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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 22, 2017)
145TH YEAR, NO. 103 DailyAstorian.com // WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2017 Cannon Beach looks at 40 percent water rate increase Judge limits hotel damages against Port Money would pay for system projects Potential legal bill now less than $1 million By BRENNA VISSER The Daily Astorian CANNON BEACH — After months of deliberation, the public works commit- tee will recommend to Cannon Beach city councilors a combined 40 percent increase for water and wastewater rates for next fi s- cal year. It’s the same rate that was proposed ear- lier this year as a way to fi nance projects in the water and wastewater master plan. The 20-year plan is required by the state, and projects would focus on rehabbing or replac- ing a variety of systems, including brittle water lines and water storage tanks. Approving the plan, which outlines roughly $7 million in water infrastruc- ture and $2 million in wastewater priori- ty-one projects, and the rate increase to fund it stalled in May after committee members raised concerns about how projects were pri- oritized and discrepancies within the rate study. Since May, committee members worked with Public Works Director Jim Arndt to evaluate the benefi ts and drawbacks of fund- ing the whole master plan versus just a per- centage, different rate structures and pay- ment phase-in options. But ultimately, the majority of the com- mittee voted to recommend a proposal Tues- day similar to the one made earlier this year, which will keep the city’s current rate struc- ture and raise the average homeowner’s water bill from about $50 a month to $70 in the fi rst year. The committee will introduce its recom- mendation to the City Council at a work ses- sion Dec. 12. “None of this is easy,” Arndt said. “We have needs in this town, and addressing them is going to hurt for awhile.” By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian FEEDING FRENZY John Durban/NOAA Fisheries/Southwest Fisheries Science Center In this photo from a drone, a young resident killer whale chases a Chinook salmon in the Salish Sea near San Juan Island, Washington. Marine mammals are eating more salmon than humans do By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Daily Astorian Fixing the problem Cannon Beach has not had a signifi cant rate increase in 10 years. Because of this, the Public Works Department has not been able to fully cover operational costs without dip- ping into the general fund, according to both Arndt and his predecessor, Dan Grassick. The sharp increase would allow critical projects to be steadily funded by ratepayers rather than relying on hotel and rental room tax revenue — which, when the economy is poor, can create funding instability for these projects. Financing 100 percent of these high-pri- ority projects with rates would help the department catch up on projects, as well as reduce the impact on future maintenance costs, Arndt said. But doing this would require rates to raise closer to 60 percent. “We want to provide for and maintain this system sustainability,” Arndt said. Most committee members agree there are parts of the system that have been neglected and need to be replaced, but are uncom- fortable recommending a rate increase that would fi nance any more than 50 percent of water infrastructure projects and 75 percent of wastewater projects listed in the plan. Doing so still generates $2.1 million and $1.61 million for water and wastewater proj- ects, respectively. Most members have disagreements about what infrastructure projects should be con- sidered as a No.1 priority, so only providing partial funding encourages the city to prior- itize projects and pursue alternative funding See CANNON BEACH, Page 7A ONE DOLLAR A rebound in marine mammal populations on the West The Port of Astoria’s potential legal bill over the Astoria Riverwalk Inn has been reduced from $4 million to less than $1 million. Clatsop County Circuit Court Judge Dawn McIntosh granted a motion Monday by the Port to limit Param Hotel Corp.’s dam- ages on claims of fraud against the agency to $682,800. That is in addition to more than $200,000 for awarded to Param over the Port’s breach of contract. Param and its owner, Ganesh Sonpatki, had been trying since 2014 to take over operation of the Riverwalk Inn from heav- ily indebted former operator Brad Smithart in exchange for paying his debts to the city, Port, county and other government entities. The Port Commission voted in 2015 to have staff transfer the lease, but the deal fell apart. After the Port installed locally connected company Astoria Hospitality Ventures as the short-term operator, Param sued the Port for breach of contract and fraud, arguing the agency had unfairly misled the company and broken the previous agreement to trans- fer the lease. Executive Director Jim Knight was named a co-defendant in the lawsuit, but later had a separate fraud claim against him dismissed. A jury last month awarded Param $202,430 in economic damages for a breach of contract claim and nearly $3.8 million on the claims of fraud. The Port’s attorney, Luke Reese, argued that the claims of fraud are subject to caps under the Oregon Tort Claims Act. The act is meant to protect public bodies from massive payouts after a wrongful act, other than a breach of contract, that results in damages or injunctions. See PORT, Page 7A Coast has come with unintended consequences for salmon. A new study found that a growing population of fi sh-eating killer whales, sea lions and harbor seals on the West Coast have feasted heavily on Chinook salmon runs in the last 40 years. Their consumption of the fi sh — wild salmon, researchers found the of which certain populations are listed increased predation could be taking a as endangered and threatened — may toll and “masking the success of coast- now exceed the combined harvest by wide recovery efforts.” commercial and recreational fi sheries, “We’re trying to understand all researchers say. the threats that salmon face through- It’s a complex trade-off, fi shery out their range,” said Eric Ward, a managers say. And many questions co-author and statistician (biology) remain about what a growing preda- with NOAA. “These fi sh have huge tor population means for the fi sh and migrations. Fish from the Salish Sea why, despite the feed- or the Oregon Coast ing frenzy, the Southern and Washington Coast Resident Killer Whale migrate all the way up group in Washington to Alaska and through- state’s Puget Sound area out that whole range continues to show few they are vulnerable to signs of recovery. predation.” The study was a The study purpose- broad but “careful fully focused on preda- accounting exercise,” a tion by certain recov- fi rst attempt to quantify ering marine mammal marine mammal preda- populations, said study tion of Chinook salmon lead Brandon Chasco, on the U.S. West Coast an Oregon State Uni- and up into British versity post-doctoral Columbia, Canada and student. Southeastern Alaska, The study con- said co-author Isaac fi rmed what commu- Isaac Kaplan Kaplan of the National nities near the mouth National Ocean Ocean and Atmospheric of the Columbia River and Atmospheric Administration’s North- already know — seals Administration’s west Fisheries Science and sea lions eat a lot of Northwest Fisheries Center. salmon. The researchers Science Center “The main story here estimated that Califor- is there are a lot of fac- nia sea lions ate 46,000 tors affecting salmon,” adult Chinook salmon Kaplan said. “Those include dams and in 2015, while Stellar sea lions con- habitat (loss) and fi shing and marine sumed 47,000. Harbor seals ate con- mammals. We know all of these things siderably less, an estimated 1,000 adult are a challenge to recovery for Chinook Chinook salmon. salmon populations.” “What we don’t know is if these The researchers — a collabora- marine mammals are effective and if tion of federal, state and tribal scien- they’ve taken the fi sh out of the mouths tists in the Pacifi c Northwest — used of other predators,” Chasco said. “Or, models to estimate that the yearly bio- if it’s being stacked on top of bird con- mass of Chinook salmon consumed by sumption, stacked on top of fi sh con- sea lions, harbor seals and killer whales sumption and the density of salmon increased from 6,100 to 15,200 met- overall is lower.” ric tons from 1975 to 2015, even while “We just don’t know that yet,” he annual harvest by fi sheries decreased added, “and I don’t know when we’re from 16,400 to 9,600 metric tons. going to know that.” While recovery efforts on the West See SALMON, Page 7A Coast have boosted the numbers of ‘THE MAIN STORY HERE IS THERE ARE A LOT OF FACTORS AFFECTING SALMON.’ Gov. Brown directs OHA to preserve kids’ insurance program By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE Capital Bureau SALEM — Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has directed the state’s health agency to guarantee coverage for children and pregnant women covered by a federal program that’s in limbo. Oregon is one of three states that will run out of federal funding for the Chil- dren’s Health Insurance Pro- gram, or CHIP, in Decem- ber, according to OHA. Up to half of the states will be out of federal money by Gov. February. Kate Brown Brown directed OHA to maintain coverage of groups covered by CHIP for the fi rst four months of 2018. That would cost the state about $35 million. About 121,000 kids and 1,700 pregnant women are covered by the program in Oregon. CHIP generally enjoys broad political sup- port, but Congress is now well past its Sept. 30 deadline to reauthorize funding for the program. But Oregon offi cials expect Congress to reauthorize the funding and to pay the state back. “While this additional cost was not in the Oregon Health Authority’s legislatively approved budget, we can manage this on a short-term basis because it is early in the bien- nium,” OHA Director Pat Allen wrote in a Nov. 17 letter to Brown. “We will spend more of our appropriated state funds earlier to make up for lost federal funds.” Allen added that if Congress does not reauthorize CHIP funding or doesn’t fund it retroactively, the lost funding would “cause a hole in the OHA budget” that would have to be reconciled in 2018. See GOV. BROWN, Page 7A