I
Salem scene
Von Braschler, Gen. Monager
Caroline Du«, O«ice Manager
Agency reduces
bankruptcies
John Kline, Editor
Mark Floyd. Stott R eporter
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Sondy Oregon 970 5 5 Second clo*» postage paid at Sondy Oregon
668 5548
by Jack Zimmerman
Associated Oregon Industries
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I
I!
No
Sandy Post. Sandy, Oregon 97055
25
Thurs., June 22, 1978
Jarvis-Gann Goes National
We’ve h e ard a lot about
Proposition 13 in California and the
resultant efforts to get something
sim ilar on the ballot here in
Oregon.
But what about other states?
How goes the battle there?
In Washington, voters instituted
a 1 per cent tax limitation several
years ago. They also have removed
the sales tax from food items not
purchased at a restaurant. Hence,
we doubt if a Jarvis-Gann response
is likely there just now.
In Idaho, sufficient signatures
already have been gathered to
place a tax-cut initiative on the
November ballot. As a result, Gov.
John E v an s is draw ing up
blueprints to meet the expected
decline in state revenue.
In Montana, voters approved a
$30 million rollback in state
property tax levels several years
ago. Those cutbacks still are being
implemented.
In Utah, voters have until July 7
to gather sufficient signatures to
get an initiative on this y ear’s
ballot. Passage seems likely.
And in a move clearly influenced
by Jarvis-Gann, the House of
Representatives in Washington,
D.C., last week voted to ban cost-of-
living raises for congressmen,
judges and other federal officials
earning more than $47,500 per y e ar.
Congressional expense allowances
also were cut 5 percent.
H allelu jah , th e p o litician s
already a re getting the message!
GO EAST, OLD MAN...GO EAST!
f /i/Zin
Take a Look at Parking
We heartily agree with recom
mendations that the Memorial
Coliseum’s seating capacity be
expanded by another 4,500 seats.
This would bring total capacity to
about 17,000 seats and would
provide badly needed additional
space for the Portland Trail
Blazers and other attractions.
However, we hope that some
attention is paid to the need for
additional parking which, in our
view, is just as acute as more
seating.
Twice this last season, we missed
the entire first quarter of a Blazer
basketball game. We were outside
the stadium , circling round and
round the block, hoping the parking
lots would squeeze in a few more.
Other times, we did the sam e
round-and-round routine but found
a place sooner. And getting out of
the parking lots always is a
problem.
There isn't much unused land
around the Coliseum, but there is
some. We hope the E-R Com
mission takes a long look a t its
acquisition for more parking.
‘Irresponsible’ reaction
To the Editor:
Bob Hawley’s letter to the
editor in the June 15 Post
presents us with a classic
case of irresponsible citizen
reaction to growth. Let’s
consider a couple of points.
Mr. Hawley is against the
Beaverton style “ urban
sprawl,” but he is also
against the well-considered
and thoughful steps being
taken by the Sancy city
council to provide for an
International Knowledge
While traveling in Europe last
sum m er, we w ere surprised at how
knowledgeable people were about
affairs in the United States.
And most other countries, too.
By contrast, the average US
citizen knows very little about
overseas politics. He reads less
than one column of international
news daily. If he prefers television,
no more than 2 percent is devoted
to international affairs — the
lowest average of 100 nations
recently surveyed by UNESCO.
U S. media today have fewer
overseas correspondents than at
any tim e since World War II. To
serve 1,774 daily newspapers, 935
TV channels .and 7,500 radio
stations, we have 429 American
staff correspondents
There are other distressing
signs.
F o reig n
lan g u ag e
enrollment is dropping at all levels.
Less than 1 percent of college
students are taking courses which
feature international affairs. A
recent survey of U.S. high school
freshmen ranked them high in
knowledge of local, state and
national affairs but next to last in
world affairs.
So what? So we cannot be an
island unto ourselves.
Obviously, happenings in some
obscure com er of Africa or the
Middle East could explode into
world headlines tomorrow. We’re
being short-changed by a media
system and an educational system
which, with tunnel vision, focus
only on the good old USA.
Better Read Small Print
In the explanatory m atter ac
companying the Mt. Hood Com
munity College levy in the June 27
election is this statem ent:
“ The Board calculates at this
time that there will be no increase
in the current tax rate of $2.20 per
$1,000 of assessed valuation.
Therefore, the total tax on a $30,000
home, if valued the same as the
current year, will be $66 or less.’’
The key phrase, of course, is “ if
valued at the same as the current
year.” How many property owners
in the Mt. Hood district have the
same valuation as last year?
Our guess: zero.
Estim ates are that the district
overall had a 14 percent increase
from the assessor’s office. Some
valuation went as high as 33 per
cent.
Thanks to the assessor’s office,
no one’s valuation stays the same.
Plenty of Jobs
In any listing of overcrowded
fields, you usually find teaching,
engineering, law and journalism.
Only as far as journalism is
concerned, there are abundant
openings if you have the right
background.
And by the “ right background,”
we don’t mean the news writing
end of the business. We mean
advertising and circulation
News jobs are in extremely short
supply. The number of writers
being turned out by the nation’s
universities far exceeds the n e e d ..
Advertising and circulation are
T o Tho_ T T d i t ö r }
something else. Advertising jobs
are much easier to find, circulation
still easier. A recent compilation
by a state press association showed
45 would-be w riters listed in its
“ Work Wanted” file, eight ad
vertising men, and not a single
circulation-type.
M any y o u n g sters e n terin g
college are interested in jour
nalism, but almost inevitably the
news end. Just a word of advice: If
you aim your studies at an ad
vertising or circulation career,
you’ll be a whole lot more em
ployable four years hence
organized
and
orderly
growth.
*
His alternate solution for
the “concerned citizens of
Sandy” is to vote down all
tax measures and bond
issues in an effort to stop
growth and to elect officials
who whill work toward that
end.
Unfortunately, this ostrich
approach to the problem just
won’t work because there are
several things that we have
no control
over.
For
example:
1) We cannot vote against
people having children;
2) We cannot vote against
children who have the in
solence to grow up and need
housing;
3) We cannot vote against
the
n atu ral preference
people have for a rural
setting. After all, we prefer
it, don’t we?
In other words, people are
going to come to Sandy
whether we vote for them to
do so or not.
But the most upsetting part
of M r. Hawley’s letter was
his treatment of the mem
bers of city council. It is true
that four of the seven
members are businessmen.
But why being a responsible
and respected businessman
should make one unfit for
leading the affairs of the city
escapes me. To accuse them
of stimulating city growth for
personal gain is unthinkable
because an increase in the
population will result in an
increase in businesses and
more competition.
We cannot stop growth nor
can we vote it down. The best
we can hope to do is control
and direct it so that we can
maintain the lifestyle we
have come to love.
The politicians who at
tempt to do this deserve our
support and applause, not
suspicious castigation.
Growth is a normal and
healthy process in our bodies
as well as our city. It is the
cancer
of uncontrolled
growth that we must work
against.
A.F. Rend
Sandy
Taxes fo r kids
To the Editor:
What is the Sandy Union
High School rate levy
election for?
For kids, yours and mine;
and for a good educational
system which isn’t perfect
but is improving every day.
Also it is the only alternative
we have for financing
schools.
L e t’s not punish our
children
because
our
legislature hasn’t been able
to come up with a better
financing plan for schools
(although they can legislate
many
rules
and
requirements which cost all
of us more money).
One myth that has been
widely publicized is the 40
percent state school support.
Don’t believe it, as it is a
complicated formula set up
at the state level with union
high schools coming out on
the short end. The district
received only 27.4 percent
from the state general fund
in 1977 78
Why?
Because i t ’s a good
budget; because I ’ve worked
hard on it as have all other
members of the budget
com m ittee
and
ad
ministration staff; because I
check the bills and I see a
high level of accountability
as w ell as many im
provements in the ac
counting procedures.
Also because we w ill
continue to go through a
thorough budgeting process
which allows unlim ited
input from citizens at
hearings and meetings (Our
agenda clearly states and
allows for citizens par
ticipatimn and input). In the
two years I have served on
the board, no one has asked
for specific cuts although
there have been several
requests
for additional
programs
What is it?
We’re proposing a three
year serial levy which will
establish a rate of 15 76 per
thousand each year This will
finance the operating budget
your budget com m ittee
praaents through meetings
and hearings. Your school
will be able to operate under
defined limits for the next
three years which will give
stability to the programs
offered.
The Sandy area will not be
physically reappraised by
the county in the next three
years so the assessed value
on property should not, in
that period of time, show
unusual increases.
Figure it out!
Our budget represents
about a 10.7 percent increase
over last year. We have a 10
percent increase in Sandy
students each year and with
increased building in Sandy
it could easily be more
students. This alone should
make our budget go up a like
amount to educate these
additional students. (This
does not include the Redland
students which, by the way,
will not be accepted after
1979).
We also very much feel the
effects of inflation. Teachers
negotiate a tough contract.
Insurance as an example is
going out of sight, and we’re
lucky to get one bid One
liability insurance we must
buy went from $700 to $7,000
in one year We must pay the
increased social security
benefits and much, much
more required by law.
With all this in mind I think
we re doing a good job
keeping the budget at the
level we have. It represents
many cuts from what
departments would liked to
. have had next year.
There is so much more I
could say Suggestions for
making things better, more
information and help to the
citizen to understand that
this system of schools is
everyone's
responsibility.
(Is n 't
that
one
thing
everyone thinks the schools
should teach — respon
sibility?)
Schools are your most
valuable public agency and
also the most efficient
I know property taxes
aren't fair I know it’s hard to
understand I know there is
no free lunch I know the
people you elected to the
board are trying to do a good
job in watching out for your
interest within the limits of
the law.
If you’re dissatisfied with
the system, make your voice
heard in other ways that
might be much more e f
fective and not punish
children in the process. I will
be glad to answer questions
about the serial levy and to
help people gain satisfaction
with their concerns. I ’m sure
other board members feel
the same as I do in this
another.
Only a few people associate the term with the
merchants they do business with every day. But the
number is growing. And it’s growing because business
people in Oregon are performing an outstanding
example of what the term really means as far as
providing protection for the buying public.
It started here about a dozen years ago when a
number of businessmen were discussing the state s
steadily advancing number of personal bankruptcies.
At stake, of course, were business losses. Those losses
were driving up the cost of doing business and pushing
prices upward as merchants tried to cover the losses.
More significant, however, were the tragedies oc
curing among families forced to seek bankruptcy as a
final resort.
One recalled hearing of a non-profit counseling
service in Columbus, Ohio, aimed at alleviating the
problem. Investigation provided enough information to
interest the group in starting a similar service here
And after signing a personal note to provide initial
funding, Consumer Credit Counseling Service of
Oregon became a going concern.
In essence, CCCS is designed to help people help
themselves. Its major services range from basic
counseling about family money problems to a com
prehensive debt retirement program. It also provides
speakers and assistance in planning programs con
cerning money management for schools, churches and
other groups and has assisted in developing classroom
courses on family finances.
Any person with debt problems is eligible to use
CCCS services. Appointments can be made by
telephone and there is no obligation or charge for
advice and counseling. A modest fee is charged if a
fam ily wishes to have CCCS provide the formal debt
retirement program. But even that is waived in hard
ship cases.
Proof of the movement’s success is evident from the
fact nearly 20,000 Oregon families have turned to CCCS
for help since 1967 and the trend toward bankruptcy
has been markedly reversed during the same period.
In fact, CCCS authorities report there has been a 25
per cent decline in the total number of Oregon
bankruptcies since the first office opened in Portland.
Other figures are equally impressive. In the past 11
years the service has counseled 20,349 families with
debts of more than $37 million — not including real
estate mortgages. And through its debt retirement
programs, CCCS has been instrumental in distributing
more than $17 million to creditors directly.
During its first year in Portland, CCCS counseled 800
families with $2,354,000 in debts and managed,
repayment of $143,564. It has continued to serve close
to 2,000 families each year since and in 1977 counseled
1,983 clients with debts totaling $3,277,910 and managed
repayment of $1,816,700 to creditors.
But most satisfying to CCCS officials and its sup
porters are files literally bulging with letters from now
happier and more productive families that have
avoided the heartbreak and humiliation of bankruptcy,
bankruptcy.
Funding for CCCS continues to come prim arily from
the original source — contributions from the business
community itself. No tax money is involved. About
two-thirds of the annual budget is provided by
donations and the balance stems from fees charged
when CCCS takes over a fam ily’s finances and
manages them until solvency is achieved.
From its beginning in Portland, CCCS today is
available in most of the more densely populated areas
of the state. Counselors from the Portland office travel
regularly to Hood River, The Dalles and Astoria to visit
clients who make appointments through local
chambers of commerce.
Other offices have been established independently in
Bend, Coos Bay-North Bend, Eugene, Grants Pass,
Medford, Roseburg, Albany, and Salem. Counselors
from Medford also serve Klamath Falls.
And as CCCS begins the second year of its second
decade in Oregon, it’s a safe bet former clients are
among the growing number of individuals who
recognize business also is involved in protecting
consumers.
respect.
TYiis letter reflects my
personal opinions and very
strong feelings on the subject
of funding for the Sandy
Union High School. I hope it
will allow people to better
understand the issue in
volved.
Ginny Brewster
Parent,
School board member
Taxpayer
. Sandy
MHCC
registration
open
Summer registration of
the first five-week session at
M t.
Hood
Community
College will continue through
Friday
Late
registration
for
summer classes meeting in a
10-week session w ill be
available through June 30.
More than 400 summer
classes are offered in five-
and ten-week sessions Both
evening and day classes are
available
Registration for the second
five-week session will be
July 24, with classes for
personal interest
The
MHCC
summer
schedule includes vocational -
technical classes, lower
division transfer classes,
d e v e lo p m e n ta l
s k ills
program, and classes for
personal interest
I
City serial levy
To the Editor:
This Tuesday (June 27),
voters in Sandy will be asked
by the Sandy City Council to
vote on a three-year serial
levy in the amount of $4 02
per
thousand
for
the
operating costs of the city for
the period of 1978-79 through
1980-81.
There are two basic
reasons for this request
(1) To fix a tax-rate for
$4 02 for the next three years.
This
accomplishes two
things: (a) You'!! know that
operating expenses cannot
exceed this rate, and (b) the
new growth in construction
will pick up its full share of
the cost of services as the
city's valuation increases.
(2) To give the city the
ability to plan ahead, over a
three-year period, based on
the projections of growth and
the monies generated by that
growth. Right now, city
government could be termed
“ management by crisis,”
strictly reactive! This is not
a
good
management
philosophy, and I ’m sure that
city council would prefer that
this not be our mode of
operation.
I would like to point out
that your city has reduced its
tax-rate from $1163 per
thousand in 1974-75 to $4.57 in
*77-'78 through a combination
of both good management
and increased valuation in
the growth of the com
munity.
Back in September of 1976,
when we passed the bond
issue on Alder Creek, we
indicated that the full impact
of the cost of this bond
would be felt in ’78-’79 and we
estimated $6.25 would be the
rate. Since then we have also
passed a General Obligation
Bond on our community
center which has its first
interest impact in ’78-’79.
Again, I break down for
you the total $6.50 per
thousand rate into three
categories (1 ) tax base
$11,142 or $35 per thousand
(2) debt service of $66,974
each $2.13 per thousand and
(3) operating cost of the city
each $126,198 or $4 02 per
thousand, which is what we
are requesting on a tbree-
year serial levy at a fixed
rate.
The City of Sandy and its
citizens are progressive, and
are thinking toward the
future of a planned growth
community.
Unfortunately
we cannot do this without
funds I respectfully ask on
behalf of the city council and
myself your support at the
polls on June 27, 1978.
Paul F Helton
Sandy City Manager