SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 38, NO. 43
SECTION A
JULY 28, 2017
$1.00
What
now?
Parks and
police fees
begin in
November,
what will
happen
between
now and
then?
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
Two weeks ago, the Keizer
City Council approved the
fi rst fees for city services other
than utilities.
The fees will total $8 per
month ($4 for police and
$4 for parks) and begin in
November. The fees will
mean roughly an additional
$625,000 for each department
per year.
Between now and No-
vember, not a lot is expected
to change, said Chris Eppley,
Keizer city manager.
“We are currently in a
holding pattern until the ef-
fective date of the ordinance is
reached,” Eppley said.
“For all
(the reserves’)
advanta-es,
which are many,
we desperately
need Spanish-
speakin-
offi cers”
Salem-Keizer
Health &
Wellness
Magazine
SEE
INSERT
Pot shop wants expanded hours
KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald
Budtender Lovelin Seacrest at Kush on River Road N. Business owner David Gor is askin- city offi cials to ease restrictions on the
hours marijuana shops can be open.
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
The Keizer City Council will be
dedicating more time to
the issue of marijuana sales
in the near future.
At the July 17 meeting of
the council, David Gor,
owner of Kush Dispen-
sary of Oregon on Riv-
er Road North, asked the
council to reconsider limits
on the times marijuana retailers
can be open.
Under the current Keizer regula-
tions on marijuana, retailers/dispensaries
can only be open between 10 a..m. and
7 p.m.
“A change in the current
time to 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
will allow us to be competi-
tive with other dispensaries in
the Salem-Keizer area. About
25 percent of sales
come after 7 p.m., ac-
cording to my friends in
the business,” Gor told the
council.
The restrictions on time
were the result of the original
Oregon statutes governing medical
marijuana sales, recalled Nate Brown,
Keizer community development director.
“Those have changed and it’s been an
evolving situation,” Brown said.
Brown didn’t think the time restric-
tions on marijuana sales even came up
during task force meetings on the sub-
ject, precisely because it had already been
decided on the state level.
One of Gor’s employees also attended
the meeting with a petition signed by
about 200 of the business’ customers re-
questing the change. She told the coun-
cil she collected all the signatures in the
three days leading up to the meeting.
“We are trying to satisfy our
Please see HOURS, Pa-e A8
— John Tea-ue, KPD Chief
eclipse
watch
08. 21. 2017
10:18 AM
Even though the onset of
the fees is a few months away,
the ordinance is technically in
effect beginning next month.
After the fee collection
begins, it could be several
months before the fi rst new
police offi cer is on the streets.
Eppley said it will likely take
60-90 days to go through the
recruitment process at any rate,
but the city wouldn’t have to
collect enough funds to pay
for an offi cer’s entire salary
before beginning to hire.
“Since the fee is collected
Please see FEES, Pa-e A8
Push is on for
eclipse volunteers
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
With the Keizer Eclipse
Festival less than a month
away, the push is on for local
volunteers to help with the
efforts.
The Keizer Parks Founda-
tion is hosting a campground
at Keizer Rapids Park for
visitors hoping to catch sight
of the total solar eclipse on
Monday, Aug. 21. The Keizer
Festival Advisory Board dis-
cussed many of the plans at a
meeting Monday, July 24.
Volunteers are needed
throughout the weekend for
a variety of tasks, but also
beforehand. Volunteer Allen
Please see ECLIPSE, Pa-e A11
Plans for Keizer
schools in
district's bond ask
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
The Salem-Keizer School
District released the fi nal ver-
sion of a Long Range Facili-
ties Plan (LRFP) last week.
The document details how a
$619.2 million general obliga-
tion bond would be used to
upgrade school buildings and
increase capacity at area high
schools.
The Salem-Keizer School
Board approved the bond re-
quest in June and it will be on
the ballot in May 2018.
An 18-person committee
of stakeholders and citizens
was assembled last year to rec-
ommend changes that would
increase capacity at area
schools. The group initially
came up with a a bond pro-
posal of $766 million, which
would have increased proper-
ty taxes by about $3 per thou-
sand of assessed value. After
taking public input, the scope
of some of the projects were
narrowed and the $619 mil-
lion bond ask was approved.
If voters approve the bond,
property taxes would increase
between $1.28 and $1.39 per
Please see BOND, Pa-e A13
The hills
are alive
PAGE A4
New
Chamber
board
PAGE A6
Step outside and get to know your neighbors
File
Offi cer Tyler Wampler lets a National Ni-ht Out attendee try out his wheels at Clear Lake
Elementary School in 2016.
National Night Out arrives
Tuesday, Aug. 1, and neighbors
are encouraged to step out and
meet-up, share information,
and connect with local public
safety personnel.
In partnership with the
National Association of Town
Watch, the Keizer Police De-
partment will be co-sponsoring
the 34th annual National Night
Out event citywide from 6 to
9 p.m. National Night Out is
designed to: promote police-
community partnerships, crime,
drug and violence prevention,
safety, and neighborhood unity.
Many neighborhoods will
host a variety of special events
such as block parties, cook-
outs, potlucks, dessert socials
and youth activities. Neighbor-
hood Watch block captains are
highly encouraged to organize
FEEL GOOD
STORY
Saluting the people that make
us proud of our community
capitolauto.com
All-city swim
an event as an opportunity to
contact their participants, meet
new neighbors and update
their rosters. All other neigh-
borhoods are also encouraged
to participate. To register your
gathering, visit, www.keizer.
org/nno-2017.
PAGE A14