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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (June 14, 2017)
3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 2017 Water, sewer and recycling rates headed up in Warrenton Hikes to cover maintenance and operations costs By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Daily Astorian WARRENTON — War- renton plans to increase water, sewer and recycling rates in the new fiscal year, explaining that the increases are necessary to fund regular maintenance and operations costs and related projects into the future. Overall, the increases will add approximately $5.68 to the base rate of a city customer’s bill starting in July, or roughly $1.83 to water, $2.64 to sewer, 53 cents to storm sewer and 16 cents to recycling costs, according to April Clark, the city’s finance director. The City Commission held a first reading of the proposed resolution Tuesday night. A second reading and approval of the resolution will occur at the commission’s next meet- ing June 27. This gives resi- dents a chance to share their thoughts and opinions on the increases, said City Manager Linda Engbretson. The city’s budget committee proposed a 7 percent increase to water rates, which is expected to raise about $182,000 in the water fund by the end of the fiscal year in June 2018. Sewer rates are going up by 5 percent, a move that is expected to raise around $102,200 in the sewer fund over the fiscal year. The city’s water system is large and provides water not only to Warrenton residents but also to Surf Pines, Clat- sop Plains and Cullaby Lake as well as some water to Gearhart. Bills will vary from customer to customer based on usage. Customers outside the city’s College projects enrollment increase By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian The Clatsop Community College Board on Tuesday adopted a nearly $11.6 million operating budget for the com- ing school year. “We are very pleased to present a proposed budget which includes investment in academic, student services and operations due to the improv- ing fiscal outlook and efforts made by all faculty and staff working to increase student enrollment,” JoAnn Zahn, the college’s vice president of finance and operations, said in her budget message. The college projects an 8 percent increase in enrollment, from an estimated equivalent of 1,290 students this year to 1,393 next year. The increase is expected from expanded welding, English as a Second Language and maritime sci- ence programs, for which the college has increased staffing, along with additional activities in the redeveloped Patriot Hall. Tuition and fee revenue, which represents about one- third of the college’s operating resources, is projected at $3.5 million in the coming year. Property taxes are projected at $4.5 million. The third leg of the col- lege’s funding scheme is pred- icated on the state Legislature giving community colleges $550 million in the 2017-19 biennium, of which the college would receive 0.88 percent, or $2.3 million. The college also projects $450,000 in timber tax revenue above what is ear- marked to pay off debt. limits already pay a slightly higher base fee. The city increased water and sewer rates in 2015 and again this fiscal year. City Commissioner Rick Newton said it’s important to recognize that the commission is “playing catch-up.” The city had long tried to avoid unpopular rate hikes, despite being advised over the years to increase the rates. Another study completed last year repeated this advice. On Tuesday, the commis- sion voted to unanimously approve increased rates at the Warrenton Community Center located downtown next to the city park. Rental rates there have not been increased since July 2014. At a budget committee meeting in May, the community center’s advisory board recom- mended a 10 percent increase, raising hourly rates for rental of the center’s meeting room only, ll Ca ime yt n A the meeting room with kitchen access included, and the “all day” rates. Budget Committee Chair- man Paul Mitchell had said he thought the city could go even higher with some of these rates, pointing out what other groups charge for meeting space. But city staff worried about dis- couraging regular users. On Tuesday, the commis- sion considered a compro- mise of sorts: a 12.5 percent increase to the “meeting room with kitchen” rental rate and a 16.7 percent increase for the “meeting room only” rate, with all-day rates adjusted accord- ingly. The community center’s advisory board supported this recommendation. This resolution takes the “all day” rates up from $241 and $359 to $281 and $404, depending on whether or not a group plans to use the kitchen facilities. Fre e as Est F ima t t es Jeff Hale P ainting • Residential • Commercial •Cedar Roof Treatments • Interior & Exterior Over 20 years local experience 503-440-2169 Jeff Hale, Contractor LICENSED BONDED INSURED CCB#179131 By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian The Clatsop Community College Board voted unan- imously Tuesday to send a proposed tobacco-free policy back to the drawing board because of loopholes allow- ing people to smoke in cars and on the fringes of campus. The policy stated that all college properties would be tobacco-free by the start of the fall academic term. But the policy would have allowed smoking in private vehicles on campus and in designated “good neighbor zones” around the exterior of college properties. Board Member Tessa Scheller said the loopholes made the proposal dead on arrival from her perspective. “This is the No. 1 killer,” Scheller said of tobacco, which the Centers for Dis- ease Control and Prevention reports is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. “There’s no reason to facili- tate smoking that I can see.” College President Chris- topher Breitmeyer said the policy was developed while keeping the impact of previ- ous efforts in mind and that such good neighbor zones were common at other tobac- co-free campuses. W A NTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 Consult a P ROFESSIONAL software do you Q: What recommend? AstoriasBest.com, and A: Visit click on “Recommended Software” and learn about FREE progams. • OpenOffice- an Office Suite with Word Processor, Spread Sheet, Slide Show creator, and Data Base. • Glary Utilities and CCleaner- two programs that tune up your computer. S hop locally for • Revo Uninstaller- A superior your beSt value . program uninstaller to remove W e beat all unwanted programs. on - line Sale priceS . • Malwarebytes and Avast- Two M-F 10-6 Sat . 11-4 excellent anti-virus programs. 77 11th Street, Suite H Why pay for what is available for Astoria, OR free? We are on YOUR side. 503-325-2300 LEO FINZI Astorias Best.com Lawmakers advance health care provider tax Q: Should I use heat or cold? you hurt,especially in A: If a joint, use ice; it reduces By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE Capital Bureau SALEM — The Legisla- ture’s budget-writing commit- tee on Tuesday advanced a bill over Republican objections that would increase the state’s tax on health care providers to cover the costs of expanding Medicaid. The Joint Committee on Ways and Means also advanced Tuesday a $19.9 billion budget for the Oregon Health Author- ity for the next two years, including $2.2 billion from the state’s general fund. Both bills now go to the floor of the state House of Representatives. The increased tax would raise revenue from hospitals, insurers and coordinated care organizations — the regional networks of providers serv- ing patients on the Oregon Health Plan, Oregon’s version of Medicaid — to help cover the costs of the government’s health care plan for the poor and other qualifying groups. The bill is expected to raise $673 million in the next two years to fund Medicaid and to help fund reinsurance, a reim- bursement system that protects insurers from high claims. Currently, certain urban hospitals are assessed a 5.3 percent provider tax that is set to expire in 2019. The legisla- tion would extend the assess- ment to 2021 and increase it to 6 percent for those hospitals, and establish a new 4 percent tax on net revenues of rural hospitals. Some Republicans criti- cized the proposal, contending the costs of care were likely to be shifted to consumers. Loopholes delay a ‘tobacco-free’ campus policy inflammation and pain and shortens healing time. You can get a burn from ice just like with heat, so don’t leave it on for more than 20 minutes. Most problems get better more quickly with ice. Heat feels good, but may seriously make problems worse. As long as there is pain and/or swelling, continue ice; it can be done as often as once an hour. Would you heat a cut? No, because it would keep bleeding —that is what happens inside where you can’t see it. ASTORIA 1 CHIROPRACTIC Barry Sears, D.C. 503-325-3311 2935 Marine Drive Astoria, Oregon though it’s still Q: Even cold, can I plant tomatoes in the garden now? 2 3 BRIM’S Farm & Garden 34963 Hwy. 101 Business Astoria • 503 - 325-1562 For beautiful gardens & healthy animals www.brimsfarmngarden.com 4 1. 2. 3. 4. CMH cares for the whole family. You can pay your bill online. CMH provides an athletic trainer to schools at no cost. Our volunteers are priceless! 2111 Exchange St., Astoria, Oregon • 503-325-4321 www.columbiamemorial.org • A Planetree-Designated Hospital Yes, if your garden has a greenhouse in it or if you can cover them with a plastic cover of some type to keep them warm. Tomatoes are prone to diseases when exposed to the cold temperatures and rain and hail we are experiencing. Select early producing varieties with disease resistance such as Early Girl, Celebrity, Stupice, Oregon Spring and Legend. The early producers are your best bet. Grafted tomatoes are worth a try, too as they produce much longer into the fall and produce much more produce. We carry grafted Early Girl, Sun Gold and Sweet 100. A : was recently Q: I diagnosed with diabetes. Are there any dental problems that are associated with this disease? JEFFREY M. LEINASSAR DMD, FAGD 503/325-0310 1414 M ARINE D RIVE A STORIA www.smileastoria.com patients are at A: Diabetic a higher risk for dental problems and gum disease. These patients must adhere to a very closely monitored blood sugar level, follow the recommendations and prescriptions from their physician, AND take exquisite oral hygiene care of their teeth and gums. This is not the time to be lackadaisical. You must be on top of your game!!!!
