Ellie McBride, Pendleton City Councilor

10/22/2026

Let’s talk about the city budget and the Fire Levy on the ballot 💰👩‍🚒

When the Fire & EMS Levy comes up, one of the most frequent questions I've been getting is: "Why can't the City just find the money somewhere else in the budget?"

It’s a completely logical question! But here is the reality of our current financial system:

- Public Safety is Expensive: Pendleton's General Fund is about $23.2 million, and over half of it is already dedicated to Police and Fire. Between inflation, state retirement costs (PERS), and updates to medical and family leave laws, the baseline cost of keeping our first responders on the job has increased a great deal.

- We Already Made Cuts: We didn't just maintain the status quo this year. To balance the budget, we made painful reductions across essential departments like Parks, the Building Department, and the Municipal Court. We reassigned staff, dropped economic development contracts, and squeezed every efficiency we could find just to get costs under control.

- The Budget is Scoured by Citizens: The city budget isn't drafted in a vacuum. Our Budget Committee is made up of equal parts City Councilors and regular citizen volunteers. Together, that group goes through the budget line-by-line, with a fine-tooth comb, ensuring every single dollar is accounted for.

We are walking a tight financial rope right now. There unfortunately isn't a big pot of money to simply be moved around to fully fund the Fire & EMS to the level of need we're seeing.

Don't just take my word for it! You can review the exact numbers yourself on the City’s OpenBook Budget Tool:

Make your data beautiful, understandable, and accessible to the world.

10/19/2026

Over the past week or so, I’ve gotten to be a part of some great things that our community has to offer (and be a resource where I can)!

1. The local blood drive
2. My monthly office hour
3. A gorgeous morning with my dog at Pendleton Adventure Trails Official
4. Cleaning our my bed after a successful growing season at Pendleton Community Garden

Looking forward to all of our indoor activities as it grows colder and going to the new ice skating rink!

10/17/2026

Six months after submitting an application to the National Park Service, Pendleton has been named Oregon's American World War II Heritage City , largely because of the impact of Eastern Oregon Regional Airport at Pendleton

Read more at www.pendletonor.gov/bc-hpc/page/national-park-service-designates-pendleton-american-world-war-ii-heritage-city

Read more about the NPS American Heritage City Program at https://www.nps.gov/subjects/worldwarii/americanheritagecity.htm

Photo credit: Howdyshell, B. (1941, August). Pendleton Field [Photograph]. Oregon Historical Society Research Library (OrHi71475). Oregon History Project. https://www.oregonhistoryproject.org/articles/historical-records/pendleton-field/

10/16/2026

Happy Farmers market Friday!! The last one of the season 😭

Come join us & enjoy the fantastic music of Kupenga Marimba 🎶

We’d like to thank each & every person, vendor, & volunteer who make our market as great as it is! A huge shout out to our amazing Market Manager, Cheryl, for being the glue that holds us all together! And to our Market Assistants, Sanee and Parker, as well as our President, Hal & our Market Board! It takes a village & we are already looking forward to another awesome season! Until next time…🤩

10/16/2026

Last week I had the chance to tour some of the buildings being renovated in our downtown area.

I’m always grateful for the people who choose to invest in creating more opportunities and vibrancy in our community!

10/15/2026

Pendleton School District is looking for:

✅ Parents and guardians
✅ Community members and local business owners
✅ People with finance, construction, or design experience
✅ Students who will be juniors or seniors in 2026–27

Learn more in their linked post!

Note: Committee members must be a resident of the district and may not represent any vendor, contractor or consultant of the school district. Completed applications must be received no later than 4:00 pm, Friday, October 30, 2026. If you have any questions, please contact us at 541-276-6711 or email...

10/11/2026

Here's how to make sure you're ready to vote.
https://mrf.lu/28pYY

10/11/2026

🔥 The city burn ban is being lifted, and the county burn ban has already been lifted.

We’re returning to the burn-line system. Before burning, please call the appropriate number to confirm whether it is an approved burn day:

📍 **Outside city limits:** Call the County Burn Line at **541-278-6397**

📍 **Inside city limits:** Call the City Burn Line at **541-966-0327**

Please burn only on approved days and follow all current requirements and restrictions. Thank you for helping keep our community safe!

10/08/2026

As you gear up to vote again in November, I want to make sure you have all the details to make an informed choice for yourself and your loved ones (my goal of radical transparency in action).

So let’s talk data 📈

If you've been reading up on the Fire & Ambulance Levy, you've probably wondered: Why are 911 calls up 64% since 2018 when our population hasn't grown that much?

Some assume this is entirely driven by homelessness and addiction. While those are contributing factors, the data we've heard from our firefighters tells a more complex story about how emergency services operate today:

🚑 The Post-COVID Shift:

The way people use 911 has fundamentally changed. We are seeing a generational shift where folks are much more likely to call 911 for minor medical issues. And here is the catch: our crews can't say no. They have to respond to every single call, keeping them constantly on the road.

📋 Staffing Pressures:

Updates to how parental and medical leave benefits mean we simply need a deeper bench of personnel to ensure the station is fully staffed when our responders take time to care of themselves and their families.

🙌 A Step in the Right Direction:

Local government is about solving problems from all sides. To help manage this specific issue, the City is launching a Community Paramedic Program! Instead of sending a fire engine to a non-emergency, our Community Paramedic will proactively help frequent callers manage their health and connect with local resources.

You can read more about it here: https://www.applevalleynewsnow.com/news/pendleton-fire-and-ambulance-launches-new-community-paramedic-program-to-ease-call-volume/article_25feb840-ae31-4c85-945b-8c70eae57e28.html

The Community Paramedic should lighten the call load a little, but it won't solve all of our staffing shortages. Measure 30-177 is still something that should be carefully considered by voters. Get all the facts here: https://www.pendletonor.gov/fire/page/operational-levy

📌 Please share this post! I know it’s a lot of information, but doing the homework is how we make the best decisions for Pendleton!

A message from IAFF Local 2296.

We’ve seen the recent discussion surrounding Pendleton’s public safety levy, and we understand the concerns being raised about taxes, City spending, and how public funds are used.

IAFF Local 2296 does not control City budgeting or political decisions. Our responsibility is to represent the firefighters and paramedics providing emergency services to this community, and the need for additional staffing and operational support remains very real.

These challenges are not unique to Pendleton. Our brothers and sisters at Local 2752 (Umatilla County Fire District #1) are also asking their community to consider a local-option levy this November to support staffing and emergency operations.

We respect that every voter has to decide what is best for their household and community. We encourage people to ask questions, review the available information, and make the decision they believe is right.

Regardless of the outcome, firefighters and paramedics across our county will continue showing up and serving their communities with the resources available to them.