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