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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (June 12, 2012)
city news At the May 21, 2012 City Council Meeting Council Recognizes Synda Allen for Service—Mayor Josette Mitchell pre- sented a Certificate of Appreciation to Synda Allen for her dedication and commitment during her many years of service to the Vernonia Memorial Cem- etery. The Council took this opportunity to sincerely thank Allen for her loyalty to the City of Vernonia. Allen has re- tired as the caretaker of the cemetery. A reception in honor of Synda and her husband Ray was held prior to the City Council meeting. Council Adjusts Park Host and Park Vendor Agreements—Council ap- proved a request from Councilor Donna Webb to revisit the recently approved Park Host and Park Vendor Agreements and modified both to include a termina- tion date for the agreements. Council Chooses No Change to Traffic Pattern at Anderson Park—Council revisited a request to change the traf- fic flow pattern at Anderson Park, and again chose to make no changes to the current one-way flow of traffic. Vernonia City News... Council Approves Flood Buyout— Council approved the purchase and sale agreement of one additional property and the use of HMGP funds and CDGB funds for this flood acquisition project. june12 2012 5 Council Accepts Financing Plan for School SDC’s—Council approved a proposal from the Vernonia School District for a financing plan for System Development Charges that the School District must pay the City as part of the Council Updates Parks Committee development of the new school campus Resolution—Council approved Resolu- project. The School District and City tion 15-12, which establishes the Parks had previously negotiated a fee assess- Committee and prescribes its powers ment of $139,159, which was an adjust- and duties. Council also passed Resolu- ment down from $261,144—a reduction tion 881 which revised the Parks Rules of $122,985. The School district has proposed paying the fees over four years and Regulations. at an interest rate of 2.25% which would At the June 4, 2012 City Council be three payments of $35,000 and one final payment of $34,159. Council ac- Meeting cepted this plan. Council Adopts 2012-13 Budget, Amends Fee Schedule—Council ap- Council Approves Amendment with proved and adopted the Fiscal Year ODOT—Council approved an Amend- 2012-2013 Budget, with total funds of ment to the Cooperative Agreement 5,082,987. Council also approved a tax between the City and the Oregon De- levy rate of $5.8163 per $1,000 of as- partment of Transportation which was sessed value of taxable property. The signed in February of 2012. The amend- budget takes effect July 1, 2012. Coun- ment allows ODOT to reimburse the cil also approved a Resolution to re- Vernonia School District for eligible ceive state revenue sharing funds. In a costs incurred associated with engineer- separate move Council also amended the ing and road improvements. $185,000 Master Fee Schedule which included an in costs are eligible for reimbursement. increase in the monthly sewer loan re- payment fee from $12 to $31 (See full Council Authorizes Change to City Hall Hours—Council authorized the story on front page) City Administrator to modify the hours of operation for City Hall staff, begin- ning July 1, 2012. (See full story on this page) of Ms. Warren” was echoed by all of the County Commissioners. “Jennifer was a beloved, dedicated and respected staff member of CCMH” said Roland Migchielsen, the Agency’s Director. “And we are working closely with our staff and our clients to provide support and counsel during this difficult time”. The funeral was held on Sunday, June 3rd at 1:00 PM at the St. Helens High School and Jennifer Warren Family Account. The compassion this community and the outlying communities have shown as a result of this tragic event has been so positive and greatly appreciated. For further information regarding donations or other questions, please contact Earl Fisher at 503-397- 4322 or Roland Migchielsen at 503-397- 5277, ext. 201. Council Approves New HRA Plan for Employees—Council approved the es- tablishment of a Health Reimbursement Arrangement plan for employees which was agreed to in recent collective bar- gaining agreements with both employee unions. The plan allows for a tax free contribution account for employees to pay qualified health care expenses. The new plan is expected to save the City over $30,000 in the next fiscal year. Council Approves Re-Appropriation of Funds—Council approved the re- appropriation of funds within the Water Fund, from materials and service line items to personnel services. Payroll Ex- pense was over budget in this fund and the re-appropriation was required to re- main complaint with local budget law. Council Approves Insurance Cover- age for Volunteers—Council approved providing Workers Compensation insur- ance coverage to volunteer workers for the City. Columbia County Expresses Condolences to Warren Family The Columbia County Commissioners and all County Staff are expressing condolences to the family, friends and co-workers of Jennifer Warren. “Columbia County works closely with the Columbia County Mental Health Department (CCMH) and we were all devastated that this tragic event happened to a dedicated professional”, said Commissioner Earl Fisher. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and co-workers members of CCMH were in attendance along with clients and other community members and friends who worked with Jennifer. The CCMH would like to thank the community for the calls offering support to the family and friends of the Warren Family. An account has been set up by the family at US Bank, where donations can be made to the Window Hours to Change at City Hall The Vernonia City Coun- cil has approved a request from City Administrator Bill Haack to modify the hours of operation at the Vernonia City Hall. Haack made the request at the June 4 City Council meet- ing. Under the new plan , starting July 1, 2012, the window at City Hall will open for public business starting at 11:00 AM, Monday through Friday. The window is currently open at 9:00 AM. The window will continue to close at 5:00 PM, although, under the new plan, it will stay open until 6:00 PM on Monday evenings In his report to Council, Haack noted that he is making the modifications to the hours of operation in order to “increase ef- fectiveness and cost efficiencies” of city staff. Haack said he intends to review the new plan after it has been in place for six months and make adjustments if needed. Vernonia City Council Meetings and Closures City Council Meetings are scheduled for: Monday, June 18, 2012 Tuesday, July 2, 2012 City Closures are scheduled for: Wednesday, July 4, 2012 Monday, September 3, 2012 Dates and times subject to change due to conflicts of schedules For your mortgage purchase and refinancing needs look to U.S. Bank Home Mortgage! Whether you’re looking to purchase a new home or improve your existing home call me today! • Conventional Mortgages • Government FHA and VA Loans • First Time Home Buyer Programs • Home Equity Line of Credit Ron Cole Mortgage Loan Originator • Primary, Secondary Homes and Investment Properties • Construction and Lot Loan Financing* • Jumbo Loans up to $2,000,000* Ask me about our competitive interest rates! (541) 265-2983 ron.cole@usbank.com NMLS # : 222045 *Borrow up to $3,000,000 in California only. Loan approval is subject to credit approval and program guidelines. Interest rate and program terms are subject to change without notice. Not all loan programs are available in all states for all loan amounts. Mortgage products are offered through U.S. Bank National Association. To learn more about U.S. Bank products visit usbank.com Member FDIC 022112-16154 Old, worn out and rusty? Need body work? Call... Meyer’s Auto Body •493 Bridge St• VERNONIA 503-429-0248 VERNONIA PHARMACY Better Service, Less Wait, Same Co-Pay We take Pride in our Quality, Personal service Come on in for your flu shot Call now to Transfer Your Prescriptions! 503-429-0591 Check out our website: www.vernoniarx.com *ONLINE PRESCRIPTION REFILL *PERSONALIZED E-MAIL NEWSLETTERS *DRUG ALERTS AND INFORMATION *AND MUCH MORE Hours of Operation: Mon.-Fri. 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Saturday 9:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. Closed Sunday
