County charter will be reviewed

UMATILLA COUNTY – The Umatilla County Board of Commissioners has appointed nine residents to serve on the Charter Review Committee. Board Chairman Dan Dorran says that any recommended charter changes are now up to that group.

“They could come back and say the charter’s fine, we don’t want to do anything,” he said. “Or, as when I sat on it, it may be an 18-month process.”

The members of the committee are Bob Barton, Mark Gomolski, Klaus Hoehna, Tony Justus, Patricia Maier, Don Miller, Elaine Redner, David Smith, and Tom Spoo. It’s a group that pleases Dorran.

“The folks from Umatilla County should be happy with the group that applied,” he said. “It’s a high-level group with representation from the west end, east end, Pendleton, Pilot Rock.”

He said it’s time for the board of commissioners to let go and allow the committee to get to work.

“Technically, the commissioners cannot participate in these discussions,” he said. “We can get updates, but we can’t influence where they are.”

Once their work is done, the committee appears before the board with its recommended changes and asks that they be put on the ballot for the citizens to decide.

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