SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 38, NO. 15 SECTION A JANUARY 13, 2017 M A DA M $1.00 AMBASSADOR Keizer teen named state’s MDA rep By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes Two years ago, Allison Reetz underwent three op- erations that had family and friends fearing for her life. Allison, who was 13 years old at the time, chose not to know about the worst possible outcomes, which included not surviving the procedures. “I just wanted to live my life. If I’d known, I would have freaked out,” Allison said. Fortunately, the now-15- year-old made it through the operations and was recently named the southwest Wash- ington and Oregon state ambassador for the Muscu- lar Dystrophy Association (MDA). She served as the Marion County ambassador in 2016. “I went to the Fill the Boot Boot Camp and the Salem, Marion County and Keizer Fill the Boot events last year. I went to the Muscle Walk and tried to make it to every event in the area. It’s pretty much the same thing with state, but on a higher level,” Allison said. The highlight event this time around will be delivering a speech kicking of the 2017 Muscle Walk. Allison was diagnosed with mitochondrial myopathy complex I defi ciency at the age of two, but her mother, Elizabeth, said signs of a prob- lem were evident from birth. Please see MDA, Page A3 Allison Reetz Tax vs. fee How should a parks surcharge be classifi ed? ? Is it a tax Is the charge imposed by the government? No Yes NOT A TAX What is the primary purpose of the charge? Recoup Behavior Raise Revenue costs of providing service to the payer Fee Penalty NOT A TAX Is revenue used for general purposes or dedicated purposes? General purposes Dedicated purposes Could be TAX or ‘USER TAX’ or FEE TAX To determine, look how closely related the payment of the charge is to the benefi ts of the user. Source: taxfoundation.org KEIZERTIMES /Andrew Jackson Keizer By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes Scott Klug, a member of the Keizer Parks and Recre- ation Advisory Board, initial- ly balked at the idea of adding a fee to Keizer residents’ util- ity bill to support city parks. He was most concerned about implementing a fee without asking residents whether they supported it fi rst, but he also found fault in the term “fee.” “You can call it a fee, but any time you ask someone to pay something they don’t want to pay, it’s a tax,” Klug said. While that might be how it feels, there is precedent for what is deemed a tax vs. a fee. It’s also true that Oregon is one of only two states that haven’t adopted offi cial defi - nitions of the two. “A tax has the primary purpose of raising revenue,” said Joseph Henchman, Tax Foundation vice president of legal projects, and author of a 2013 study looking at the issues surrounding fees and taxes. “By contrast, a fee re- coups the cost of providing a service from a benefi ciary.” It’s also more than a differ- ence of terminology. Many states include in their consti- tutions steps for enacting tax- es and limitations on increas- es. Fees can be enacted more freely, which is one reason the city council can implement a dedicated parks fee without a vote of residents. A fee is a charge imposed for the primary purpose of recouping costs incurred while providing a service to the payer. Taxes and fees are also different from a penalty, which has the primary pur- pose of punishing behavior. Only Oregon and North Carolina, at the time of the study, hadn’t adopted legal defi nitions of the two. More- over, Oregon is the only state without a rule to resolve any ambiguities in favor of the taxpayer. It’s also a misconception that taxes are “mandatory” while fees are “voluntary.” Both need to be paid and government agencies can seek legal remedies to collect on balances. All of this comes into play when discussing a potential fee to create a dedicated fund for Keizer parks. Because the city cannot raise property taxes - ballot measures passed in the 1990s locked in the rates – fees are one of essen- tially three options, and the only one that might ensure a degree of sustainability with- out creating additional costs. If the revenues generated by the fee fell into the city’s general fund for the coun- cil to use for any purpose, it would be considered a hard- line tax. Please see TAX, Page A7 Parks fee collection method takes fire PAGE A2 AVID open house PAGE A5 Keizer native competes on Steve Austin show cookie cutter formula made By ERIC A. HOWALD to sell magazines,” Dent said. Of the Keizertimes Keizer native Natalie “I think it was my inner ath- Dent’s journey to fi tness lete that was drawn to Cross- began in an unusual place: Fit. It was a new challenge receiving tickets to see The and always changing. I loved that it's you against you, and Nutcracker ballet. “I was so blown away by you can see measurable re- sults very how strong fast.” and power- She’s since ful these bal- become a lerinas were. Crossfi t train- They weren’t er and com- just up there petes regu- to look larly in the pretty, they circuit around were strong. her home in I remem- — Natalie Dent Oceanside, ber thinking Calif., and in ‘There is no reason that I can’t be that places farther fl ung. Her travels recently land- strong,’” she said. Until that point, about ed the 33-year-old a spot on eight years ago, Dent had Steve Austin’s Broken Skull tried the workouts she found Challenge. The former WWE in magazines, but they always champion and pro wrestler hosts the CMT show that left her feeling empty. “They were all just a Please see TOUGH, Page A7 “You really did feel like he was rooting for you.” Submitted ABOVE: Natalie Dent gets instructions on her next challenge from “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. TOP: Dent heaves a barbell during a CrossFit competition. OVER $5000 OFF MSRP www.skylineforddirect.com 2017 FORD ESCAPES 3555 River Road N, Keizer • 1503) 463- 4853 *Photos for illustration purposes only. All vehicles subject to prior sale. Excludes tax, title, license, and registration fees. See dealer for details. Carjacking suspect detained by samaritans PAGE A6 Celtic swimmers sink West PAGE A10