Courthous study gets green light

A task force is in the works to investigate the possibility of a new courthouse for Union County.

The county board of commissioners passed a resolution to form the task force at its regular meeting on Wednesday.

By the terms of the resolution, the group will be comprised of a member of the Union County Bar Association; a county commissioner; the county district attorney; representatives of the Union County Circuit Court, the City of La Grande and a local government other than the City of La Grande; and three to five at-large representatives.

The board of commissioners will appoint a chairman from the members, who will serve a two-year term.

Earlier this month, the commissioners and other local officials met with Paul De Muniz, chief justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, who has brought the inadequate condition of many county court facilities to the attention of the state Legislature.

The Union County Court Facility Task Force, once assembled, will assess the requirements for a new facility, and investigate possible locations and funding opportunities.

In other business, the board accepted an offer from Western States Equipment to buy out two of the county’s equipment leases and provide replacement Caterpillar vehicles — a 160M motor grader and 962H wheel-loader — under the same rates.

Public Works Director Richard Comstock told the commissioners that, considering current inflation rates and increased maintenance costs on older equipment, the county would save a minimum of $40,000 over the course of the new lease at the original payment levels.  

The commissioners also renewed the county’s contract with the Center for Human Development, Inc., a non-profit corporation that provides public and mental health services and other state-mandated health authority functions.

Also, a total of $5,000 from the transient tax and video lottery funds was allocated for the formation of the Elgin Health District; Deborah Beeson, Kolleen Carrel and Susan Cederholm were re-appointed to the Region 13 Worksource Board; Richard Comstock was appointed as an alternate on the Northeast Area Commission on Transportation; and a series of personal property taxes deemed uncollectible (primarily businesses dissolved or moved, and manufactured homes destroyed, abandoned or transplanted) were canceled.