PAGE A2, KEIZERTIMES, MARCH 30, 2018
Task force gets peek at
Keizer’s ‘stable’ budget
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Today in History
President Ronald Reagan is shot in the chest outside a
Washington, D.C., hotel by John Hinckley Jr. The president
was shot in the left lung, and the .22 caliber bullet just missed
his heart.
— March 30, 1981
Food 4 Thought
“An obsession is where something will not leave your
mind. ”
— Eric Clapton, born March 30, 1945
The Month Ahead
Friday, March 30
Avamere Court hosts a community Easter Egg Hunt at 3:30
p.m. Free for ages 6-10. In the second fl oor living room of
Building 3 at 5210 River Road N.
Saturday, March 31
Easter Egg Hunt and Underwater Easter Egg Hunt at the
Kroc Center, 1865 Bill Frey Drive NE. Regular hunt begins at
10 a.m., underwater hunt at 11 a.m. $5.
Shangri-La’s 4th Annual Accessible Egg Hunt, 11 a.m., at the
Log house Gardens, 5655 Windsor Island Road N. Free for all
ages for those with disabilities.
Awards presentation and artists’ reception for the 27th
annual Colored Pencil Society of America’s Chapter 201
exhibit at Enid Joy Mount Gallery, 980 Chemawa Rd. NE.
2-4 p.m. keizerarts.com.
Keizer/Salem Area Seniors’ Saturday Night Dance & Potluck.
Featuring music by Lee Nicholas and Diane, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Admission is $5, 930 Plymouth Drive NE.
Easter egg hunt at The Village at Keizer Ridge, 2-3 p.m.
Refreshments and a visit from the Easter Bunny. RSVP at
activities@villageatkeizerridge.com
Cherry City Season 9, Bout 11: Dolls of Anarchy vs Thrill Kill
Kittens, 7 p.m. at The Mad House, 1335 Madison Street NE.
Sunday, April 1
Easter Brunch at The Oregon Garden, 10:30 to 3 p.m., in
Silverton. Buffet options include Belgian waffl es, artisan
cheese, salad bar, carving station with tri-tip and baked ham,
dessert bar, and more. Price: Adults - $29.95 Seniors - $25.95
Kids - $13.95 Call for reservations: 503-874-2500.
Monday, April 2
Keizer City Council meeting. 7 p.m. Keizer Civic Center.
Tuesday, April 3
Town Hall with Sen. Kim Thatcher and State Rep. Bill Post
hosted by Keizer Chamber of Commerce, 6:30 to 8 p.m., in
the Keizer Fire Station Community Room. 661 Chemawa
Road NE.
Future Freshman Night at McNary High School, 6 p.m.
Incoming ninth graders, and their parents, are welcome to
visit the school to hear from administrators and talk with
representatives from athletics, clubs and other available
programs.
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
The Keizer Long Range Planning Task
Force got a preview of what is to come
Monday, March 12, as the city prepares for
the annual budgeting sessions that will be-
gin in earnest this May.
“We’re in a stable place in terms of fi s-
cal capacity. This is an opportunity for a
mid-year glimpse and to make sure there
aren’t any surprises,” said City Manager
Chris Eppley.
Most of the surprises were contained
in Finance Director Tim Wood’s handout
showing a higher rate of growth through-
out the city. In some cases, that is a good
thing, not so much in others.
Keizer’s population grew by about 2.2
percent or 840 people in the past year, up
from 1.4 percent in the prior year.
Property values continue to climb. The
increase since the beginning of the fi scal
year on city-owned property is 4.8 per-
cent, about $120,000 more than previous
year. Those numbers are following a trend
of more than 4 percent growth over the
past four fi scal years.
Keizer is also employing more people
than ever (101), largely the result of parks
and police fees that have given city hall
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
The City of Keizer will re-
lax its restrictions on electronic
message signs if the Keizer City
Council adopts a raft of small
but impactful changes approved
by the Keizer Planning Com-
mission at its meeting Wednes-
day, March 14.
If approved, all businesses
and agencies with electronic
signs could change their mes-
saging every 15 seconds. The
current code only allows for
one change every 15 minutes
and distinguishes between pub-
lic and private agencies.
The details of the electronic
message center (EMC) pol-
icy was one of two issues that
dominated the meeting, the
other signifi cant portion was
dedicated to rehashing plans
for what to do about signage in
windows.
Prior to last week’s meeting,
members of the commission
had talked about a 60-second
standard for EMCs, but further
testimony by a representative of
the Keizer Chamber of Com-
merce Government Affairs
Committee (GAC) prompted
another drop in the timing.
“We like that it reduces the
current requirement,” said Jon-
athan Thompson, speaking for
the GAC. “We’d like to see it
dropped even further to eight
seconds. I don’t know that you
Sunday, April 8
Beginning Belly Dancing at Sacred Space, 211 Front St. NE,
Salem. 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. $5 donation. For more information,
contact Inge Hallman at 503-463-6438
Monday, April 9
Experience the colors, mu-
sic and fl avors of Holi, the
celebration of spring, with-
out traveling to India noon to
4 p.m. Sunday, April 8, at the
Oregon State Fairgrounds.
You might have seen color
runs where powdered pig-
ments fl y. This is the cultural
celebration that started it all,
and everyone is invited to the
3893 COMMERCIAL ST SE
THIS WEEK’S
MOVIE TIMES
Early Man (PG) Sat 3:35, Sun 12:20
Greatest Showman (PG)
Fri 12:10, 2:05, 5:20, Sat 12:20,
2:30, 4:25, Sun 11:45, 6:30
Keizer City Council work session. 5:45 p.m. Keizer Civic
Center.
Post (PG -13) Fri 8:45,
Sat 7:00, Sun 8:35
Tuesday, April 10
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
(PG -13) Sat 5:25
Keizer Parks Advisory Board meeting. 6 p.m. Keizer Civic
Center.
Thursday, April 8
Darkest Hour (PG-13)
Fri 4:25, 9:10, Sat 4:40, 8:20,
Sun 7:15
Traffi c Safety Committee meeting, 6 p.m. Keizer Civic Center.
Paddington 2 (PG)
Fri 12:35, Sat 11:30, Sun 4:00
Saturday, April 14
Ferdinand (PG) Fri 2:20,
Sat 1:30, Sun 1:55
Saturday, April 27
Mid-Valley Literacy Center presents its annual Spotlight on
Literacy Award Dinner, Creekside Golf Club 5-9 p.m.. Guest
speaker is former governor Barbara Roberts. Tickets are
$50 per person or $500 for a table. To purchase tickets visit
midvalleyliteracycenter.org.
party.
The family-friendly event
includes a Bollywood dance
party with Miz La Fontaine
and the Sundari Dance Group,
small plates from India Palace,
chai and lemonade, a color
packet for throwing, parking
and entry for $15. Free for
kids younger than fi ve. Addi-
tional color packets are avail-
able for purchase. Come rain
or shine because the fun is all
indoors. Wear white clothes to
maximize your color.
The Holi celebration is one
of several cultural events orga-
nized by the Salem nonprofi t
INDUS, the Indo US Friend-
ship Association.
For more information
about INDUS or to purchase
tickets, go to www.salemin-
dus.org/events/holi2018. If
you have any questions, email
indusoregon@gmail.com.
1517 To Paris (PG-13)
Fri 6:50, Sat 9:10, Sun 4:55, 8:45
Jumanji (PG-13) Fri 11:45,
4:10, 6:30, 8:55, Sat 11:45, 2:05,
6:30, Sun 1:50, 4:10
Lady Bird (R) Fri 7:20, Sat
8:50, Sun 12:00, 6:50
FOR ALL SHOWTIMES GO TO
NORTHERNLIGHTSTHEATREPUB.COM
cording to the existing code,
the only signage allowed in
windows are those that are
hung or painted on the inside
of the window. From a tech-
nical standpoint, the window
clings have no legal establish-
ment or prohibition.
When the notion of ad-
dressing window clings came
up last year, some members of
the commission advocated for
reducing the allowable space
to 50 percent of the window.
The idea seemed to be aimed
at reducing coverage of an en-
tire wall of windows, but it was
never explicitly stated as a per-
window allowance. As a result,
city staff came back with a pro-
posal to reduce window cling
allowances to 50 percent of the
space in a single window.
When commissioners took
a second look at the idea, they
walked back on some of the
previous conversation and
pushed for 50 percent coverage
of a business’ entire “glazing,” or
window space.
Despite staff concerns about
the aesthetics of wall-to-wall
signage if business owners were
given free-range, commission-
ers agreed to remove restric-
SKSB budget
committee meets
By HERB SWETT
For the Keizertimes
Sheronne Blasi, a member
of the Salem-Keizer School
Board, was elected chairper-
son of the Salem-Keizer Pub-
lic Schools budget committee
March 20. Levi Herrera-Lopez
was elected vice chairperson.
The committee consists
of the seven board members
and seven people from the
community. Board members
besides Blasi are Paul Kyllo,
Chuck Lee, Kathy Goss, Jim
Green, Marty Heyen, and
Jesse Lippold. Those from the
community besides Herrera-
Lopez are Marcia Atkinson,
Mark Bateman, Rachel Dewey
Thorsett, Kathleen Harder,
Adam Kohler, and Virginia
Stapleton.
Superintendent
Christy
Perry will deliver her budget
message April 24. The next
budget committee meeting
will be May 8, and there will
be an opportunity for public
comment.
sudoku
Maze Runner:
The Death Cure (PG-13)
Fri 2:40, Sun 2:15
Stormwater Advisory Committee meeting, 4 p.m. Keizer
Civic Center.
Cherry City Roller Derby Season 9, Bout 12: Panty Raiders vs
Rydell Belles, 7 p.m. at The Mad House, 1335 Madison Street
NE.
would see a lot of changes. We
don’t see it as turning River
Road into the Vegas strip.”
Community Development
Director Nate Brown urged
caution in making drastic
changes. While River Road
may not have many EMCs
right now, the price of investing
in such technology will likely
only get cheaper, Brown said.
A motion to drop the timing
to eight seconds died in a 4-4
vote, but reducing the timing
to every 15 seconds passed in a
4-2 vote. Commissioner Mike
DeBlasi was absent during the
meeting but submitted com-
ments beforehand.
Commissioners cited the
opportunity to engage the pub-
lic through the EMCs as one
reason for increasing message
turnover. In 2017, the Keizer
Police Department made ef-
fective use of EMCs and static
readerboards along River Road
North to draw attention to dis-
cussions the city had regarding
a fee for police services.
The other main topic of the
evening was window signs. At
meetings in August and Sep-
tember 2017, members of the
commission discussed some
businesses use of in-window
cling advertising that doubles as
sun protection. At several busi-
nesses along River Road, and
elsewhere, such signage takes
up most of the windows. Ac-
Holi in Salem
Southeast Keizer Neighborhood Association meeting, 6:30
p.m. Keizer Civic Center.
Keizer Rotary Annual Benefi t Raffl e & Party, 5:30 to 9 p.m.,
social hour, auctions, dinner and entertainment. Tickets:
$50. Keizer Civic Center.
usage.
The capital generated through storm-
water increases is used to survey, repair
and replace segments of the stormwater
system. The city inherited the system from
Marion County and efforts are underway
to fi lm and document the entire network.
The water system is mature and already
well-documented, said Bill Lawyer, Keizer
Public Works Director.
“Most of the (water) money goes to-
ward replacing water mains,” Lawyer said.
Ron Bersin, a member of the task force,
asked whether the city planned to follow
through on a look into the subsidy by sin-
gle-family residential customers of com-
mercial and multi-family water use.
Wood said a cost-of-service analysis is
being planned for 2020. A review of that
type costs about $40,000, he said.
The new parks and police fees were
still new enough to warrant their own
graphics. While still in the nascent stages,
Wood said the roll out is proceeding even
better than planned. However, additional
maintenance and employees costs will
mean the rates might need to be adjusted
for police in 2022-23, while the parks rate
can probably forego an adjustment until
2023-24.
More relaxed sign code in the works
Thursday, April 8
Saturday, April 7
additional funding capacity. Keizer Police
Department is hiring fi ve additional of-
fi cers and two additional employees have
been added to the Keizer parks depart-
ment.
Mayor Cathy Clark acknowledged the
huge shift in priorities since just a year ago.
“This is the fi rst year, that I can remem-
ber, that we haven’t had to ask: How are
we going to hire more offi cers?” Clark
said.
The news that hit the heaviest was in-
creases in Public Employees Retirement
System (PERS) contributions by the city.
Rates are increasing between 19.5 and
40.4 percent depending on what PERS
level individual employees qualify for.
“It’s a lot to stomach, said Wood. “Just
from the change in the rates, it will impact
about our budget by about $120,000.”
Wood added that PERS portfolios had
a banner 2017 as a result of stock market
surges. Unfortunately, the impact of those
increases on Keizer’s budget probably
won’t be felt for fi ve or six years.
Keizer residents can expect the usual
increases in their water and stormwater
bills, about 4 percent in both cases. For
stormwater, that is an increase of $6.60 for
the year. Water increases are dependent on
Enter digits
from 1-9 into
the blank
spaces. Every
row must
contain one
of each digit.
So must every
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tions on window clings entirely
from the code updates.
Other changes the sign code
approved by the Keizer Plan-
ning Commission include:
• Eliminating a category
dealing with election signs.
Residents will now be allowed
unlimited temporary signs in
the 45 days prior to and seven
days after an election.
• Creating a special permit
for large real estate signage.
• Relaxing restrictions on
temporary/portable signage for
businesses.
• Allowing special permits
for grand opening and special
occasion signage.
• Allowing signage on sec-
ondary frontage for businesses
that are not part of integrated
centers.
To review all the recom-
mended changes, download the
meeting agenda at www.keizer.
org.
looking
back in
the KT
5 YEARS AGO
White pride rally
causes stir
A small group of people
holding signs and posting
banners held a sidewalk rally
calling for a white pride at
the entrance to Keizer Station
March 23. The purpose of the
rally was to mark White Pride
Worldwide Day.
10 YEARS AGO
Obama appeals to
Oregon
Presidential candidate Barack
Obama swept through Oregon;
stopping in Portland, Eugene,
Salem, and Medford.
15 YEARS AGO
Sisters fi nd mission in
helping others
Keizerites Nicole and Lind-
say Hunter share a passion for
helping people and are taking
those interests to great heights.
Nicole left Monday to serve
two years with the Peace Corps
in Namibia, a country in south
Africa, and Lindsay serves with
the National Evangelical Team
in Moree, a town in Australia.
20 YEARS AGO
Celtics win fi rst two
on diamond
The McNary baseball team
got off to an impressive start
last week - winnings its fi rst
two games of the season by a
combined score of 18-6.
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