Umatilla County voters were not in a generous mood Tuesday as both sheriff levies as well as the Blue Mountain Community College bond renewal measure all were soundly defeated.
Levy 30-14, which would have allowed the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office to operate the jail at full capacity, was overwhelmingly rejected by voters. A total of 8,611 (62.8 percent) no votes were tallied Tuesday night with 5,106 (37.2 percent) yes votes. The 252-bed jail is currently running at about half capacity.
Had the levy passed, it would have cost taxpayers 40 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. All county residents voted on that measure.
Levy 30-97, which would have allowed the sheriff to hire 18 additional patrol deputies, was also handily defeated, 2,866 (64.6 percent) to 1,571 or 35.4 percent. Only county residents who are not served by a city police department voted on that levy. That levy would have cost taxpayers 94 cents per $1,000.
BMCC’s bond renewal measure was turned back with 7,868 (57.4 percent) no votes compared to 5,849 (42.6 percent) yes votes. It would have funded the construction of three ag-related learning centers: a Center for Sustained Precision Irrigated Agriculture in Hermiston, an Applied Animal Science Center in Pendleton, and an Industrial Processes Workforce & STEM Training Center in Boardman. Had the bond measure passed, taxpayers would have continued to pay the same 31 cents per $1,000 they have been paying since 1999 when voters approved a capital improvement bond.
The bond renewal measure was put on the ballot after a blue ribbon panel, tasked with developing a vision for BMCC’s future, recommended building the three ag centers to serve as training grounds for a new generation of skilled workers who could go straight from the classroom and onto the farm and succeed in the kind of high-tech jobs that modern agriculture depends upon.
The two sheriff’s levies were put on the ballot in an effort by the sheriff’s office to provide 24/7 patrol coverage throughout the county. Umatilla County currently has only seven patrol deputies on staff to serve the county’s 78,000 residents. In contrast, the city of Umatilla has seven police officers to serve its 7,000 residents. The county has over 3,000 square miles, compared to just over four miles for the city of Umatilla.
