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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 1999)
September 1, 1999 (Hfye JJortlanò ©bseruer Page A3 Mayor Vera Katz Pledges To Seek Repayment Beneficiaries o f Federal Retirees to Receive Refunds Refund checks to ben eficiaries o f deceased federal retirees w ill be in the m ail the last w eek in O ctober, according to the O regon D epartm ent o f Revenue. Senate Bill 1136, w hich w as recently signed by the G overnor, a u th o rizes the departm ent to issue over 6,500 refund checks totalin g $8 m illion to beneficiaries. Up until the tim e SB 1136 was signed into law, beneficiary refunds were lim ited by law to either $1,000 to $ 10,000 depending on the federal retiree’s date o f death lim ited b en eficiary refunds. SB 1136 removed that lim itation specifically for ben e ficiaries o f federal retirees. The sam e bill also authorizes the de partm ent to issue refund checks during the 2001-03 biennium to federal retirees and beneficiaries w ho did not previously file pro tective claim s for 1991-1995. “ We plan to send these checks as soon after July 1, 2001 as p o ssib le,” said Ben G ille, o f the departm ent. He added that until the tim e the refunds are sent, interest, ranging from eight to 11 percent would continue to accrue. The dep art m ent estim ates that it will send $ 105 million in refunds in the 2001 - 03 biennium. Eligible federal ben eficiaries w ho have not filed a refund form have until A pril 16, 2001 to file a claim. The forms and instructions are available at the departm ent and through its Web s ite : w w w .d o r .s ta te .o r .u s / 19Forms Revform s.htm l for more inform ation, a special O regon toll- free num ber is available M ondays through Fridays from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00p.m . except W ednesdays when the hours are 9:00 a m. -5 :0 0 p.m. The number is 1-877-877-6198. For TTY (hearing or speech im paired only), the year-round, toll-free number is 1-800-886-7204. In Sa lem the number is 503-945-8617. These numbers are answ ered by m achine only and are not for voice use Spanish speakers may call a special message line at 503-945- 8618. The refunds are based on a 1998 Oregon Supreme Court deci sion clarifying that Oregon must tax federal, state and local govern ment retirees equally. Eligible fed eral retirees and their beneficiaries have received refunds o f state taxes paid on their federal retirement ben efits from 1991-1997. PSU Architecture Department Lecture Series Offers Preview O f Newest Addition Portland State U niv ersity ’s D e partm en t o f A rc h ite c tu re o ffers to help answ er the q uestion “ How a re o p e n s p a c e s d e s ig n e d ? " through a series o f free, inform al public talks. The PR A X IS L ec ture Series brings local arch itects to cam pus to explain the design o f co n tem p o rary b u ild in g s. T he series is dev o ted to d iscu ssin g p ro je c ts in th e ir e a rly d esig n p h ases, so the p u b lic has the chance to p review and ask q u e s tions ab o u t m any o f the a re a ’s more influential projects. The first lectu re in the series on W ed n es day, O cto b er 6 fo cuses on the new PSU U rban C en ter, sc h e d uled to open in January, 2000. All lectu res in the series are free on W e d n e sd a y s at n o o n in T h e V an p o rt Room o f Sm ith C enter, Room 338 (Sm ithC enter, 1825SW B ro ad w ay ) on cam pus. The illustration of the PSU Urban Center is the work of Christopher Chinn with Thomas Hacker and a n a Associates A s s o c ia it::) M ayor V era K atz released a statem ent regarding her intent to re c o u p f ra u d u le n tly o b ta in e d funds from Portland Police offic ers. W hile she is anxious to do so, K atz said she w ould w ait until the D istrict A ttorney com pletes his review before proceeding with attem pting to collect repaym ent, so as not to affect the D istrict A tto rn e y ’s d e c isio n s to p ro s ecute. “ As Police Com m issioner, I am responsible for m aintaining the p u b lic ’s confidence in this orga nization. The p u b lic’s confidence in our police force is a central bond o f trust, critical to our com m unity policy philosophy. We know it m ust be regained. The vast m ajority o f officers in the Portland Police Bureau perform their duties in an uncom prom is ing fashion, w ith the utm ost re spect for the citizens o f Portland and the trust that we place in them. U nfortunately, a few officers were involved in a very serious pattern o f m isconduct. “ I believe this problem cuts to the core o f the very qualities that every officer in the police depart m ent should possess - honesty, integrity and a com m itm ent to the w ell being and p ro tectio n o f the city they serve. I am deeply d is appointed in those m em bers o f the P o rtland P olice B ureau who p ro fite d o r allo w e d o th e rs to p r o f it b y f a l s i f y i n g th e ir tim esheets. The police officers that rep o rted this in cid en t are truly re p re se n ta tiv e o f the sp irit More School News i_ _ _ ___________________ ______________ —— P O R T L A N D — "T h e O reg o n ia n ” is re p o rtin g S u p e rin te n dent o f P o rtla n d P ublic Schools Ben C anada should receive about 16-thousand d o lla rs for his first y e a r’s p e rfo rm a n c e b onus. The p a p e r says he d id n ’t earn e — Collaborative Effort Feeds Inner Eastside Schools T he th ird a n n u a l F o o d for T hought, a b e n e fit for eastsid e neig h b o rh o o d sc h o o ls, w ill be 6:30 - 9 :3 0 p .m ., Sept 26, in the A trium at L egacy E m anuel H os pital. M ore than 30 e a stsid e re s ta u ra n ts , b re w e rie s an d w ine shops w ill p a rtic ip a te by p ro v id ing food and drink for the e x travaganza. Food for T h o u g h t, o rg an ized by a v o lu n te e r co m m ittee o f p a r ents, is an ev en in g o f fun, food and m usic for com m unity m em bers in te re ste d in raisin g m oney for area schools. P articipating schools are A lem eda, Boise-Eliot, B uckm an, H ollyw ood, Irvington, L a u re lh u rs t, S a b in and S u n n y sid e. T his c o lla b o ra tiv e effo rt b e tw een e a stsid e b u siness ow ners, th eir p a tro n s, and the n e ig h b o r hood sch o o ls creates a m arvel ous atm o sp h ere o f support for our k id s,” said Susan Stone, com- m ittee chair. " W e ’re looking for w ard to an even m ore b eautiful, ta s te fu l, an d ta sty ev en t th is y ear.” In tw o y e a r’s the event has raised m ore than $80,000 w hich w as d iv id ed eq u ally am ong p a r tic ip a tin g sch o o ls and used, in part, to fund m ath instru ctio n al tra in in g for teach ers, a science lab c o o rd in a to r and playground e q u ip m e n t. T he goal for th is y e a r’s ev ent is to sell 750 tickets and raise $50,000 w ith m ore than 95 p ercent o f the proceeds d i rectly funding sch o o l-id en tified program s and projects. In addition to food and b ev er ages for the evening, a raffle in cludes $ 1000 in travel certificates donated by A zum ano T ravel, four Bed & B reakfast gift certificates, and tw enty $50 gift c ertificates from p articip atin g restau ran ts. M usic w ill be provided by Ken B arry, pianist. Group Advisory Effort Leads To PCC Building Inspection Degree They came together, hammered out a curriculum and created from the ground up the new Portland Community College two-year de gree in Building Inspection Tech nology. And the degree require ments dovetail those o f the State Building Codes D ivision o f Con sumer and Business Services. Stu dents w ith construction experience seeking a change will be glad to know the night program at PCC will start up this fall at the college’s Sylvania Campus. The Building Inspection Tech nology Advisory Committee, led by program leader and PCC depart ment chairT om G illespie, featured city building officials, building in spectors and plans examiners who cam e together with a common goal in mind: develop a program to train future building inspectors and plans examiners. For more than two years, com m ittee m em bers and G illesp ie crafted what they believe will give graduates o f the PCC Building In spection Technology program a solid foundation o f know ledge to build on as they enter careers in the building inspection and plans exam iner fields. For more inform ation on the Building Inspection Technology degree at Portland Community Col lege, contact Tom Gillespie at 977- 4166. The new program is located at the college’s Sylvania Campus, 12000 S. W 49,h Avenue in Portland. Parent Surveys Show High Satisfaction With Portland Public Schools Teachers, administrators and staff in Portland Public Schools received a strong vote o f confidence in surveys reported to the School Board (Aug. 23). Most o f the parents polled last spring (93pcrcent)believed that, "Overall, my child’sschoolisagoodone." Some87 percent believe that children are learn ing what they need to know in subjects like reading, writing and math “This degree of customer confidence would and c h aracter o f the B ureau and they d eserve our a p p re c ia tio n and recognition. “ The city does not have the au thority to p ro secu te the o ffic ers crim inally. T hat p e ro g a tiv e lies w ith the M ultnom ah C ounty D istrict A ttorney. The P olice B u reau in itially d iscu ssed th is case w ith the D istrict A tto rn e y ’s O f fice in February and p e rio d ic a lly provided them updates during the course o f the in v e stig a tio n . In a letter o f declination dated June 9, 1999, the D istrict A tto rn ey d e clin ed to pro secu te. H ow ever, they are curren tly rev iew in g the case again. “ W hile 1 am very anxious to seek repaym ent o f any in ap p ro priately obtained funds, we w ill w ait until the D istrict A ttorney com pletes his review before we proceed w ith repaym ent, so that our actions do not affect the D is trict A ttorney’s decisions to p ro s e c u te .” Follow ing an internal in v e sti gatio n , in c lu d in g h u n d re d s o f hours o f interview s w ith em ploy ees involved w ith the C entral Pre cinct drug m issions, the Bureau concluded that supervisory ser geants granted overtim e and “c u ff tim e” for many hours that had not been w orked. The city im posed sanctions on officers o f varying degrees including term ination, de m otion, and letters o f reprim and. K atz said the Bureau is also review ing internal controls to pre vent this type o f activity from re occurring. be the envy o f many corporations and government agencies," said Stephanie Mitchell, assistant directorofPortland Public Schools Research, Evaluation and Assessment, who led the survey effort. The surveys are the first in a series o f annual surveys that the dis trict will conduct as part o f its school improvement and accountability initia tives. The Spring 1999 surveys include a statistically valid, random telephone survey of400parents representing dif ferent grade levels and ethnic groups throughout the school district. Writ- ten surveys also were conducted on a pilot basis with parents and stu dents. Beginning in Spring 2000, written surveys o f parents, students and staff will be conducted at every school. Each year, schools will re ceive results o f the surveys con ducted with their own parents, stu dents and staff, to use in developing and updating individual school im provement plans. “That information will provide schools with informa tion they need to plan, and it will help parents and the community under stand our successes and ourchal tenges." Supt Ben C anada told the School board. For more complete survey results, visit the school district’s web site at wwwja&kliotus. h is full bo n u s o f 2 0 -th o u san d d o lla rs b ecau se he fa ile d to fin ish all p ro je c ts he and the board had agreed to. B ut he d id m ake im p ro v e m e n ts in te s t sc o re s, d ro p o u t ra te s and s tu d e n t a tte n d a n c e . wv . » ■ Recycle it or Eat it. PORTLAND TheMetroregional government is looking at a new that would have citizens either eat food or recycle it. They couldn t just throw it in the garbage. Officials say there is grow ing concern about the heaps of food waste ending up in the landfill in Arling ton. Metro estimates the tri-county area sends about 54-thousand tons of scraps to the landfill during the course of a year. The plan is only being investigated at this point but, if it’s implemented, it will probably be modeled on the food recy cling program in San Francisco. vfHHEDY SCHooi R McMenamins SEPT EM B ER The Henry Cooper Blues Band CD R elea se Party • Thursday, Sep tem b er 2 at 7pm Alisa Wolfe Band Thursday, S ep tem b er 9 at 7pm Evening with an Author F ea tu rin g J o a n n a R ose w ith a D eli B uffet and E d gefield Wines W ednesday, S ep tem b er 15 at 7pm $35 p er person • 21 and over Battle of the Bands: Round 3 Steve Bradley vs. The X Angels Thursday, S ep tem b er 16 at 7pm John Coltrane’s Birthday Bash Historical Tribute featuring Saxophonist Brian Dickerson Thursday, S ep tem b er 23 at 7pm B irthday C ake and S w ee t P o ta to P ie An Evening in Autumn M usic by C hatta Addy • Thursday, Septem ber 30, 6pm McMenamins Kennedy School 5756 NE 55rd • Portland, Oregon • 249-5985 All ages welcome unless noted ■ No cover charge unless noted