I will show you Mike’s article – all six paragraphs of it.
Economic Development – Latest Local Efforts
As you may know, the Federal budget cutters have overcome the fact that some cuts are detrimental to the basic re-development of the economy, especially the rural economy. Wy’East, who has been our steadfast partner for the past several years and was instrumental in the development of several new businesses in Maupin in 2007-2009, is no longer in the resource conservation and development business. Wy’East is still working agricultural issues, improving energy and irrigation efficiency, and working with farmers in their six-county district. But rural economic and community development is a thing of the past for RC&Ds, as it has become across the nation. So Wy’East is looking at alternatives. And so am I, as far as economic development is concerned. Granted, there is little extra money left in the coffers of our government; our economic caretakers at the State and Federal levels have failed the citizens of the state and the nation. We are left to fend for ourselves, and in my opinion, we are in better hands. And there is money out there; just not as much public money right now and there won’t be any until we fix the national way of throwing money away. New alternatives, new economic alliances, promoting new ways of managing resources – these are things we have to learn and incorporate in order to stay where we are, much less grow. The tendency to get well all at once may get in the way of rebuilding a solid economy, but we will have to rely on common sense that sometimes isn’t so common. Stay tuned.
Other Really Important Stuff
The Kloset. The American Legion Auxiliary has set up the Kloset in their remodeled shop in the basement of the American Legion Hall at Deschutes Avenue and 4th Street and has expanded their hours, at least for the summer. They will be open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10:00 AM till 2:00 PM, still through the entry to the building from the alley in the back of the building. If at all possible, if you have clothing to donate, try to do it during business hours. We have had donations dropped off at the door that were scattered by animals or ruined by weather when there is nobody at the Kloset to accept them. The Kloset is an important asset to the community so we should do our best to help them maintain that position.
City of Maupin Spring Cleanup Event. Sponsored by the City of Maupin, Mel’s Sanitary Service and the Wasco County Landfill, it will happen on Saturday, May 14, from 8 AM to 2 PM at the Maupin Public Works Compound at 3rd and Deschutes. Mel will have a 30-yard container on site and will be available to answer questions on acceptable items. All debris must be bagged or enclosed in a box. Unacceptable items include: hazardous waste products such as paint, aerosol sprays, batteries, antifreeze, motor oil, gasoline, ammonia-based cleaners, floor wax, medicines, insecticides, pesticides; tires; liquids of any type; and large bulky items. For recyclable items like cardboard, paper, glass, plastic, etc., use the recycle depot at Maupin City Park. If you have computer items, contact the SWC School for their technology recycling program.
Grant Writing Workshop. Wasco County Cultural Trust Coalition is offering a free workshop for South Wasco County led by Corliss Marsh and Harriet Langfeldt at the Canyon Rim Manor Activity Room on May 18 at 6:00 PM. This workshop will help your organization submit complete and clear applications that showcase your organization at its best. Following the program the presenters will have full details and applications ready for distribution to participate in a special one-time WCCT fund earmarked for South Wasco County. Please R.S.V.P. your attendance to: corlissmarsh@gmaill.com. For questions or more information, call Diana at 541-993-2125. This is a real good deal for those who need help with presenting projects to potential funders.
Building Next Year’s Budget. We are looking pretty good overall, but will need a small increase in water rates this year for the first time in two years. We have been trying to put this off, but building a budget for a mandatorily self-sustaining operation doesn’t have much flexibility when trying to compensate for Federal and State economies in the tank. As for the rest of the budget, we are taking a conservative approach of not over planning our revenue and not underestimating our expenses. We are especially wary of any support from the State. One small glitch in that support and we could be scrambling. And we hate a scrambled budget. We are still looking for budget members so if you have an overwhelming desire to share the responsibility of trying to construct a viable budget for a City in a tight economy, c’mon down!
The Odor of Leaves in the Storm Drain. With the advent of the new street and the requirement to include a storm drain in the project, the result is evolving into a continual good news/bad news situation. The good news is that the storm drains keep the water from flooding the areas downhill from most of the city. The bad news is that the leaves and other decaying matter that gets sucked into the storm drain can smell like the digestive system of a large horse. The good news is that we have a truck that can suck that stuff back out of the storm drain. The bad news is that until we learn more about how the storm drains digestive system works, we will have to rely on the aggregate nose of the City. If you smell something bad emanating from the grills in the street, it is not likely to be the real sewer. Let us know while the smell is in the small horse category and we will take care of it.
Maupin’s Community-Wide Sale. Mark down 21 May, from 9 AM ‘til 2 PM for this annual event. On the Greenway, the Maupin Garden Club will conduct their annual plant sale which will include perennials, herbs, house plants, veggies and garden art. And annuals. Maupin Hardware will feature “Grapes, Gardens and Grill” with Y-102 Radio reporting remote, wine tasting garden seminars, give away a Traeger BBQ, and handing out BBQ chicken. Maupin Market is celebrating their anniversary with raffles, more tasting events and other special deals. Deschutes Pizza Company will feature pulled pork sliders, there will be a pie and bake sale at the Maupin Community Church and the American Legion Auxiliary is having a Soup and Craft sale. (I’ve gained two pounds so far just typing this up.) Also at the American Legion will be a Health Fair where the Deschutes Rim Clinic will do Lab Blood Work at a big discount and South Wasco County Ambulance personnel will be available to tell you about themselves and maybe take your pulse to see if you need more excitement. At the same time there will be a Quilt Show/Raffle at Canyon Rim Manor and a carwash at South Wasco High School. On your journeys among all these events, look for Yard Sales throughout the community. For questions and to sign up to be on the map for the yard sales, contact Kathi Ringo at 395-2570 or jkringo@gmail.com.
That’s it. I am actually writing this on 26 April because I have several things to do before the sewer bills go out and when I start early, Diane and DeOra know I will get it out without having to yell at me and that contributes for a more pleasant working environment. Just imagine both of them looking at their watch and tapping their toes at the entrance to my office. It’s never happened. And I don’t want it to.
Cheers,
Denny