West end bands together
By Terry Murry on Wednesday, May 19th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
HERMISTON – The west end of Umatilla County is looking for more clout when it comes to lobbying for issues in its best interest in the Oregon Legislature. Today the Umatilla County Board of Commissioners will vote on becoming a part of the West End Community Development Group in order to achieve that goal. In addition to the county, the intergovernmental agreement includes Hermiston, Umatilla, Stanfield, and Echo.
Hermiston Assistant City Manager Mark Morgan said the idea for the group came from Commissioner Dan Dorran about six months ago.
“He was looking to form a group to identify shared goals and objectives and raising those to a higher level with folks in Salem,” Morgan said.
The group began to meet informally after the November election.
“This agreement basically just formalizes an informal group that had been working over the past several months,” Morgan said.
The group will work on those issues under an existing contract between Pac/West, a lobby group for government affairs services, and the city of Hermiston. Under the new agreement, the city of Hermiston and Umatilla County will pay $12,000 a year to Pac/West; Umatilla will pay $6,000; and Echo and Stanfield will each pay $3,000.
