A sign in John Day supports voting to approve a five-year levy to fund the John Day Police Department. The Aug. 17 ballot measure, which required a double majority, failed due to low turnout even though it got more yes votes than no votes.

JOHN DAY — The John Day City Council has voted to suspend the city’s police department starting at midnight, Oct. 31.

The unanimous vote came on Tuesday, Oct. 12, in the face of what city officials say is an insurmountable budget shortfall.

The decision follows a failed ballot measure last summer that would have raised enough money to fund the department for the next five years. The proposed local option levy actually attracted more yes votes (284) than no votes (169). But the Aug. 17 special election required a double majority for the levy to pass — a majority of votes cast plus a majority of registered voters casting ballots — and a low turnout doomed the measure.

The council referred the measure to the voters after determining that the city did not have enough money to continue funding police services and still balance its budget.

The city has asked for an agreement with Grant County to provide law enforcement services within the city limits through the Sheriff’s Office, but no agreement has yet been reached. There’s also a chance the department could be revived if federal grant funding comes through (see related story on Page 1).

Suspending the Police Department was just one item on a busy City Council agenda at Tuesday’s meeting. In other business, the council voted to:

• Approve a land exchange agreement with the Culley family to allow construction of a trail between the Seventh Street Sports Complex and the new Hill Family Park.

• Sell four lots at the Airport Industrial Park for $112,000 to Burnt River Farms, a diversified cannabis company that also recently received Planning Commission approval to open a dispensary on South Canyon Boulevard.

• Renew the city’s franchise agreement with Clark’s Disposal for waste hauling and recycling services for the next 10 years. The new deal will run through May 23, 2031.

• Amend the financing agreement for the new water reclamation facility.

• Accept a $60,000 state grant to pay for planning and engineering for a project to build affordable housing using 3D-printed concrete construction. The cities of Burns and Lakeview, which have similar plans, joined John Day in the grant application. The city of John Day is partnering with Alquist 3D and ECONorthwest in the project. The first phase would involve the construction of 10 to 12 dwelling units in The Ridge development to provide affordable housing for disabled veterans and other disadvantaged groups.

• Accept a $1 million state grant to finance site improvements adjacent to the new Kam Wah Chung Interpretive Center, which the state plans to build on the site of Gleason Park and Gleason Pool. The state is in the process of purchasing the park land from the city.

The council also heard a presentation from Straw to Gold, a Portland firm that is developing a marketing campaign for the city. Principals Benjamin Ariff and Adam Mefford said they hope to have their new “Discover John Day” website up and running by March.