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WWishish TreeTree ddriverive oonn tthehe hhorizon,orizon, PPageage 7 MMarsingarsing ccountyounty aannex,nnex, PagePage 2 JordanJordan VValleyalley government,government, sseeee bbelowelow Quilter helps Commissioners award bid to Even as councilmen are hard to senior citizens contractor still awaiting licensing Page 10 come by, mayor ready for 4th term Established 1865 VOL. 23, NO. 47 75 CENTS HOMEDALE, OWYHEE COUNTY, IDAHO WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2008 Tax bills Reid puts hit mail Initiative this week on hold Treasurer: Expect levy Sources: Economic increases, but some crisis, fi libuster threat rates have gone down necessitates move Landowners can expect to receive their The threat of a fi libuster has pushed property tax bills in the mail either today a vote on the Owyhee Initiative until or Thursday, according to Owyhee County January and the new Congress, Initiative Treasurer Brenda Richards. work group co-chair Fred Kelly Grant said And, with every tax year, there is some Monday night. good news and some bad news for those “It appears clear that the Owyhee who have to write the checks. Initiative Bill will not be voted on in the The fi rst half of the tax bill is due Dec. lame duck session of Congress, but will be 20, with the balance of tax bill due June 20. re-introduced by Senator Crapo in January Richards said that bills postmarked up to in the new Congress,” Grant wrote in a Dec. 22 will be considered on time because press release Monday. Dec. 20 falls on a Saturday. Grant said that sources in Washington, Richards pointed out that taxpayers D.C., conveyed to him and the Owyhee should be prepared to see an increase in County Board of Commissioners that a the solid waste fee both residential and fi libuster threatened by Sen. Tom Coburn commercial. Earlier this year, the board of (R-Okla.) would take up as many as three county commissioners approved a fi ve per- days and that the economic crisis will cent increase to both fees — residents will take precedent over the 150-bill Omnibus see a charge of $42 on their bills (up from Public Lands Bill. $40 in 2007), and business owners will see Grant said the sources — congressional a $84 fee (up from $80 a year ago). staffers and special interest group Several tax levies increased this year, representatives — also confirmed that including all the road districts in the Schools honor those who served on Veterans Day Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Sgt. Aaron Davis of the Idaho National Guard salutes the fl ag as veterans stand county and small increases for school bond (D-Nev.) has assured bill sponsors that at attention behind him during the Nov. 11 Veterans Day observation at Homedale –– See Taxes, page 5 Middle School. For more on veterans past and present, see pages 11-13 –– See Initiative, page 5 Jake Roe takes reins for fourth Jordan Valley term Jordan Valley voters chose Jake of his years in offi ce, he said. When he first entered office, Pruitt, then mayor of the city, had water and sewer income. We had Roe by a landslide for his fourth Roe, who served on the city Jordan Valley was seeing some been employed at the site, and left to reorganize to have the money stint as mayor earlier this month. council for several years, was big changes. his city position when his job went to survive,” Roe recalled. Many Roe, who took the position at the appointed mayor by the city “The mine closed when I fi rst away, along with the DeLamar city businesses were supported tender age of 23, has seen a lot of council for his first term, and became mayor,” Roe said in a mine, in 1995. by people who had worked at change in the city over the course has won re-election three times. phone interview Friday. Norm “We lost population, we lost city –– See Roe, page 5 Subscribe today School menus 6 Looking Back 17 IInsidenside Get the news source of the Owyhees delivered Calendar 7 Commentary 18-19 directly to you each Wednesday Group wants Only $31.80 in Owyhee County Dave $ays 7 Legals 20-21 new coach Call 337-4681 Sports 14-16 Classifieds 22-23 Page 14 Page 2 Wednesday, November 19, 2008 County awards OCD remodel bid to Murphy man general fund through the Payments In Lieu Hoagland, the District 1 representative, the property and some window replacement Shurtleff Construction of Taxes (PILT) Trust will be used to pay confirmed that the board awarded the — and the rest of the remodel can be done still waiting on for the OCD remodel; no federal grant was Marsing county annex remodel contract to from the inside, he said. awarded for the project. Shurtleff Construction during last week’s The District 1 commissioner expressed required public works Hatch also confi rmed that Shurtleff hand- meeting in Murphy. confi dence that the sheriff’s offi ce and as- delivered an application for a public works Documents unsealed during a Nov. 3 sessor’s offi ce division of motor vehicles license from state license Monday after the commissioners meeting revealed Boyce Construction of will be able to move into the new building met on the remodel project that morning. Nampa bid $55,150 and Wright Brothers — and, more importantly, out of cramped County commissioners are hopeful to Even though Shurtleff also said he is obtain- of Meridian and Boise bid $37,519. Marsing City Hall — by Jan. 1. have new Marsing offi ces up and running ing a contractor’s permit, state law allows “It was substantially lower (than the Sherburn said Shurtleff assured the com- by the start of the new year. for unregistered contractors on public works other two bids),” Hoagland said of Shurtl- missioners Monday that all the work in the But the Murphy man who won the bid jobs as long as the governmental entity has eff’s offer. “(District 3 Commissioner) Dick bid, except for fencing around the property, to remodel the old Owyhee Conservation given authorization for the work. Freund has seen some of his work. He has would be done by the fi rst of the year. District offi ce building, Jean Shurtleff of Owyhee County Board of Commission- been working on a project for the church The county is paying Marsing $1,140 Jean Shurtleff Construction, only Monday ers chair Jerry Hoagland last week con- on China Ditch Road, and (Freund is) quite to lease space at City Hall this quarter, applied with the Idaho Bureau of Licensing fi rmed that Shurtleff didn’t have his public pleased with the work that he’s seen, so he but Hoagland said the commissioners are for a public works license. works license when the commissioners on felt (Shurtleff) was quite capable.” aware that municipal offi cials are anxious According to County Clerk Charlotte Nov. 10 accepted his low bid of $30,593 During the Nov. 3 bid opening, Freund for a change. Sherburn, Shurtleff told the commissioners over two other bids. acknowledged he was familiar with two of “They’ve been asking us to get some- Monday that he should have a contractor’s “He doesn’t have one construction the contractors, but it was determined that thing done quick. It’s unfortunate that this permit and a public works license in his license that we require, and he’s in the pro- that didn’t constitute a confl ict of interest got drug out as long as it has,” Hoagland possession in about a week. cess of getting it,” Hoagland said Thursday. because Freund had no fi nancial stake in said. “It’s a burden with the city offi ces with Idaho law requires contractors bidding “His application is in, and it takes 10 days whether the fi rms got the job. all the stuff that we’re doing there now. government construction jobs have a public for processing. He says he will have that by Hoagland also said that Shurtleff’s bid “We understand that, so we’re compen- works license before submitting a bid. The the time he gets the contract in.” was more attractive because his outfi t will sating them quarterly for that now.” county’s notice to bid said that the success- If Shurtleff acquired the proper licensing, perform the bulk of the work on the ap- The District 3 adult probation and parole ful bidder wouldn’t have to be licensed to he and the commissioners were expected to proximately 4,000-square-foot building department wants a satellite offi ce in the do public works projects until construction sign the contract during this week’s meet- at 19 Reich St. Boyce Construction and building. There also will be offi ce space on the remodel began. ing. Results from that gathering weren’t Wright Brothers would employ subcontrac- for the county probation department as well Bill Hatch, public information offi cer available at press time. tors for some of the remodeling. as the coroner. of the state Bureau of Licensing, said that Shurtleff was the only Owyhee County Hoagland said he wasn’t concerned “Jan. 2 we should be able to start opera- the public works license requirement is contractor to submit a bid. County Clerk about a tight timeline and the possibility tions there,” Hoagland said. “That’s what waived when projects are funded by fed- Charlotte Sherburn said Monday that of wintry weather pushing back the project. our plans are.” eral aid money. Money from the county’s Shurtleff submitted a handwritten bid. There is minimal exterior work — fencing — JPB Animal cruelty case to go before jury next month After a long process rife with scheduled to go before an Owyhee investigation by Owyhee County count of cruelty involving 32 spent $11,768.73 on care and motions to suppress, a request for County jury on Dec.

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