City
Facts
HISTORY
OF THE CITY OF UMATILLA
GOVERNMENT
The City of Umatilla was first incorporated as Umatilla City
on October 24, 1864 with a mayor, five aldermen, recorder,
marshal and treasurer. The first mayor was George Coe. Disincorporation
soon followed in 1866 because the citizens felt it was unnecessary
to have the burden of a municipal government. Reincorporation
took place in 1906 as the City of Umatilla.
The
city charter established a mayor/council form of government.
The mayor is elected at large to serve for four years, to
conduct the monthly council meetings and to officially oversee
the operations of the city.
There
are six council members elected for a four year term. Every
two years there is an election for three council positions.
Council members vie for council seats by numbered position.
The city council sets the policy for the city. Neither the
Mayor nor City Council members are remunerated for serving.
LOCATION
In 1968 the City of Umatilla was moved to higher ground due
to the expected flooding of the townsite due to the building
of the John Day Lock and Dam. The Army Corps of Engineers
acquired the land adjoining the Columbia River and that 130
acre area which did not flood, as expected, is the region
referred to as "Old Town."
The
land at Old Town has been named to the National Register of
Historic Places. Archeological digs have confirmed that an
ancient prehistoric settlement once thrived on the banks of
the Umatilla and Columbia River. In later times, Indian villages
occupied the area. An ancient Indian burial ground remains
on the land still and is protected from relic collectors and
vandals.
The
first archeological dig was conducted in 1965 by a crew from
the University of Oregon. Thousands of relics were found and
are now stored until eventual funding is available to continue
dating and identifying the historic treasures.
In
1970 the Mid Columbia Archeological Society initiated a series
of excavations and in the spring of 1979 an archeological
investigation was conducted by the Washington Archeological
Research Center. The Umatilla site is the largest existent
prehistoric site reported in the State of Oregon.
AMENITIES
The City currently has 5 parks.
- Nugent Park is
a 40 acre site that was acquired through the Bureau of Land
Management by patent in 1962. A boat ramp is situated in the
park area on the shores of the Umatilla River. The covered
fishing dock was built with grant funds and is situated on
Corps property leased by the City.
- Kiwanis Park,
located near the entrance to the McNary area, was developed
with property donated to the City by a private citizen. "
Hash Park in McNary includes a youth baseball/softball field,
picnic tables, parking lot and restroom
- 3rd Street Soccer
Field - A soccer field with parking lot and restroom
- Umatilla Landing
- "A" Street - This small park has a covered gazebo, benches
and access to the Umatilla River. The Umatilla Garden Club
sponsored a Blue Star Memorial and planted a flower garden
at the park.
- Other parks include
2 small parks in the South Hill area, a basketball court located
across from the LDS Church and a tennis court on Walla Walla
Street.
Two cemeteries are
maintained in the City. Pioneer Cemetery on 6th Street is now
fully occupied although most of the gravestones are missing.
The last burial there was in 1984 of a long time employee of
the City, recorder Miriam McKenzie. The newer cemetery, Sunset
Memorial, is situated off of Powerline Road near the LDS Church.
Water is supplied
to the City through the use of four of the five City wells.
They are the Golf Course Well, Intertie Well, McFarland Well,
Port Well and the original city well called the Old River Well
which is not used now. A new sewer plant was built in 1999 and
is operated by the City Wastewater Department. The Umatilla
City Police Department is operated 24 hours a day with the office
being staffed between 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through
Friday. The Fire Department is not a part of the City of Umatilla
but rather is operated by the Umatilla Rural Fire Protection
District.
Bicycle/Pedestrain
trails - There are about 4 miles of trails in the City beginning
in the Port of Umatilla area, winding through McNary, continuing
through the McNary Dam Wildlife area and west along 3rd Street.
The trail begins again at the High School Athletic Complex,
across the Umatilla River and continues up the hill to Power
Line Road and west toward the Umatilla Morrow County line. Plans
for the future include connecting trails up South Hill.
CITY OPERATION
Departments in the City include:
1. Water
2. Sewer
3. Police
4. Streets
5. Cemeteries, Parks
6. Court
7. Library
8. Building
9. Finance
Garbage pick-up is through a franchise agreement with Sanitary
Disposal Service.
REVENUE SOURCES
TO OPERATE THE CITY
The water and sewer departments are funded through user fees.
(Monthly utility billing.)
The street department
gets its revenue through state gasoline tax, and when available,
the City's general fund.
The general fund
makes up the rest of the City's funding. A percentage of property
taxes from the property within the City come to the City's general
fund. This is called our tax base. Our basic tax rate for the
general fund is $2.9191 per thousand dollars and our bonded
indebtedness is around $1.75 per thousand of assessed value.
The total assessed value within the city limits is just over
$124,000,000.
Other revenue comes
from franchise agreements with public utilities, state and federal
revenue sharing, fines and various fees.
PAST
MAYORS OF THE CITY OF UMATILLA
1864......................................GEORGE COE.............................1865
1865................................. DANIEL FRENCH...........................1866
1906......................................R.J. YERXA..................................1912
1913.....................................H.N. DRYER.................................1914
1915..................................E.E. STARCHER..............................1916
1917.............................LAURA J. STARCHER.........................1918
1918.................................STELLA PAULA...............................1920
1921.................................C.F. KNUDSEN................................1923
1923...............................D.R. BROWNELL...............................1928
1929.............................ALEXANDER REID..............................1932
1933..............................BERTHA CHERRY...............................1934
1934.................................J.C. TUCKER....................................1938
1939.......................JEFFERSON A. STEPHENS.......................1948
1949............................PAUL B. FOLLETT................................1950
1950.........................GENE R. WILLIAMS................................1950
1950........................ARCHIE W. EASTON................................1952
1953.....................MORGAN L. WILLIAMS.............................1954
1955.......................ARCHIE W. EASTON................................1960
1961...........................BOB ATTEBURY....................................1962
1963............................WARREN ANEY...................................1964
1965.....................ARTHUR "BUD" DRAPER............................1978
1979............................REGIS KAISER......................................1980
1981..................DONALD D. ARMSTRONG...........................1986
1987........................ALLEN LAMBERT....................................1989
1989.....................TONY VILLANUEVA..................................1990
1991.........................GEORGE HASH........................................2004
2005...........................DAVID TROTT
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