THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2015
NORTH COAST
Cannon Beach seeks to
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Deal with
Chamber of
Commerce to
fund promotions
By DANI PALMER
EO Media Group
CANNON BEACH — Af-
ter months of discussion, the
Cannon Beach City Council
formally approved a contract
with the Chamber of Com-
merce Tuesday allocating
room tax funds to off-season
tourist promotions.
Under terms of the con-
tract, the chamber will receive
quarterly payments equal to 70
percent of the 1 percent hotel
room tax increase approved
in August. The other 30 per-
cent of the 1 percent increase
will go into the city’s general
fund. The room tax increase
went into effect on Oct. 1 and
with the state’s 1 percent tax,
brought Cannon Beach’s lodg-
ing tax to 9 percent.
Chamber of Commerce Ex-
ecutive Director Court Carrier
said the money will be used
to market the city during the
time of year “hardly anyone
is here.” The promotions pro-
gram will include advertising
and a new job position geared
toward bringing in more events
and clientele from September
through May.
“We’re delighted to be able
to start working hard for this
city,” Carrier said. “We’ve
been waiting for it for awhile
now, but we’re going to do
our darnedest to make sure we
do the very best for Cannon
Submitted Photo
Exterior of the Cannon Beach Visitor Center in summer. The chamber hopes to boost
tourism throughout the year.
Beach. We want this to work
out well for them.”
Concerns about
length of contract
The council’s decision
was unanimous, but there was
talk concerning the length of
the contract. City Councilor
George Vetter said he felt the
period from October to June
2017 isn’t long enough. De-
spite being a small town, the
chamber has 270 paid mem-
bers, he noted, adding the city
should “show them more con-
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Carrier said chamber staff
and board members have been
waiting on the contract’s ap-
proval to ensure they had the
funds needed to complete
tasks.
He noted it will be “chal-
lenging to make a mark” in
the set time frame, but that
staff are prepared to do their
best.
City Manager Brant Kucera
said a short contract could be
advantageous for both parties.
He pointed to disagreements
over Tillamook County’s 1
percent room tax increase rev-
enue.
“I think that shows you
right there that a relationship
can quickly, although not ex-
pected here ... devolve into
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nues,” he said.
He added a year and a half
is enough time for the chamber
“to show us that they’re using
this money in a fashion that
was envisioned.”
An incentive
to work together
City Councilor Mike Bene-
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frame will give both parties ei-
ther incentive to make the con-
tract work with the increased
funds involved, or a chance to
walk away if the partnership
doesn’t work out.
“Who wants to be stuck in
a long-term contract and not be
happy with your partner? And
that works both ways,” he said.
The contract may be termi-
nated by either party “for any
reason” with a 90 day advance
written warning.
Mayor Sam Steidel suggest-
ed doing an evaluation of the
chamber’s performance at the
end of the contract to determine
whether or not to continue it.
State forecast paints rosy picture of revenues
By HILLARY BORRUD
Capital Bureau
SALEM — Oregon econ-
omists have painted a rosy
picture for the state’s revenues
and economy over the next two
years.
Economists said they expect
the state’s economy will contin-
ue at “full throttle” for another
year or two, as the post-reces-
sion recovery continues.
“For the last couple years,
we have been becoming more
optimistic about the (2015-
2017) biennium,” state econ-
omist Mark McMullen said
during a forecast Wednesday
morning.
Oregon’s economists expect
the state will receive $56 mil-
lion more in general fund and
lottery revenues in the current
biennium than they had pro-
jected in the summer, when
lawmakers were drafting the
budget. The latest forecast is
for $19.5 billion in total state
revenues.
McMullen said the strong
revenue forecast for the current
two-year budget meant law-
makers would not have to ad-
just their revenue expectations
at this point.
“I wish the same could be
said on the spending side,” Mc-
Mullen said.
Not surprising
“This report is not full of sur-
prises, which generally means
we like it,” said state Rep. Phil
Barnhart, D-Eugene, chairman
of the House Interim Committee
on Revenue. Lawmakers on the
state House and Senate revenue
committees held a joint meeting
to hear the economic and reve-
nue forecasts and other reports.
It could still take another
year for the number of jobs
in Oregon to catch up to the
number of workers, said senior
economist Josh Lehner. Lehner
and McMullen said the lack of
affordable housing — particu-
larly in the Portland metropoli-
tan area, Hood River and Bend
— and weakness in the manu-
facturing sector could be signals
of future problems for the state’s
economy.
Lehner said housing afford-
ability is now a problem “for
people up and down the spec-
trum.”
Less optimistic about
future years
Lawmakers and the state
economists spent little time dis-
cussing the less rosy outlook
beyond the current two year
budget. In 2017 through 2019,
economists projected that gen-
eral fund and lottery revenues
could decrease by $47.5 million.
Gov. Kate Brown said in a
press release that she will con-
tinue to monitor the revenue
outlook.
“The forecast is more than
a number, it directly correlates
to state government’s abili-
ty to support the health of our
schools, resiliency of our com-
munities, and growth of our
businesses large and small,”
Brown said. “While the forecast
is stable through this biennium,
I am watching carefully to make
sure we are able to respond nim-
bly and appropriately should the
landscape change.”
House Minority Leader
Mike McLane, R-Powell Butte,
said the state should approach
the forecast with “cautious op-
timism.”
“While our state’s econo-
my continues to expand, it’s
now doing so at a slower rate,”
Astor St. Opry
Company’s
20th annual
he said in a statement. “And
with key economic indicators
warning of potential problems
ahead, the prospects of contin-
ued growth are anything but
certain.
“Oregonians have worked
hard to bring our state back
from the depths of the Great
Recession, but long-term eco-
nomic expansion continues to
be hindered by burdensome
government mandates and the
threat of massive tax increases.
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loom yet again, we must pur-
sue policies that will incentivize
private-sector development and
bring new family-wage jobs
to Oregon, not ones that drive
them away.”
The Capital Bureau is a
collaboration between EO Me-
dia Group and Pamplin Media
Group.
3A
‘Make tomorrow
better than today’
Gearhart support
classroom helps
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new ways to
achieve success
impeding,” Glasson said.
“Our ultimate goal is to give
them tools to overcome the
obstacles preventing them
from being in the general ed-
ucation room.”
In the past, elementary
students with behavioral or
emotional challenges who
were on individualized edu-
cation programs were being
By KATHERINE
suspended regularly, having
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their days at public school
EO Media Group
shortened or receiving a lot
GEARHART — Seaside of in-home tutoring as re-
School District teacher Jen- sponses to disruptions. There
nifer Glasson and her team were not many options,
believe students can be suc- Gearhart Elementary School
cessful, and it is the responsi- Principal Juli Wozniak said.
bility of educators to remove “We just felt like there had to
obstacles to achievement.
be a better answer.”
That philosophy guides
Hoping for a more long-
the Learning Center Support WHUP PXWXDOO\ EHQH¿FLDO
Station, started this year in a solution, the district creat-
portable classroom at Gear- ed a classroom with an en-
hart Elementary School to vironment where students
provide an alternative learn- could receive more attention,
ing environment for kinder- specialized education, the
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students with challenging havior and the chance to try
behaviors.
again multiple times.
Everyday, Glasson and
fellow teachers Mary Foust
Preparing the
and Angela Dilley collab-
classroom
orate with each other and
The Astoria and Warren-
the students in the support ton-Hammond school dis-
station, a specially designed tricts both have specialized
classroom, to discover “what classroom settings, which
is getting in the way” of a Seaside staff visited to get
student’s success and then ideas for their Learning
¿QG ³ZD\V WR PDNH WRPRU- Center Support Station. The
row better than today was,” group then researched differ-
Glasson said.
ent aspects of the problem,
Primarily, the team is fo- including how trauma can
cused on building relation- create behavioral and emo-
ships with the students and tional challenges for students
being the relentless champi- and what sensory stimuli ex-
ons they need to change bad acerbate negative behaviors.
behaviors, she said.
They also looked into differ-
“It’s a social competen- ent curriculum, classroom
cies classroom, because structures,
reinforcement
that’s what the behaviors are systems and more.
Parks tour offers glimpse
into Astoria’s challenge
riaparks.com/dept/Parks_
Recreation.
“This is a great opportu-
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trip through parks on Satur- nity to get a deeper under-
day to help develop a parks standing of the opportunities
and challenges facing the
master plan.
The bus tour starts at 9 Astoria Parks and Recre-
a.m. at the Astoria Aquatic ation Department,” Angela
Center and is scheduled to Cosby, the department’s di-
end back at the center at 4 rector, said in an email.
The department has also
p.m. Parks staff have said
up to 40 people can go on invited the public to take an
the tour, with registration online master plan survey
information available on- that will be available until
line at http://www.asto- Jan. 1.
The Daily Astorian
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