Katy Lamb was selected by the Vale City Council to be the new city manager. Lamb has been the city’s bookkeeper since 2014. (The Enterprise/John L. Braese). VALE – Although the Vale City Council unanimously voted to hire Katy Lamb as the new Vale city manager, she won’t move into[Read More…]
Tag: LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Ontario sales tax flops and service cuts loom
Karen Pugh verifies ballot signatures Tuesday afternoon at the Malheur County Clerk’s Office. Voters rejected a 1 percent sales tax proposal for Ontario Tuesday night. (The Enterprise/Pat Caldwell) UPDATE: This story has been updated with final unofficial returns. ONTARIO – Surprising no one, Ontario voters have decisively defeated the proposed[Read More…]
Board members should sharpen vision for Treasure Valley Community College
Treasure Valley Community College is too vital to the community to drift any longer. It’s time to hit reset, to define more sharply why the college exists and whom it should be serving. That job rests with the seven citizens sitting on the college’s board of directors. Those citizens will[Read More…]
Questions put local accountant into the spotlight of Ontario budget controversy
Local accountant Mary Jo Evers came under fire recently after she pointed out errors in the city’s calculations on its upcoming budget. Evers, who is the financial director for the Ontario School District, was criticized on a pro-sales tax Facebook page for her efforts. (The Enterprise/File) ONTARIO – She questioned[Read More…]
Vale’s freshman lawmaker shares account of first days at Legislature
Oregon District 60 representative Lynn Findley answered questions and talked about his first stint in the Oregon Legislature during a Town Hall meeting recently in Vale. (The Enterprise/John L. Braese). VALE – “I am the other time zone guy.” Sitting before old friends at his initial local town hall, freshman[Read More…]
Flaw in Ontario’s proposed city budget reveals an extra $200,000
A recent discovery of an error in the proposed Ontario budget means city leaders could have an extra $200,000 to use to shore up the city budget. (The Enteprise/file). ONTARIO – A sharp-eyed local accountant has found an apparent flaw in Ontario’s proposed budget, giving city officials as much as[Read More…]
No vote needed: Ontario City Council can act on its own to approve pot dispensaries
ONTARIO – It turns out the Ontario City Council doesn’t need voter approval to authorize marijuana dispensaries in town. According to Scott Winkels, a lobbyist for the League of Oregon Cities, the council could repeal its existing ordinance that bans marijuana dispensaries to allow the facilities in town. No public[Read More…]
College plans to slash spending to meet projected enrollment drop
College leaders are planning on a 2 percent, across-the-board cut as enrollment continues to fall at the local institution. (The Enterprise/File). ONTARIO – Treasure Valley Community College is planning for another drop in enrollment in the coming school year, prompting plans for reduced spending. President Dana Young advised the college[Read More…]
Border board seeks answers to Malheur County worker shortage but so far answers are elusive
Tiffany Cruickshank, a member of the Eastern Oregon Border Economic Development Board, makes a point during a meeting at Treasure Valley Community College last week. (The Enterprise/Pat Caldwell). ONTARIO – Land use and developing a stable workforce are the two issues people see as priorities, the chairman of a local[Read More…]
Tangle over sales tax heats up after Ontario community leader seizes political sign from store
Former city councilor Charlotte Fugate tore down a political sign advocating a “no” vote on a proposed city sales tax at the Vintage Rose antique store in downtown Ontario last week. (The Enterprise/John L. Braese). ONTARIO – An Ontario civic leader twice questioned downtown businesses about opposition to the proposed[Read More…]