Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 11, 2016)
3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016 State projects $2.7 billion hike in cost of services Shortfall pegged at $1.3 billion Eli Stillman/The Daily Astorian Regulations state that anglers can keep only one Chinook salmon a day during the fall season. High expectations for Chinook this season as ishermen converge Salmon season is up and running By ELI STILLMAN The Daily Astorian Hundreds of boats have launched into the Columbia River this month for the fall salmon season at Buoy 10. Predictions are high for the Chinook return, but sample igures show that ishing at the mouth of the river is off to a slower start than recent years. John North, the manager of Columbia River isher- ies with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, said that the catch rate was about .1 for the opening week at the popu- lar ishery. This means that for every 10 anglers on the water, only one would bring home a Chinook salmon. The last three years have had higher numbers during the opening of the fall season. “Last year we had catch rates around .7,” North said. The heavy bite that came at the beginning of August last year kept up through the remainder of the season, as the return totaled over 1 million ish caught. “Many would say that there’s not a lower ishery than By PARIS ACHEN Capital Bureau SALEM — The cost to maintain existing state ser- vices in the next two years will climb by 14.3 percent, or $2.7 billion, according to budget projections released Wednesday. The state faces an esti- mated budget shortfall of $1.3 billion, according to the report by the Legislative Fis- cal Ofice and Department of Administrative Services. Personnel and pensions, the state’s increasing share of the cost of the federal Afford- able Care Act, rising human services caseloads and inla- tion are driving the costs, the report states. The projected cost of maintaining state services in 2017-19 is about $21.7 bil- lion compared with $19 bil- lion in 2015-17. Personnel costs alone are projected to increase by 9 per- cent, according to the report. That includes raises in collec- tive bargaining agreements and salary packages, health beneits and an increase in the rate for the Public Employees Retirement System. The projections are based on the state’s June eco- nomic and revenue forecast and could change with the September and subsequent forecasts. A Department of Admin- istrative Services spokesper- son emphasized in a tweet that Wednesday’s projection is only a “starting point.” The state’s budget pic- ture could change dramati- cally if voters in November approve a controversial cor- porate sales tax measure. The 2.5 percent tax on the Ore- gon sales of certain corpora- tions exceeding $25 million would yield an estimated $3 billion per year in additional state revenue. Craft3 hires new leader from within problem-solving approach are exactly what Craft3 needs.” Nonproit lender Craft3 Zimmerman has worked has chosen Adam Zimmer- at Craft3 for 14 years, most man as the new president and recently as the executive CEO. He takes over for John vice president guiding orga- Berdes, who died in June of nizational growth, consumer lung cancer. lending and brand “Our late CEO management. He John Berdes’ pass- has been a member ing in June left big of Craft3’s execu- shoes to ill at the tive management helm of Craft3 — team since 2011. and while John can When Zimmer- never be replaced, man started with the board is coni- Craft3 in 2002, the dent that Adam is organization man- the right choice to aged $8 million Adam guide Craft3 for- with a staff of 10. Zimmerman ward,” said Steve Craft3 now man- McConnell, chair- ages $164 million man of the Craft3 board of with 55 staff. directors, in a release. “As “Craft3 is at an inlec- we inalize our next ive-year tion point,” Zimmerman plan later this year, the board said in the release. “We are believes Adam’s leadership on the cusp of $400 mil- capabilities, deep knowledge lion deployed in Oregon and of community inance and Washington, and have opened The Daily Astorian Eli Stillman/The Daily Astorian Gregg Robinson of Vancouver, Wash. shows off one of the first Chinook salmon of the season. this Buoy 10 salmon run for quality and volume of ish,” said Michael O’Leary, a conserva- tion consultant for the Associa- tion of Northwest Steelheaders, a nonproit organization focused on sport ishing advocacy and protecting isheries. While the numbers of the irst week this season were what North called “more realis- tic,” as of Tuesday, it appeared that the catch rate had picked up. Even with the slow start, the Department of Fish and Wildlife is conident that this season will yield a high return. “This year’s prediction is right there at 960,000,” North said. To help the number of salmon caught coincide with the end of the season on Sept. 5, anglers must adhere to state regulations. Each angler is allowed to keep two salmon a day, but only one Chinook. Also, on Sun- day and Monday, the Chi- nook must have a clipped adipose or left ventral fin in order to be caught. “Everybody hates it when we shut down Buoy 10 early, so on all Sundays and Mon- days you can only keep clipped,” North said. ofices that better relect our role as a regional institution. I’m thrilled with these devel- opments — but they aren’t enough. Our late founder John Berdes believed that Craft3 needed to think big to reach underserved commu- nities with the capital they need to be successful. And so I look forward to carrying out John’s vision as we move Craft3 into our next era.” In 2012, Zimmerman was appointed by then-Gov. John Kitzhaber to serve on the Ore- gon Growth Board. In 2013, he was recognized by the Portland Business Journal as one of the region’s “40 under 40” business leaders. Zim- merman earned his master’s in community and regional planning from the Univer- sity of Oregon in 2002. He is an Eastern Oregon native and lives in Portland with his wife and two children. Vacation rental owners make plea for compromise Survey says: take a fresh look at new regulations By R.J. MARX The Daily Astorian GEARHART — Short- term rental property own- ers are seeking a compromise to new rules in Gearhart that were approved in a irst read- ing of an ordinance early this month. “Half the voters are against regulations or have no opin- ion,” vacation rental property owner Jim Whittemore said in a letter to the City Coun- cil. “The message is, the vot- ers of the city want this process to take more time — that we need a compromise.” Homeowners in Gearhart, including Whittemore, hired a polling company to determine local attitudes on short-term rental housing. The poll was conducted by Jim Moore Methods, after being contacted by part- time Gearhart resident David Townsend, founder and pres- ident of political consulting irm Townsend Raimundo Besler & Usher in Sacramento. Townsend said while he is the owner of a rental property in the Little Beach area of Gear- hart, he would not be affected by the new rules. One-hundred people drawn from voter rolls were sur- veyed, six of whom said they had rented their home as a vacation rental and 94 who had Clatsop Post 12 Stuffed Cabbage Rolls With Rice, Veggies, Salad and Bread The Daily Astorian/File Photo Homeowner Laurie Whitte- more addressed the Plan- ning Commission at a May hearing in opposition to rental regulations. not. All said they were famil- iar with the short-term rental issue. “These are decision-mak- ers. They are not vacation rental people in this year,” Townsend said. “What they’re really saying is, ‘Can’t we compromise? Why do we have to jam this thing? Why don’t we step back, form a commit- tee, sit down and see if we can do some compromise?’” But the results also show almost two-thirds of Gearhart residents said the city needs to adopt an ordinance to regu- late vacation rental units. And slightly more Gearhart res- idents favored moving for- ward with new rules — 41 to The Daily Astorian/File Photo Crowds filled Gearhart’s firehouse to hear discussion on short-term rentals earlier this year. 38 percent — even if the “vast majority of vacation rental owners think the process has been unfair and incomplete.” City Administrator Chad Sweet said this week that the survey, which was created without city input, “pretty much says the Planning Com- mission and City Council are moving in the right direc- tion. It reinforces what we’re doing.” The council approved new rules in a irst reading earlier this month and could bring them into law with a vote in September. The ordinance would go into effect a month later. If enacted, permit appli- cants would be required to complete forms, pay a $600 al 18 th Annu IDE GEM, MINE SEAS JEWELRY SHO RAL W AND AUGUST 19, 20, 21 SEASIDE CONVENTION CENTER 415 FIRST AVENUE • SEASIDE, OR FRI & SAT • 10AM TO 6PM SUNDAY • 10AM TO 4PM Friday th BEADS • CRYSTAL • FOSSILS • GEM STONES • JEWLERY MINERALS • OPALS • PETRIFIED WOOD • ROUGH SLABS SPHERES • SUN STONES • THUNDER EGGS 4 pm ‘til gone FREE STRAND OF PEARLS FOR THE FIRST 75 LADIES DAILY August 12 $8 .00 6PM “Karaoke Dave” ASTORIA AMERICAN LEGION Cla t sop Post 12 1132 Exchange Street 325-5771 FREE ADMISSION OPEN TO THE PUBLIC WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE LE Drawing for Septarian Nodule from Morocco Sunday at 2pm Tickets $1 each / 6 for $5 permit fee and provide proof of inspection. The ordinance requires a 24-hour property owner representative and per- mit display, which would list maximum occupancy, park- ing and the designated rep- resentative by the entry door. Each rental would need a $125 inspection and a posted tsunami evacuation map. Per- mit holders would need to pay city vacation rental taxes. Overall, a majority of res- idents polled supported these measures, however, seven out of 10 residents disagreed with a provision stating: “Any home currently used as a vacation rental unit cannot be used as a vacation rental in the future unless it stays in the family.” “The voters acknowledge the need for ordinances, many of which are already on the books, but do not want to lose (their) rental homes,” Whitte- more said. “The voters are really, ‘Let’s have some fair regula- tion,’” Townsend said. “Let’s not go overboard and deprive owners of their right to rent their property or sell their house so somebody else can rent their property out.” Opponents to the rules could ile an appeal with the state Land Use Board of Appeals or present a referen- dum challenging all or any part of the ordinance they want to change or remove, Sweet said. Townsend said a referen- dum could be iled within the next year. “We don’t want to do that,” Townsend said. “The coun- cil should do the right thing. There’s no reason not to look at what this poll says, not to dismiss it out of hand because you don’t agree with it. All the council has to do is step back, take a deep breath, pull some people together and say, ‘Where can we make some compromise to bring every- body together?’ I don’t know why the council and the mayor need to make this so divisive.” On Sept. 7, the council will vote again on the proposed ordinance. “I expect they will be unanimous again,” Sweet said. “But you never know. And they did have time to take this survey under con- sideration before the irst vote.” W A NTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A Contact: Steve Axtell • 360-430-0885 or John Anderson • 360-269-2500
