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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016
Legislators weigh PERS options, but reach no consensus
Unfunded liability
looming for state
By CLAIRE
WITHYCOMBE
Capital Bureau
SALEM — A bipartisan
work group aimed at reforming
the state’s Public Employees
Retirement System started tak-
ing input on the issue Wednes-
day afternoon, but reached no
consensus.
The system faces $21.8 bil-
lion in unfunded liability —
money it owes to PERS bene-
iciaries but cannot pay.
Though several comment-
ers, including the mayor of
Hillsboro and a Bend-La Pine
School District board mem-
ber, seemed to agree change is
needed to both address grow-
ing costs to local governments
and meet legal requirements,
it was not clear what direction
the intended reforms may take.
While state Sen. Betsy John-
son, D-Scappoose, described
PERS as a “supercharged and
emotional” topic, it’s also com-
plex. Steve Rodeman, the exec-
utive director of PERS, spent
the irst 45 minutes of the meet-
ing providing a high-level
explanation of the system.
In 2013, the Legislature
passed a set of reforms aimed
at mitigating growing costs,
but those reforms were largely
struck down by the Oregon
Supreme Court last year. As
a result of the court’s decision
and low investment returns,
public employers will have
to contribute $2.9 billion to
the system in the next budget
cycle, a hike of $885 million.
The Legislature is allowed
to make changes to current
public employees’ beneits,
but beneits that have already
accrued cannot be altered,
according to the ruling in that
case, Moro v. Oregon.
With this parameter in
mind, Johnson, and Sen. Tim
Knopp, R-Bend, are leading
the charge in an attempt to
address the unfunded liability
through a work group.
Legislative counsel has
vetted 10 possibilities, and
late last month released an
analysis inding seven of them
likely constitutional.
Johnson said the August
indings by legislative coun-
sel were not the only options
available to legislators.
Senior Deputy Legisla-
tive Counsel Marisa James
said that her ofice’s analy-
sis of those possibilities was
largely in agreement with a
legal analysis presented this
week by a Portland law irm,
Bennett, Hartman, Morris &
Kaplan, LLP, on behalf of ive
public employee unions.
In a letter submitted to
Johnson and Knopp, repre-
sentatives of those unions said
they were “deeply skeptical”
that the reform effort “is about
inding ‘solutions’ or taking a
broader look at all the budget-
ary challenges the state faces.”
unused vacation and sick time
payments to be included when
calculating the inal salary.
In the Aug. 31 letter, legis-
lative counsel acknowledged
that some of these possibili-
ties, though likely constitu-
tional, could prove politically
controversial and risk being
challenged in court.
The three options that
didn’t make the cut set by
legislative counsel included
changing the retirement age,
reducing a factor by which
years of service and inal
average salary are multiplied
in the formula used to calcu-
late pension beneit, or dis-
continuing the pension pro-
gram altogether.
Several options
Some examples of those
possibilities include institut-
ing a $100,000 cap on inal
annual salary used to calcu-
late beneits, using a market
rate for annuities, and calcu-
lating the beneit based on the
average of the last ive years
of salary instead of the last
three.
Another option would
stop the practice of allowing
Knopp and Johnson at the
work group meeting Wednes-
day, said that her school dis-
trict faces signiicant person-
nel cuts as a result of increased
PERS costs.
Tim Nesbitt, a former
adviser to former gover-
nors John Kitzhaber and
Ted Kulongoski, in com-
ments at the request of the
Oregon Business Council,
said that the state must be
mindful of moderating cost
increases as a percentage of
local government and dis-
trict payroll.
He said that continued
increases could divert money
from the local services that
those districts and govern-
ments provide.
The Capital Bureau is a
collaboration between EO
Media Group and Pamplin
Media Group.
Increased costs
Cheri Helt, a member of
the board of Bend-La Pine
Schools, in comments to
Toxin levels stall Poll shows support for repealing
razor clam digs statewide ban on rent control
at Long Beach
By JIM REDDEN
Captial Bureau
The Daily Astorian
OLYMPIA, Wash. –
Rising marine toxin lev-
els have prompted the
Washington Department
of Fish and Wildlife to
delay upcoming razor clam
digs at Long Beach and to
review openings at other
ocean beaches.
The department contin-
ues to watch toxin levels
to determine whether razor
clam digging can proceed
at Twin Harbors, Copalis
and Mocrocks beaches.
Fish and wildlife had
previously set a tentative
schedule of digs for Oct.
14 through Dec. 31 at the
four ocean beaches.
However, digs at Long
Beach are on hold until tests
indicate toxin levels have
dropped and the clams are
safe to eat, said Dan Ayres,
wildlife department coastal
shellish manager.
Test results on razor
clams dug recently at
Long Beach indicate lev-
els of domoic acid exceed
the threshold (20 ppm) set
by state public health ofi-
cials. Domoic acid, a natu-
ral toxin produced by cer-
tain types of marine algae,
can be harmful or even fatal
if consumed in suficient
quantities.
Ayres noted that toxin
levels also have increased
over the past week at the
other sites, but remain
below the threshold set by
public health officials.
“These latest toxin test
results cast uncertainty on
the fall razor clam season,”
Ayres said. “We hope this is
a short-term spike in toxin
levels that won’t lead to
closures at other beaches.”
Elevated levels of
domoic acid forced state
shellfish managers to cut
short the razor clam season
in spring 2015 and delay
the opening again last fall.
As housing costs increase
across the state, a slim
majority of Oregon voters
support repealing the state-
wide ban on rent control —
with the most support being
in the Portland area.
According to a new poll
by DHM Research, 52 per-
cent of statewide voters sup-
port eliminating the existing
ban on rent control.
Support is highest in the
Portland area, where 58 per-
cent support a change in
Oregon laws to allow cities
and counties to enact their
own rent control policies.
Voters in the Willamette
Valley are also supportive,
but less so, at 52 percent.
Voters elsewhere in the state
are split on the issue: 42 per-
cent support ending the ban
and 44 percent oppose it.
State House Speaker Tina
Kotek, a Portland Democrat,
recently said she will ask
the Legislature to repeal the
statewide ban on rent control.
According to the poll,
partisan politics play a role
in the issue. Statewide, 60
percent of Democrats sup-
port repealing the ban, com-
pared to 53 percent of nonaf-
filiated voters and 39 percent
of Republicans.
DHM Research says
the debate over rent con-
trol is happening at a time
when many voters are feel-
ing squeezed by the cost of
housing. A little more than
one-quarter of respondents
indicate that their housing
costs, including basic util-
ities, exceed 30 percent of
their income.
Although the affordability
issue affects residents from
all parts of the state, in the
Portland area, 28 percent of
voters say their housing costs
are too high. That compares
to 23 percent in the Willa-
mette Valley and 25 percent
in the rest of the state.
Portland-area
voters
are also the most likely to
view housing in their area
as unaffordable, regardless
of their personal circum-
stances, the poll found. A
majority of Portland-area
voters — 56 percent — say
housing in the community
is not too affordable or not
at all affordable. Just 6 per-
cent of Portland-area vot-
ers say housing costs in
their community are “very
affordable.”
In contrast, a majority of
voters in the Willamette Val-
ley (57 percent) and else-
where in the state (54 per-
cent) say housing in their
community is affordable.
DHM Research is a wide-
ly-respected Portland polling
firm. Its telephone survey of
517 registered Oregon voters
was conducted from Sept. 1
through Sept. 6. It has a mar-
gin or error of plus or minus
4.3 percentage points.
The Capital Bureau is a
collaboration between EO
Media Group and Pamplin
Media Group.
Cla t sop Post 12
Spaghetti
Dinner
with Tossed Salad, Veggie
and Garlic Bread
Friday
Sept. 23 rd
4 pm ‘til gone
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ASTORIA
AMERICAN LEGION
www.dailyastorian.com
Cla t sop Post 12
1132 Exchange Street 325-5771
W ILLIAM (B ILL ) L AWS
S EPTEMBER 11, 1961 - S EPTEMBER 14, 2016
T a co
Feed
Shela’s
Fam ous
Tacos!
th
Saturday, Septem ber 24
12 M onths
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10am - 4PM
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Our beloved Bill Laws died suddenly on
September 14, 2016, at the age of 55 in Jack-
sonville, FL, where he moved recently (less than
3-months ago) with his family. A resident of over
20 years in Seaside, Bill was known for helping
others. He also enjoyed
fi shing and restoring classic
cars.
Bill was born to William
and Hazel Laws in Seattle,
WA on September 11, 1961.
He spent his early childhood
in Seattle; his teenage years
in Florida; and then moved
to Hillsboro, OR where he
met his wife of over 30 years,
Teri Moreland-Laws. Bill was
a very loving and caring
husband.
The biggest love of Bill’s
life, his pride and joy, are his children: daughter
Michon; “The Twin’s” daughter Brooke and son
Drake; and his grandson “Papa’s Little Man” Tris-
ten. Bill was preceded in death by his beloved
son Robert.
Bill is survived by his wife Teri Moreland-Laws,
his parents Bill and Lin Laws of Ilwaco, WA;
brother Bob and sister-in-law Karmera Laws;
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Bill’s family needs your help to
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will have the love and support
they need. An account has
been opened at the Bank of the
Pacifi c. Cash donations can be
taken to any Bank of the Pacifi c
branch, checks can be made
payable to Teri-Moreland Laws.
Teri and the kids want to thank everyone for
their loving support. “It’s meant the world to us.”
Bill’s memorial service is in the works and will be
announced.
There is a Gofundme account set up to help Bill’s
family. Please go to :
www.gofundme.com/2pdju5n7?ssid=742490813&pos=1
if you would like to contribute.
Ca k
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Darrin, Devin, Cody and Aiden; and countless
cousins. Bill is also survived by his best friends
Phil and Lauri Hullender; Rick James; Sam
Rayburn; Mike Shade and many,
many more friends.
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