Thursday February 5,1981
Page 2 — Vernonia Freedom
Reader questions future of natural gas funds windfall
To the Editor:
The discovery of natural gas in
Columbia County could have created
a tremendous windfall for Columbia
County’s
present
and
future
taxpayers if managed properly.
It also created some potential
financial and physical pitfalls and
gross inequities in distribution of the
newfound funds for Columbia County
and its private and corporate citizens.
I attempted to point out early in
1980 to the county commissioners
they possessed all the tools to create
the former and alleviate the latter,
they a^ usual chose not to listen.
Instead, in their rush to get their hot
little hands on the money, they have
squandered taxpayer’s funds to hire
experts to help bungle the job
completely.
Judging by what few facts that
have been published, I would bet
Columbia County has received and is
PUBLIC FORUM
in the process of distributing and
spending 35 to 50 percent of all
known gas revenue expected. It
Thoughts offered on sewage problem
To the Editor:
In response to the recent front page
articles on the sewer lagoon, I offer
the following thoughts. '
It is easy to place the blame on the
Public Works Department, I know, I
do it frequently, myself.
Mr. Burright of the sewer
committee, appears to be quite
concerned about the problem. I just
find it strange that a non-resident of
Columbia County, (not to mention, a
non-resident of Vernonia. Granted he
is an absentee property owner and
landlord.) is the one who brings this
problem to the public, via the press.
The real blame for the public works
deficiencies should be put squarely on
the shoulders of the person
responsible, which incidentally is not
Roy Sanders, who tries to do a big job
with little money.
The person to blame is “THE
VOTER”, regardless of whether they
voted or not. The total blame lies
squarely on the citizens who won’t,
usually through lack of involvement,
make the elected officials do the job
they were elected to do, and won’t
give these same elected officials the
money to do the job with.
Jerry Sanders
Vernonia Control
Council member defends sewage lagoon
To the Editor:
Due to the sensationalism of the
recent articles in the Freedom
concerning the sewer overflow into
the Nehalem, I felt compelled to
respond. I feel the public is entitled to
more than half-truths, innuendo and
suposition.
I find it strange that the DEQ
grants you information concerning
the condition of the water in the
Nehalem being dangerous when they
haven’t told the city. Also, how do
you know the overflow is due to “rain
and leakage in the city sewer
system”? Also, it is not true that
storm drains on new constructions
are connected to the sewer.
These are all minor points. What
I’m really concerned about is the
impression you are giving the public
that we, the city council, are doing
nothing.
There are many problems facing the
city of Vernonia at this time,
including dog control, adequate police
protection,
garbage
disposal,
vandalism and most of all, street
repair and the upgrading of our sewer
system.
Sally Harrison
Councilperson
OEDP scheduled to meet Feb. 9
TO: OEDP members and interested
persons
FROM: OEDP staff
The Overall Economic Development
Program committee will hold its
regularly scheduled meeting on
Monday, February 9,1981 at 6:30 pm
boggles the mind to realize Columbia
County and its various taxing bodies
are treating millions in public funds
in slush fund fashion with hardly a
squeak of protest from the local press.
One wonders if the local press did
their job better, we voters might
possibly do our job better. In which
in the Village Inn, St. Helens,
Oregon.
Reports will be given by the
recreation committee and the solid
waste committee. Also, there will be a
discussion on project proposals to be
submitted for funding this summer.
The public is encouraged to attend.
Vernonia Freedom
Published weekly in Vernonia Oregon, 97064, on Thursdays at 825 Bridge St.
Serving The Upper Nehalem Valley. Phone 429-8111. Subscriptions, $8 per year.
Deadlines for copy and classified advertising: Monday at 5 pm for the
following Thursday's paper.
Deadline for display advertising: Friday for normal material and Monday for
after^weekend copy.
Postage Paid at Vernonia, OR 97064, Publication No. 474-690.
POSTMASTER: send address changes to Vernonia Freedom, 825 Bridge St
Vernonia, OR 97064.
’’
Dennis Dobson.................................
publisher-editor
Ann Dobson.......................................
publisher-business manager
Kristen Hillier..........................................................
staff reporter
case our elected officials would
definitely do their job better.
Instead of tax relief, Columbia
County taxpayers are not being asked
or informed of the expenditure of
their funds.
The one notable exception occured
when the people of Mist, as
possessors of one of the most glaring
inequities in funds distribution,
demonstrated political wisdom by
becoming a squeaking wheel at
election time. Our commissioners,
accompanied
by
our
state
representative, resolved the problem
ColCo voters asked to approve road levy
The voters of Columbia County will be asked to approve a three-year,
$3,000,000 special road levy at a special election to be held on Februray 17,
1981.
According to the Board of Commissioners, the monies received, if the levy
passes, will be used to maintain and upgrade the 540 miles of existing county
roads. No new roads will be built.
A small portion of the funds, $16,000, will be used for Capital Improvement
during the first year. These improvements include the installation of a state
required exhaust system in the St. Helens Road Shop, and equipment storage
buildings at the Vernonia, Rainier and Clatskanie County Road Shops.
Cities within the county will receive a portion of the funds based on each
city’s current valuation. The funds received by the cities would be used for
maintenance of city streets.
Distribution to the cities for the first year would be as follows:
St. Helens
$93,993.92
Clatskanie
. 13,146.26
Scappoose *
Scappoose
25,302.58
Rainier
15,856.98
Vernonia
10,525.73
Columbia City
10,448.86
Prescott
467.02
The remaining funds would be allocated and used on the county roads in
each of the four districts as shown in the above diagram.
District allocations for the first year would be as follows:
District
No. 1
$274,993.30
No. 2
215,679.39
No. 3
131,873.49
No. 4
210,514.41
Amounts allocated to the cities and to the four districts for the succeeding
two years would be based on the current valuation for these two years.
Notice of election of board members
Vernonia School District 47 J
Notice is hereby given that on
March 31, 1981, an election will be
held for the purpose of electing two
(2) board members to fill the following
positions and terms, including any
vacancy which may exist on the
Board of Vernonia School District:
Position no. 1, term four years and
Position no. 4, term four years. The
429-8111
polls will be open from 8 am to 8 pm.
Each candidate for an office listed
above must file a declaration of
candidacy or petition for nomination
for office with the Elections
Department of Columbia County,
Oregon, not later than the 35th day
before the date of the election. The
filing deadline is 5 pm on February
24,1981.
Arthur M. Parrow
Superintendent/Clerk
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under the limelight of the local press
by finding gas funds to grease the
wheel and political palms at the same
time. Congrats to the citizens of Mist
on a political coup. Your receipt and
expenditure of the gas funds may be
the only proper and lasting use of the
windfall Columbia County citizen
taxpayers receive.
To demonstrate the legal and
financial thicket we are being led into
one need only realize all the bounty
taxing bodies are operating on voter
approved budgets. They cannot
expend public funds in excess of that
budget, no matter the source, without
voter approval. Even if they can
legally circumvent the citizen
taxpayers, the political arrogance
displayed is inexcusable. If this
citizen-taxpayer abuse bothers you,
keep in mind it may get worse.
All of this and they still have the
unmitigated gall to ask us for $3
million more to cover their shortage.
Not a chance! Then again, maybe the
same political' wisdom that elected
them still prevails.
Dan Sprague
Clatskanie, OR
;
__________________________________________
I 825 Bridge St
.
^end to' Vernonia Freedom or Call 429-8111