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Opinion Editorials Rail car storage contract is good for railroad, but public should've been apprised
Rail car storage contract is good for railroad, but public should've been apprised
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The Wallowa-Union Railroad Authority recently signed a deal with Union
Pacific to provide railroad car storage along the WURA line. The
contract could be the economic salvation for the publicly owned line,
providing as much as $2.1 million over the next three years. The contract is good news for the railroad. The contract could provide the financial lift WURA has been needing since Wallowa and Union counties decided several years ago to save the rail line between the two counties. But the contract might not come as such good news to the folks in Wallowa County, where the cars will be stored on the line that runs between Wallowa and Joseph. Or maybe it does, simply for the sake of the railroad’s future. No one knows for sure. You see, the rail authority didn’t bother seeking public input on the plan to store what could be hundreds of rail cars on the tracks through Wallowa County. The railroad authority needs to remember that it is a public entity. Its policies, its procedures, its decisions need to be vetted through public processes. The rail car issue wasn’t listed on WURA meeting agendas. No public hearings were held to solicit input or to sell the concept as one that could help retire the railway’s debt. Not a word was mentioned until the deal was signed. This newspaper and its editorial board long have been supportive of the two counties’ controversial decision to preserve the rail line when it was purchased from Idaho Northern, and with efforts to keep the railway operating. It’s an important link that must be preserved. However, there’s no excuse for the WURA directors to operate like they are part of an exclusive club or a private entity. Their decisions need to be arrived at openly and publicly. Storing hundreds of graffiti-marked cars throughout the Wallowa Valley is something the folks in Wallowa County should have a voice in. The contract with UP is short-term. It provides a lot of money for a struggling, publicly owned railroad. WURA directors should have vetted the proposal with the people who live in the county. It’s what being a public body is all about. This editorial board wants the railroad to succeed. It hopes that the railroad is successful in renegotiating its loan terms with the state in the hope of reducing the interest that has been growing far faster than the railroad has been able to reduce the principal. This railroad is that important to these two counties. But at the same time we cannot stress enough the importance of the railroad to act like the public entity that it is. To vet important issues with the public. To make a case for the decisions directors are considering. Storing cars and earning $2.1 million sounds like a good business decision for the railroad. And hopefully the people of Wallowa County would agree. But in this case they weren’t even given a chance to weigh in. WURA needs to rethink its role and its responsibility to the public. |
