East Washingtonian - Your Hometown News Source

POMEROY––Garfield County's General Fund and County Road District tax assessment may increase 1%, raising the liability to $1,652,584 and change. The Garfield County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) were notified of the current property tax valuation increase for property in Garfield County by the Assessor's Office.

According to the notification, the current property tax assessment for the General Fund for Garfield County, which was $778,517.26, may be increased by 1% to a total assessment value of $787,279. Also, the County Road District assessment currently set at $825,739.15, may be increased by 1% to an assessment of $865,305.34. Revenues are down slightly for the General Fund, and significantly for the County Road District due to a reduction in fuel tax revenue. The proposed increases need to be approved and filed by the BOCC by November 30, 2020. The BOCC have not made a decision on this notification and will continue it to the next meeting November 23.

The Petition to Vacate Streets in Pataha Hearing is set for November 30, 2020. Grant Morgan, County Engineer, stated he will contact the property owners involved in each vacation case next week, and provide a report for the BOCC at the next meeting.

Sheriff Drew Hyer reported November has been an uneventful month with no major incidents. However, he was just notified about some field crop damage, but has not had the opportunity to investigate yet. Morgan stated that the gates at Tatman and Linville have been closed after observing some people up there late at night, where the road is almost impassable, and it is very hard to get out of that area. Rod Norland, County Road Director, added that all road closures for the winter should be posted by the end of the day.

Lisbeth Randall, the newly hired Superior Court Deputy Clerk, was approved to be allowed to receive benefits for the December 24 holiday. On behalf of the Superior Court, Katie Magill requested a waiver which would allow Randall to receive the benefit of the floating holiday, provided to all courthouse employees, on December 24, 2020. Because she is transferring to the new position from the Extension Office, in general practice, County policy will not allow her to receive the holiday benefit. However, because the courthouse will close on December 24, Magill asked for an exception to the policy.

A temporary loan of $10,000 to the Solid Waste account was approved to be paid back when the grant fund reimbursement is received.

In the Engineering Bridge Report, Morgan stated no Garfield County bridges listed are structurally deficient, though some are eligible for replacement, but not necessary at the present time. Some major repairs have already been done to the Stangle Bridge, which needs to be continually monitored, and the Schoolhouse Bridge has signs of new cracking and needs to be monitored closely. Though no rusting has been observed in the reinforcements, it is scheduled for a special inspection. A Six-Year Plan for County Roads Projects Hearing is set for December 7, 2020, at 9:30 a.m.

The 2019 Road Improvement Safety Plan includes projects that are part of the Six-Year Plan, and has a potential of about $600,000 in funding. Morgan recommends using the funding to repair guardrails, specifically listing Dutch Flat, Tatman Mountain, and county-wide guardrails. However, he is unsure how much of the funding will be available, and recommends projects are prioritized. Because the Lower Granite Dam area is on federal land, he plans to apply for a Federal Lands Access Grant for funding to repair guardrails.

Referring to the 20-Year Vision for County Roads meeting that was held about a year ago, Morgan recommended having another meeting with county property owners to help identify road improvements needed. He stated that the lower part of Deadman Road was a priority at last year's meeting, which is one of the County's safety projects because it is a "drive ability issue." He feels the County could probably get the intersection re-alignment funded at a later date if it is still considered a priority. Commissioner Dixon asked for some documentation on the proposed projects so that the BOCC can review the information and be ready to discuss it at the next meeting.

Dixon announced that he would be joining a Zoom meeting at 11 a.m., that same day, along with the State Association of Counties, representatives with the Governor's Office, and other local representatives, to get clarification on the recent restrictions imposed by the Governor due to the COVID-19 pandemic upsurge. There are some questions about how some restrictions will be implemented, and how local businesses, as well as the courthouse, will be affected. He was hopeful to have some answers from the meeting by the afternoon, and invited others to call or email with their concerns or questions.