Page 2—Vernonia Freedom
Thursday July 23,1981
announcements
Editorial
HB 2620 controversy erupts over proposals
by Dennis Dobson
It is becoming apparent that House
Bill 2620, ammending the manner in
which royalty income from the Mist
gas wells is disbursed, hasn’t a snow
ball’s chance in Hades of getting
passed during the current session of
the legislature. After passing, in its
currently ammended form, two House
of Representative fiscal committees
by unanimous votes and passing the
House by an overwhelming majority
of 48-1, instead of passing the Senate
it is going to be nibbled to death by
the confusion a new set of proposals
being pushed by our erstwhile State
Senator, Charles Hanlon, is likely to
produce.
During the last several days
Hanlon and his aides have been
contacting among others, local media
representatives,
county
commissioners, plain citizens and
school district superintendents with
still another “new” set of proposals.
Already supporters of HB 2620 are
crying ‘Foul!’ Briefly, Hanlon say?,
due to a legal error in the language of
HB 2620 as it currently stands
counties would lay themselves open
to law suits from their various taxing
districts if they attempted to disperse
any funds under its provisions. As a
result, Hanlon says, he proposes that
the counties keep all of the funds
generated by mineral resource
exploitation and that up to a
maximum of 20 percent of those
funds be earmarked for dispersal to
the impacted areas.
Those funds, he continues, would
then be disbursed by the county to
the impacted areas on a quarterly
basis and overseen by the county
auditor while the interest those funds
gather once invested would be split
up among the county’s taxing
districts under the provisions of the
existing formula, in effect still
rewarding
governmental
indebtedness and penalizing thrifty
taxing districts and that these
proceeds, both principal and interest,
be paid out quarterly instead of
yearly or bi-yearly and that these
proposed amendments become
effective for the 1981-82 fiscal year,
currently under way. In effect,
quarterly pay-out limits the amount
of profit realized as interest by any of
the taxing districts through investing
the money.
At first glance these appear to
25th Annual Friendship Jamboree
July 24,25,26 Vernonia, Oregon
F
R
I
E
N
D
S
H
I
P
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Friday
JULY 24
8 pm - Queen’s Coronation - Washington Grade
School
7 pm -2am- Chamber of Commerce Beer Garden -
Live Music
Saturday
JULY 25 9 am - Arts and Crafts Show - Masonic Hall
10 am - Road Run - Sponsored by Vernonia Market
Place
10:30 am - Parade
12 noon - Children’s Pet Show - School Grounds
1 pm - Black Powder Rendezvous - Sword’s firing range
1 pm - Gymnastic demonstration - VHS gym
2 pm - Hamburger Eating Contest - Pine Cone
Restaurant
2 pm - Horse Games - Anderson Park
6 pm - Arts and Crafts Show closes
7 pm - 2 am - Chamber of Commerce Beer Garden -
Live Music
Sunday
JULY 26 7 am -11 am - Logger’s Breakfast - Rebecca’s Hall
10 am - Open Air Church Services - VHS Football I
Field
10 am - Arts and Crafts Show - Masonic Hall'
12 noon - Logging Show
1:30 pm - Greased Pig contest
2:30 pm - Tae-Kwon-Do Demonstration - Martial
Arts
5 pm - Arts and Crafts Show closes
constitute a fair settlement of an
issue that has plagued the area for a
year now. Unfortunately, it is likely
just a smoke screen intended to hide
an attempt to bring the whole
question quietly to its knees.
According to Senator Hanlon’s
opposition, including two of HB
2620’s most active advocates; County
Commissioner Marian Sahagian and
Mist Rural Fire Protection Board
Chairman Art Laubach, Hanlon’s
proposal differs so little from the
original proposal contained in HB
2620 as to be unrecognizably
different. That original bill went
down in resounding defeat,
generating the current ammendment,
primarily because local school
districts, notably Scappoose and
St. Helens, feared that county control
of the money and any change in the
disbursal formula would seriously
hurt their fiscal positions. Those
supporting HB 2620 are afraid that
the confusion generated by this
“muddying of the waters” will assure
no action before an already harrassed
legislature adjourns for this session.
They also believe that in the event
this proposal can be brought before
the Senate Revenue Committee
before adjournment, as Hanlon
assures it can, unlikely as they are
currently wrestling with the state
budget, it will get killed when it is
sent back to the House for a vote.
Killed, they believe, by the same
Organizations and for the same
reasons that it was stopped cold the
last time these virtually identical
amendments were proposed. “He’s
trying to sandbag this thing,”
Sahagian said. “What’s more, I’m
surprised he (Hanlon) is trying to
pass this off as a new idea,” she
added.
As recently as last Friday Senator
Hanlon was willing to go on record as
saying that his opposition to HB
2620 was based soley upon the
“overwhelming opposition” to it that
he had encountered on the part of the
elected representatives of the area,
primarily, he said, from city councils
and school districts throughout
Columbia County. All the while,
however, he was ignoring a stack of
letters and numerous phone calls he
has received from many groups and
individuals within the county
supporting HB 2620 as currently
amended. Those going on record as
supporting the bill include two local
newspapers, the strong and constant
THANKS
Thank you for the cards, letters and
expressions of love in sympathy for
Rita Shipley.
The Shipley Family
THANK YOU
The family of Ruby E. Elliott wish
to thank all the neighbors and friends
for the comfort and concern shown us
in our recent loss.
Mr. and Mrs. Merlen L. Robertson
Mr. and Mrs. M.A. Dutch Bingham
Mr. and Mrs. Norman E. Bingham
1971 GRADUATES PLAN
REUNION
The Vernonia
High
School
graduating class of 1971 will hold it’s
10 year class reunion August 22,
1981, at the home of Rick and Shelly
Curt It will be a potluck affair from 3
pm to 8 pm. The class will also be
inviting classmates from previous
years and teachers. For more
information, contact Marilyn Landers
at 429-4543.
FREEDOM DEADLINES
CHANGE
All ads and stories for the July 30
issue only must be submitted no later
than Friday, July 24 at 5 pm.
Classified ads will be accepted until
noon on July 27.
Call 429-8111 to leave messages.
CHURCH NEWS
Dr. Leo M. Thornton, President of
Western
Evangelical
Seminary,
Portland, Oregon will speak at the
Community Worship Service, which
is held annually at the football field
on Sunday, July 26 at 10 am. Dr.
Thornton has been with the Seminary
since 1958 and has served as Vice
President and Executive Vice
President. He was a Chaplain and
Civil Affairs Officer (LTC) in the U.S.
Army Reserves (retired November
1976) and has served three terms as
an Oregon State Representative. On
the national level he serves as
President of the Christian Holiness
Association and as a member of the
Board of Directors of the National
Association of Evangelicals.
The
community
service
is
sponsored
by
the
Vernonia
Ministerial Association comprised of
six participating churches. Everyone
is welcome.
Continued On Page 14
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Vernonia Freedom
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Ann Dobson................... ;_____
. . r............... publisher-business manager
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