24
Wednesday, March 8, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
CITY: New manager
search is getting
underway
Continued from page 3
the current city manager, and
the consultant will conduct the
semi-finalist interviews the
week of April 24. Background
and reference checks will be
conducted on the finalists.
During the week of May
22, the City will host final-
ist receptions — one for City
staff and one for the general
public. Final interviews will
be conducted by three pan-
els: the Sisters City Council;
active and retired local gov-
ernment administrators; and
key community members.
After all interviews and the
receptions are completed, the
City Council will convene to
review all the findings and
recommendations from the
groups and reach a decision.
The plan is to have the new
manager in place by July 1.
• With the adoption of
Ordinance 474, the City
Council changed its regular
meeting days from the second
and fourth Thursday of each
month to the second and fourth
Wednesdays. For the month of
March, the first Council meet-
ing will still be on the second
Thursday, March 9, and the
new schedule will begin with
the fourth Wednesday, March
22. After that, the Wednesday
schedule will be followed.
The change was made to
reduce the conflicts with other
Central Oregon and Deschutes
County meetings attended by
Sisters councilors.
• In early April, a large
crane will be used to put the
new Creekside Campground
restroom in place. The build-
ing is delivered by truck, all
prefabricated, from the man-
ufacturer. Plumbing will be
hooked up and the combina-
tion restroom/shower building
should be open to the public
by May 1.
• Over the next several
years, there are 72 afford-
able-housing units slated
for Sisters: 17 Habitat for
Humanity single-family resi-
dential (SFR) homes (two
already occupied and others
under construction); seven
SFR homes in Skygate (three
already constructed); and 48
one-, two-, and three-bedroom
apartments coming online in
spring 2018. Each of those
projects represents a consider-
able financial investment on
the part of the City, which has
covered a variety of systems
development charges as well
as providing $250,000 cash
for the apartment complex.
Last year’s City Council had
as one of its primary goals to
encourage more affordable
housing for Sisters and they
made good on that promise.
A portion of the increase in
the transient room tax will
be dedicated to affordable
housing.
• T h e Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n
System Plan (TSP) update
is currently underway, with
a citizen committee study-
ing possible refinements in
the current plan. They will
also explore options for fix-
ing/improving the Locust/
Highway 20 intersection and
out to the eastern city limits.
• The comprehensive study
of the City’s current sewer
and water rate structures by an
independent firm is underway.
Based on the findings of the
study, recommendations will
be made regarding residential
and commercial rates for both
services as well as planning
for future repair and expan-
sion of the systems. The sewer
went online in 2000, and the
rate established at that time
has not changed.
• In recognition of his
being named the Citizen of the
Year at the recent Chamber
of Commerce dinner, Public
Works Director Paul Bertagna
was presented with a small
statuette for the dashboard
of his City truck by the City
Council, who wanted to
acknowledge his recent award.
• Patrick Davenport,
community development
director, reported at the
joint City Council/County
Commission meeting that
he expects approximately
100 single-family residences
to be constructed in 2017.
He also reported that the
City’s arrangement with the
Deschutes County building
department is going well as
everyone learns new things
and the digital process is
refined. The County per-
mit tech is at Sisters City
Hall weekly to accept permit
applications, and plans are
delivered from the City to the
County offices for review.
Davenport applauded the high
level of professionalism by
County staff.
• The Sisters Ranger
District requested a letter
of support from the Parks
Advisory Board for their
proposal to the Recreational
Trails Program to relocate the
Peterson Ridge trailhead. It
will be moved 800 feet out-
side the city limits on County
Road 26 and the trailhead on
Tyee in the Buck Run neigh-
borhood will be closed, boul-
dering the access from Tyee
and removing the kiosk. The
new trailhead will not include
a toilet, as the new restroom
at Village Green Park is only
a quarter-of-a-mile away. The
new trailhead will provide
parking and a kiosk. At some
future date, a toilet might be
added at the Whychus Creek
overlook parking lot, which
currently has a port-a-potty.
• On July 1, charges at all
landfills will be increased $5
per ton, in order to generate
funds for the future purchase
of a new Deschutes County
landfill site or to find a new
method of processing the solid
waste. The increase is esti-
mated to generate $750,000
per year. Over the past five
years, there has been a 41 per-
cent decrease in the tonnage
flow to the landfill, which
has impacted future plans.
The $5 increase to the haulers
will probably be reflected in
increases of 50 to 75 cents per
month for garbage pickup. For
loads taken to the landfills,
there will probably be a $1
increase from $11 to $12 per
load. To impose the increase
to monthly bills, haulers will
have to seek approval of the
City.
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Indictment handed up
in bonfire-related crash
Last week a Deschutes
County Grand Jury returned
an indictment charging Shawn
William Seagraves Hall with
injuring four people in a car
crash that occurred on August
13.
Seagraves Hall, a 24-year-
old resident of Redmond, was
charged with one count of
assault in the second degree,
three counts of assault in the
third degree, four counts of
recklessly endangering with
a motor vehicle, one count
of reckless driving, and one
count of driving under the
influence of intoxicants.
According to the Deschutes
County District Attorney’s
Office, Hall and friends were
at a bonfire party in east
Deschutes County. Hall alleg-
edly drank alcohol then drove
away from the party with four
passengers. He was traveling
on the Powell Butte Highway
and at the T-intersection
with Highway 20 his vehicle
crossed over Highway 20 and
crashed. Hall’s four passen-
gers were injured.
“We have a bonfire party
culture in our local youth com-
munity that has to end,” said
Deschutes County District
Attorney John Hummel. “We
need to impress upon our kids
that driving 20 miles out of
town to drink in the middle of
nowhere puts them and their
friends at risk of injury and
death.”
Bail was set by the court
at $50,000. Seagraves Hall
posted security and is thus
out of custody during the
pendency of this case. The
DA’s office emphasized that
he is presumed innocent and
has the opportunity to con-
test these allegations starting
at his next court hearing on
April 10.
Paying Off Debts
or Investing?
If you’re just starting out in your career, you will need to be prepared
to face some fi nancial challenges along the way – but here’s one that’s not
unpleasant: choosing what to do with some extra disposable income. When
this happens, what should you do with the money? Your decisions could
make a real diff erence in your ability to achieve your important fi nancial
goals.
Under what circumstances might you receive some “found” money? You
could get a year-end bonus from your employer, or a sizable tax refund,
or even an inheritance. However the money comes to you, don’t let it “slip
through your fi ngers.” Instead, consider these two moves: investing the mon-
ey or using it to pay off debts.
Which of these choices should you pick? Th ere’s no one “right” answer,
as everyone’s situation is diff erent. But here are a few general considerations:
Distinguish between “good” and “bad” debt.
Not all types of debt are created equal. Your mortgage, for example, is prob-
ably a “good” form of debt. You’re using the loan for a valid purpose – i.e.,
living in your house – and you likely get a hefty tax deduction for the inter-
est you pay. On the other hand, nondeductible consumer debt that carries a
high interest rate might be considered “bad” debt – and this is the debt you
might want to reduce or eliminate when you receive some extra money. By
doing so, you can free up money to save and invest for retirement or other
goals.
Compare making extra mortgage payments vs. investing.
Many of us get some psychological benefi ts by making extra house pay-
ments. Yet, when you do have some extra money, putting it toward your
house may not be the best move. For one thing, as mentioned above, your
mortgage can be considered a “good” type of debt, so you may not need to
rush to pay it off . And from an investment standpoint, your home is some-
what “illiquid” – it’s not always easy to get money out of it. If you put your
extra money into traditional investments, such as stocks and bonds, you may
increase your growth potential, and you may gain an income stream through
interest payments and dividends.
Consider tax advantages of investing.
Apart from your mortgage, your other debts likely won’t provide you
with any tax benefi ts. But you can get tax advantages by putting money
into certain types of investment vehicles, such as a traditional or Roth IRA.
When you invest in a traditional IRA, your contributions may be deduct-
ible, depending on your income, and your money grows on a tax-deferred
basis. (Keep in mind that taxes will be due upon withdrawals, and any
withdrawals you make before you reach 59½ may be subject to a 10% IRS
penalty.) Roth IRA contributions are not deductible, but your earnings are
distributed tax-free, provided you don’t take withdrawals until you reach
59½ and you’ve had your account at least fi ve years.
Clearly, you’ve got some things to ponder when choosing whether
to use “extra” money to pay off debts or invest. Of course, it’s not al-
ways an “either-or” situation; you may be able to tackle some debts
and still invest for the future. In any case, use this money wisely – you
weren’t necessarily counting on it, but you can make it count for you.
This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.