THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2015
Hopkins, does the Secretary
of State’s Office contact the
government within which
the district is organized —
in the Port’s case Clatsop
County — and seek possible
dissolution of the agency.
By EDWARD
STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
The Port of Astoria
missed the Dec. 31 deadline
with the Oregon Secretary of
State’s Office to file the fi-
nancial audit of its 2013-14
fiscal year. Executive Direc-
tor Jim Knight said he isn’t
confident in the accuracy
of financial statements after
June 2013.
The Port fired its financial
staff and replaced them with
a newcomer and a contract-
ed outside accountant, who
with other Port staff’s help
have been combing through
the finances a year and a half
to ensure their accuracy.
The Port Commission,
during a Tuesday night spe-
cial session, unanimously
approved of Knight negoti-
Moss Adams to perform its
Financial review
Jim Grey
Colleen Browne, said the
audit by Moss Adams could
cost $72,000 the first year,
work could cost $150 to
$200 an hour. The prices,
he said, are dependent on a
meeting the Port will be hav-
ing with Moss Adams and
Selections to help prepare the
agency for its audits.
“I’m painfully aware that
we’re not producing accu-
rate financial statements,”
said Knight Tuesday, adding
that the Port has the material
to present them for the com-
mission for approval, but
can’t be sure of their accu-
racy.
-
ager Jim Grey, hired in No-
vember to replace the fired
What are the consequenc-
es for the Port not getting its
audit in on time?
“There’s just about none,”
said Philip Hopkins, munici-
pal audit administrator at the
Oregon Secretary of State’s
Office.
The Port, once it has the
details worked out with its
auditing firm, can submit a
request to the Secretary of
State’s Audits Division for
an extension of time to sub-
mit its audit. Hopkins said
he receives 150 to 200 ex-
tension requests each year.
Only after three years of a
special district not submit-
ting a financial audit, said
WARRENTON — The 27th
Community Center, 170 S.W.
-
Dungeness crab, cole slaw, gar-
lic bread, drink, dessert, and all
the trimmings are being served.
-
currently, it allowed Knight
-
and Saturday at the Warrenton
NORTH COAST
During his report near the
end of the meeting Tuesday,
Knight brought up Grey to
explain what Port staff are
doing to review all of its fi-
nancials and ready them for
an audit and creation of the
2015-16 budget, which is
due by June 30.
The Port has been con-
tracting on an hourly basis
with Barbara Blue of Bus-
sert Law & Associates since
Aug. 25 and at least through
the end of this month. She’s
going back through the fi-
nancials as far back as June
30, 2013, the end of the last
completed auditing peri-
od and the last financials
Knight said he and she are
confident of their accuracy.
Grey said Blue’s primary
role is to ensure the accu-
racy of the Port’s financial
statements, reconciling them
with its bank accounts and
finding ways to correct inac-
curacies.
The Port has had trou-
ble, he said at the Tuesday
meeting, ensuring that bills
get out on time and the ac-
curacy of prepaid expenses
it’s passing on to custom-
ers, including one face-to-
face meeting with a tenant
who might owe upward of
$70,000, depending on the
The cost is $17 for adults,
$15 for seniors and those
younger than 12, or $10 for a
half crab dinner.
This event is sponsored
accuracy review. The Port’s
trying to convey its recent fi-
nancial staff changes to cus-
tomers, said Grey, and make
things right.
Operations Manager Matt
McGrath said he and oth-
er staff members have been
going through all the Port’s
leases page by page, looking
at the bigger fish first.
“We’re probably at about
85 percent compliance with
the CPI compliance,” said
McGrath about the consum-
er price index, which mea-
sures changes in the price
level of consumer goods
and services purchased by
households and changes the
price of leases at the Port.
“It’s none of the people
who are here now,” said
Grey of the financial issues.
“We’re going to fix this,
make it right and make it run
like a well-oiled clock.”
In other news:
• Knight reported that a
tenant of the Port, who he
would not name, is in arrears
on its lease by about $20,000.
The tenant has hit hard times
but still employs six to eight
people, said Knight, and the
Port’s trying to be creative
in working with the tenant to
pay off debt so they can con-
tinue to operate. The tenant,
he added, has agreed to a re-
payment plan.
• Grey reported that the
Port hired Will Isom from
Columbia Memorial Hospi-
tal as its new staff accountant
starting Jan. 26. Currently,
Grey’s the only explicitly fi-
nancial employee at the Port.
3A
NATALIE ST. JOHN — EO Media Group
This year’s Polar Plunge will be in the ocean instead
of at Black Lake, pictured above last year.
Polar Plunge has
been postponed
By NATALIE
St. John
EO Media Group
LONG BEACH PEN-
INSULA, Wash. — The
New Year’s Day “Polar
Plunge” has been moved
to a different day and a
different location.
The annual event,
which raises money for
Ilwaco Middle and High
School music, will now
take place at 10 a.m. Jan.
17, at Waikiki Beach.
Band director Ra-
chel Lake said the Ilwa-
co Music Boosters had
to reschedule the event
due to a misunderstand-
ing with the Washington
State Parks System over
an event permit.
“That will be rem-
edied,” Lake said. She
added that everything else
about the rescheduled
event will be the same.
Surf rescuers and volun-
teer emergency medical
personnel will still super-
vise the event, and priz-
es, hot cocoa, coffee and
photo opportunities will
still be provided.
Lake said the new ven-
ue actually has a couple
of advantages.
“At Waikiki, there are
showers, bathrooms and
more parking,” Lake said.
corporation which maintains
an emergency fund to help
DAMIAN MULINIX — EO Media Group
Free estate planning workshop set
SEASIDE — CLA Estate
Services is hosting a free Estate
Planning Workshop at 2 p.m.
Monday at Rivertide Suites, 102
N. Holladay Drive in Seaside.
The workshop will provide infor-
mation on securing one’s estate
and retirement planning. Partic-
ipants will receive a workbook
and gain information regarding
the pros and cons of wills and
trusts; how to avoid probate;
long-term health care concerns;
tax reduction planning and
more. Seating is limited.
information, call 866-252-8721
from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
At least 100 homes lose water in
Cannon Beach Wednesday night
CANNON BEACH — At
least 100 homes in Cannon
Beach’s north end found
themselves without water
from about 7 p.m. Wednes-
day to 2:30 a.m. today when
a water line running from
the Ash Street pump station
uphill to the north reservoir
broke, emptying the res-
ervoir’s 30,000 gallons of
water onto the Ash, Seventh
and Larch streets in three to
four minutes, Public Works
Director Dan Grassick said.
The department is “not
exactly sure what hap-
pened,” he said.
By early morning, Pub-
lic Works had replaced the
damaged section of PVC
pipe and restored water to
the residents.
Three private homes,
whose owners are out of
town, may have suffered
water damaged, he said,
adding that the city is trying
W A NTED
to contact them.
PORK ROA ST
D IN N ER
With Scalloped
Potatoes, Veggies,
Coleslaw & Roll
Friday Jan 9 th
8
$ .0 0
DailyAstorian.com
Ilwaco Music Boosters will take the Polar Plunge
Jan. 17 at Seaview Beach Approach. Participants are
pictured at last year’s plunge at Black Lake.
The North Coast State
Forest Coalition is hosting a
fabulously fun
forest
e v ening
to celebrate our ongoing
success protecting the
Clatsop and Tillamook
State forests and
advocating for balance
on these public lands
Our supporters on the North
Coast play a crucial role in this
effort and we want to thank you!
4 pm ‘til gone
“K araok e D ave” at 6 pm
Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber
ASTORIA
AMERICAN LEGION
N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A
Sponsored by Unit 12
1132 Exchange Street • 325-5771
Contact: Steve Axtell • 360-430-0885 or John Anderson • 360-269-2500
W here: Lo vell S ho w ro o m
Fo rt Geo rg e Brew ery
1483 D u a n e St, Astoria , O R
W hen : 6:30-8:30 p m
Frid a y, Ja n u a ry 9th
MAKE a MATCH
A local donor has offered a gift of $50,000
and has challenged the community
to match the donation dollar for dollar.
MEET THE CHALLENGE!
November 15th - January 15th
To make a tax-deductible donation:
www.seasidescholarships.com
mail checks to: Seaside Scholarships
P.O. Box 332, Seaside, OR 97138
Questions: Celine McEwan
503.738.3569 • info@seasidescholarships.com
This ad is generously
sponsored by:
Michael Granger
Lightbox Photographic
W hy: W e’ve crea ted con serva tion a rea s
on ou r sta te forests, protected O regon ’s
la rgest tree a n d a re m ovin g tow a rd a
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celebra te a n d k eep the progress goin g!
W ho: Y ou a n d everyon e you k n ow !
Alon g w ith celebra tion a n d good
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loca l photogra phy a n d d eliciou s food
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expert Bob Va n D yk w ill provid e a brief
slid eshow on ou r progress to con serve a n d
restore fish a n d w ild life ha bita t, clea n
d rin k in g
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N o r th C o a st Sta te Fo rest C o a litio n
Darryl Lloyd