4
letters to the editor/community bulletin board
october1
2015
Readers Lend Their Voices...
To the Editor,
WOEC Rate Increase, rev. 2015: Or,
HELP WANTED, TWO NEW BOARD
MEMBERS!
WOEC hosted this year’s rate
increase meeting at the Vernonia Fire
Station Wednesday night (09/16/15).
You may recall two years ago
we filled the WOEC Board room and
office lobby to capacity and they may
have sought to avoid a repeat of that
event. That year they raised our rates
over 15% despite our pleading and their
initial announced intentions to limit the
increase to 13%, with the promise that
they would not have to raise them again
soon as that would allow them to “build
up a reserve.”
So this year Bob Perry told us
they were going to raise the rates 6% and
the only thing left to be determined was
how much of the rate increase would
be covered by an increase in the base
rate, over which we have no control,
vs. the consumption charge, which we
can partially avoid by simply using less
electricity. Other than that, the decision
was already made. And so which option
did they choose at their meeting Tuesday,
September 22? Both; they raised
both! So now the average residential
“member” will be paying 7.37% more
each month; or on average, over $10/
month more. They raised the base
rate from $37/mo. to $39/mo., and the
to everyone who stopped by
during our Grand Opening
and especially to Sharon and
Allison from John L. Scott and
Out On a Limb for the flowers.
Darlene and Bob
The Rusty Nail
805 Bridge Street
consumption rate from $0.1385/KWH
to $0.1468/KWH. The average WOEC
residential member uses 1055 KWH per
month. (And though I heat with a heat-
pump, my bills average less than 700
KWH/mo. Conservation works!)
So why, we asked, do we need
another rate increase? The BPA raised
their rates to WOEC by about 7% and
that should reflect itself in an increase
of our rates of less than 2%; so why
6%? “The weather was too good last
spring,” explained Bob Perry, facilities
manager. This sounds like the lament
of the alcoholic who explains he only
drinks when he’s sad, except when he’s
so happy he wants to celebrate. Yup, the
weather was too good (warm). Had they
foreseen this calamity they could have
raised our rates 21% last go-round.
Well, not to be too glib. We
(WOEC) ran short of revenues because,
so they say, we sold too little electricity.
I’m sure our mild spring had something
to do with it, but I’m more inclined to
think we all used less electricity because
they raised the rates so high in 2013
that everyone started looking for areas
in which to conserve. The demand
logically goes down when the price goes
up. Their raising the rates yet again this
year can only serve to exacerbate that
phenomenon. To avoid this death spiral
I’m afraid next time they will simply
move nearly all of our charges to the
base rate so our attempts to conserve
will be futile (like the Vernonia water
bill!).
At this point it serves no purpose
to beat any dead horses or try to explain
how they got us into this fix. But I have
to say, when they first found themselves
standing in a hole, shovel in hand, it
should have been abundantly clear how
they got there. And when one finds
themself in a hole, for the love of might
– QUIT DIGGING!
Unless the Board members
put down their shovels and prudently
remove themselves by next spring,
we will have no choice but to start
methodically replacing the Board.
And there’s no guarantee that once we
accomplish that we’ll be any better off;
but we have to try something. I ’ v e
tried talking to them but you see how
well that’s worked. Next summer’s will
Columbia Humane Society
Featured Pet
Meet Duke!
Duke came to the shelter as a stray.
He is a great dog and just needs to
have room to run and play. It has been
proven that he does not do well with
cats and he can be reactive to other
dogs while on leash. He is going to
need a family that is willing to do some
training with him. He is very smart and
in general a neat guy. He weighs-in
right around 70 lbs and is about 2
years old. This handsome boy will
romp in the yard with you on these
great fall days, and will protect you by the fire on our long winter nights.
As always for any questions please don't hesitate to call or email.
Web: www.columbiahumane.org
Phone: 503-397-4353
2084 Oregon Street
Email:
animalwelfare@columbiahumane.org
St. Helens, OR 97051
be a particularly important election as
we get to replace the Board President
and Vice President, respectively,
from District 2 now served by Robert
VanNatta (since 1986), and District 5
now served by Bob Paleck. We need
two sharp and energetic volunteers to
fill these positions. And I recognize,
doing any better than the incumbents
is not going to be very easy. These are
two sharp people. But we must try; for
the status quo simply isn’t working.
Time to quit digging.
I, for one, am quite tired of
paying nearly three times more for our
electricity than the average Oregon
Co-Op member. On average, we’ll
now pay $100 more each month than
the average Oregon Co-Op member.
Heck, we pay nearly twice as much as
the second worst Co-Op. Our rates are
simply obscene and likely to remain so
until we make some changes.
If you live in either District 2
or District 5 please contact the WOEC
to have your name put on the ballot by
next May. You may have to call the
WOEC office (503) 429-3021 to find
out in which district you live. The map
they provide is a little hard to read,
especially near the district boundaries.
Incidentally, Roseview Heights is in
District 5.
To learn more about this
commitment you can call WOEC. Also,
if you would please, write up a bio-
piece for publishing in the Voice so
we all can learn of your intentions and
qualifications to run an electric utility.
It’s not too early to start thinking about
this. We all will be most grateful for
your service. We need help and thank
you for your consideration.
Nick Galaday
Vernonia
To the Editor,
We are writing to express our
support for Clatskanie police officers
Alex Stone and Zack Gibson. Stepping
forward to report former Police Chief
Marvin Hoover’s racist on-the-job
conduct took a great deal of courage.
This is the kind of exceptional behavior
we hope police will exhibit when they
witness hateful actions from fellow
officers.
The comments and actions
attributed to Hoover are not only
inappropriate but extremely offensive.
It is especially troubling that the Chief
Upcoming
Events
Salmon Festival - Saturday,
October 3, 10:00 am - 6:00 pm at
Hawkins Park. Pumkin carving,
kids trout pond, scarecrow stuffing,
artists, vendors, food, and more.
Timberbound Concert - Friday,
October 9, 7:00 pm at the Grange.
Evening starts with a presentation
of Jenelle Wiggins’ photographs by
Cory Colburn.
Recognizing Child Molesters -
Thursday, October 22, 6:30 pm at
the Cabin in Vernonia, 901 Park
Dr. Presented by Washington
County Sheriffs Office Child Sex
Abuse Detectives.
of Police, an officer who is supposed to
function as a leader and role model for
those on his force, would display such
casual contempt towards members of the
community he has sworn to serve and
protect.
As people living or working
in Columbia County, we seek a
police force that is in touch with our
community and treats everyone fairly
and with dignity. Men and women in
law enforcement take many risks to
keep us safe. However, driven by the
increased visibility of incidents of police
violence throughout the U.S., there is a
growing lack of trust between police and
community members. We are saddened
that headlines coming out of Columbia
County may further contribute to this
nationwide problem.
When police officers refuse to
tolerate unacceptable behavior by their
peers, they send a clear message that
trust between community members and
law enforcement is a top priority. The
public wants to believe that the majority
of police are well intentioned, but we
question how some cops can behave in
deplorable ways without being called
out. We need more officers like Alex
Stone and Zack Gibson, who follow
their conscience and speak up.
People of all backgrounds should
feel safe and welcome in Columbia
County. It is disturbing to hear that these
officers are experiencing harassment
and threats for doing exactly what
accountable police should do. We hope
that Clatskanie and county leaders will
commit to showing that retaliation will
continued on page 11
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Vernonia’s Voice welcomes and requests your thoughts, opinions and ideas. Please include
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will print letters space permitting. Deadline is the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month. Email:
scott@vernoniasvoice.com or mail to: Letters, PO Box 55, Vernonia, OR 97064.
Do You Need Help?
Call for meeting times and locations
Columbia Community
Mental Health
Call 503-397-5211 -or-
1-800-294-5211
For after hours Crisis call:
1-866-866-1426
http://ccmh1.com/crisis.html
Narcotics Anonymous
NW Region
503-345-9839
http://portlandna.com/
Alcohol Anonymous
NW Region
503-366-0667
http://www.pdxaa.com/
