A3
THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2021
Food tax: City expects to begin collecting the tax in July
Continued from Page A1
“There were, we felt,
too many issues with how
the election was handled,
including the collection of
ballots and the opening of
the ballot box in Cannon
Beach, for us not to pursue
legal action,” she said.
Measure 4-210 was
approved in a 380 to 374
vote.
The legal challenge
alleges a ballot drop box at
City Hall was improperly
and prematurely opened and
that ballots from a drop box
in Seaside were improperly
rejected .
Some votes, the chal-
lenge said, were not prop-
erly counted or counted at
all. The election results are
also invalid in “other ways
to be revealed,” the court fi l-
ing said.
Clatsop County declined
to comment .
Miller and Tuckman were
among the many restaurant
owners who opposed the
ballot measure ahead of the
election.
Patrick Nofi eld, the
owner of Escape Lodging
in Cannon Beach, requested
the recount. Nofi eld and oth-
ers raised concerns about
an incident where city offi -
cials opened a ballot drop
box in front of City Hall in
October.
Questions were also
Port: ‘It’s been a
very slow process’
Continued from Page A1
Forest Products terminated
the lease in 2020 as log
exports dried up during a
U.S. trade war with China
and the company later
dissolved.
After seeking bids for
repairing the damaged
asphalt surfaces, the Port
estimates that it would cost
over $241,000 to fi x Pier
1 and over $835,000 to fi x
Pier 3.
Lydia Ely/The Astorian
Many restaurants in Cannon Beach opposed a food tax.
raised about ballots turned
in at a drop box in Seaside
not being counted.
City Manager Bruce
St. Denis has defended the
opening of the drop box in
front of City Hall. He said
people had shoved several
ballots into the side of the
box and city staff wanted to
make sure the ballots were
protected from the rain. He
and Karen LaBonte, the
city’s public works director,
unlocked the box and put
the ballots inside.
County elections staff
said St. Denis and LaBonte
did not violate any rules.
Meanwhile,
Seaside’s
drop box was not considered
an offi cial drop-off location.
Krevanko picked up
two ballots in the Seaside
drop box after the election,
but they were considered
too late to count and never
opened.
Opponents of the 5%
tax on prepared food worry
it could negatively impact
businesses still recovering
from the coronavirus pan-
demic. Proponents say it is
a way to get visitors to pay
their share and raise reve-
nue for city infrastructure
and emergency services bur-
dened by tourism.
The tax is estimated
to generate $1.7 million
annually, which the city
will split with the Cannon
Beach Rural Fire Protection
District.
The city will use its por-
tion to help fund a new City
Hall and police station,
while the fi re district plans
to use its share for opera-
tions as calls for emergency
service continue to rise.
The city expects to begin
collecting the tax in July.
facebook.com/Dailyastorian
Consult a
PROFESSIONAL
LEO FINZI
Astoria’s Best
COUPON
YEAR-END CLEARANCE
Fireworks: Ban would likely not stop the activity
Illegal fi reworks are con-
sidered anything that fl ies in
the air, explodes or behaves
in an uncontrolled manner.
Legal fi reworks like wheels,
sparklers and fountains are
sold in Seaside once a year,
before the Fourth of July.
“I recognize that if we
were to pass an ordinance
to outlaw the sale here, they
simply will move to the out-
skirts of the city and the
county,” Mayor Jay Barber
said. “We won’t get rid of
it all together. But I’m won-
dering if the council is open
to considering a step toward
trying to send a message
that we’re wanting to move
toward a more and more
peaceful Fourth of July? ”
The discussion arose after
complaints from the com-
munity about the noise from
fi reworks and the impact on
veterans and pets.
A proponent of the ban ,
Cathey Ryan, said fi reworks
made her home “sound like
a war zone on July Fourth.
Unfortunately, this bom-
bardment of sound went on
OREGON CAPITAL
INSIDER
Get the inside
scoop on state
government
and politics!
We’re investing in Salem
coverage when other
news organizations are
cutting back.
OregonCapitalInsider.com
for over fi ve hours.”
At a July meeting, Police
Chief Dave Ham said the
police department had 19
fi reworks-related calls on
Independence Day, although
he recognized there were
many more fi reworks ille-
gally discharged. A fi re-
works ban would likely not
stop the activity, Fire Chief
Joey Daniels said.
Banning fi reworks on the
beach would also depend on
the Oregon Parks and Rec-
reation Department and the
state fi re marshal’s offi ce,
Daniels said.
Fireworks are not allowed
in national parks and for-
ests, on federal Bureau of
Land Management lands,
on U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service properties, on Ore-
gon Department of Forestry
protected lands, on state
beaches, or in state parks
and campgrounds.
City Councilor Tita Mon-
tero, a proponent of a ban,
said it was important to take
a stand .
50% OFF
ALL REFURBISHED
DESKTOP COMPUTERS
WIRELESS MICE
“If we’re feeling helpless
about illegal fi reworks, there
has to be a place to start,” she
said. “And banning the sale
of legal fi reworks within our
city is making a statement
that we really don’t want
fi reworks.”
Montero and Barber
voted for a proposed ban.
Phillips, Councilor Steve
Wright, Councilor Tom
Horning and Councilor
Randy Frank voted against.
Councilor David Posalski
was absent.
Windows 11?
Windows 11 is Microsoft’s newest
and most secure operating system.
It requires the newest designs of
motherboard that increase security.
To check if Windows 11 is ready for
your device, select Start then
Settings then Update & Security,
then Windows Update, then Check
for updates.
BUY ONE,
GET ONE 50% OFF
If it does not accept Windows 11,
don’t worry as Windows 10 is fully
Mon-Fri 10-6 Sat/Sun Closed supported until October 2025. If
you have Windows 8, now would be
77 11th Street, Suite H
Astoria, OR
a good time to upgrade to Windows
503-325-2300
10, while your Windows 10 upgrade
AstoriasBest.com is still free.
Expires 12/31/21
Q: Do I need a
referral to come
see you?
ASTORIA A: Typically no, but we
CHIROPRACTIC
Alicia M. Smith, DC
Owner
503-325-3311
NOW HIRING
Continued from Page A1
Initially, the Port had
been working with repre-
sentatives at Astoria For-
est Products to solve the
issue, but both parties’
legal teams eventually got
involved, Isom said at a
Port Commission work-
shop on Tuesday .
“It’s been a very slow
process,” he said.
Representatives
for
Murphy Overseas USA
could not immediately be
reached for comment.
2935 Marine Drive
Astoria, Oregon
are more than happy to
check when you come
in. Give us a call and take
advantage of our free
initial consult!
Q: I’m going out of town
and need to stop my
newspaper. What
are my options?
SCAN ME
TO APPLY
FIND YOUR CAREER AT CMH
columbiamemorial.org/apply
have different options for
A: We
you if you are heading out of
Jeremy
Feldman
town. We can switch you to a Web
subscription while you are away and
Circulation Manager you can read the paper online, or
you can have your delivery stopped
and donate your missed papers to
local schools. Whichever option fits
your needs, just call our circulation
department at 800-781-3214 or go
www.dailyastorian.com online and enter your vacation at
949 Exchange St., Astoria, OR www.dailyastorian.com under
“Subscriber Services.”
800-781-3214