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WEDNESDAY EDITION
❘ JULY 6, 2016
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
RYAN CRONK , EDITOR
❘ 541-902-3520 ❘
EDITOR @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
Opinion
F LORENCE F LASHBACK
1890 ❙
T HE W EST
F LORENCE T IMES
T HE S IUSLAW O AR
T HE S IUSLAW N EWS
S IUSLAW N EWS
❙ 2016
FIREWORKS, WEEKEND EVENTS LIGHT UP FLORENCE
O RIGINALLY P UBLISHED J ULY 6, 1988
T HE S IUSLAW N EWS , V OL . 28, N O . 27
W
hen the smell of burning sparklers and
the bursting flashes of fireworks sub-
sided Monday, July 4, tired business
owners, local residents and tourists indicated that
the small community of Florence once again staged
a successful Independence Day Festival.
“People have been commenting on how amazing
it is that a small community like Florence can put
on such a spectacular fireworks display,” said
Florence Area Chamber of Commerce Secretary
Becky Ruede.
Area motels, businesses and attendance at vari-
ous events seemed to agree with chamber statistics
that measure favorably with past Fourth of July
weekends.
The Port of Siuslaw’s annual barbecue, with the
help of port officials and members of the Florence
Yacht Club, Triangle Lake Booster Club and the
chamber, filled more than 1,000 plates with sticky
chicken, beef ribs, corn on the cob, cole slaw and
baked beans.
All proceeds, after expenses, which included four
portable toilets — much to the relief of the large
crowd that strolled Old Town — will be donated to
the chamber’s fireworks fund.
Donations are the chamber’s major source of
funding for the Fourth of July fireworks. This year
saw 330 fireworks, as well as additional insurance.
“Both tourists and local residents enjoy an excit-
ing display free of charge because we get great sup-
port from donating businesses and individuals,”
said Tom Grove, one of the event organizers.
The Florence Area Chamber of Commerce annually
sponsors the fireworks display. Recent years saw the
relocation of the display from the sand dunes to the
Siuslaw River. The fireworks are now set off from a
barge anchored mid-river across from the Port of
Siuslaw’s dock and marina. The use of the barge is
donated by Ocean Way Barge and Tug.
An indication of success was a strong turnout of
participants and spectators who lined Maple Street
in Old Town for the fourth annual World
Championship Stilt Walking Contest.
Forty-five contestants signed up and more than
30 actually competed while supportive crowds
cheered on their favorites.
Kiwanian Steve Olienyk coached one stilt walker
the whole way.
Area businesses also confirmed the positive
results of the holiday weekend. An informal sur-
vey by the Siuslaw News indicated that business
was good, slightly above expectations and a little
better than past years.
One of the Oregon coast’s biggest attractions,
Sea Lion Caves experienced a 10 percent increase
from the same period of time last year.
“It was a good weekend,” said Sea Lion Caves
Manager Hod Johnson. “Looks like it will be a
very good summer.”
SIUSLAW NEWS FILE PHOTO
J ULY 4, 1988: Like bombs bursting in air, fireworks
explode above the Florence waterfront Monday night.
I m p r o v i n g L a n e C o u n t y ’s f i n a n c i a l s t a b i l i t y
he Oregon Secretary of State’s Office
recently announced that it has removed
Lane County from its watch list of
“high-risk” counties for the first time since it
began reviewing the financial health of
Oregon’s 36 counties in 2012.
The announcement, combined with Lane
County’s high bond rating, low debt and strong
financial management practices, provides an
objective verification of the work Lane County
is doing to responsibly manage limited taxpayer
resources and invest in critical services that
make our community safe, healthy and vibrant.
We readily acknowledge the scarcity of
resources in Lane County, created by the steady
decline in federal timber receipts and the recent
end of federal Secure Rural Schools funding, as
well as one of the lowest county property tax
rates in the state. In fact, over the past decade
federal funding to Lane County has declined by
91 percent.
Rather than focusing on what we can’t do,
Lane County is responding to steep federal
funding declines by focusing on what we can
do: creating long-term financial stability
through a structurally balanced budget and
enhancing critical services for our residents.
The recent unanimous adoption of next year’s
Lane County budget is another positive indica-
tor of the county’s future outlook. A multi-mil-
lion dollar structural budget gap has been sub-
stantially reduced with no layoffs and no reduc-
tions in critical services to residents.
Significant strides are being made by reduc-
ing employee health insurance costs, reducing
vehicle and equipment costs and working to
lower interest rate costs to taxpayers by using
one-time resources to reduce debt. As a result of
T
GUEST VIEWPOINT
B Y F AYE S TEWART , L ANE C OUNTY C OMMISSIONER ,
& S TEVE M OKROHISKY , L ANE C OUNTY A DMINISTRATOR
these targeted efforts, Lane County has realized
a significant reduction in health insurance
claims and multi-million dollar annual budget
savings.
While we continue these cost-saving efforts,
we also recognize our obligation to taxpayers to
invest in the fundamental services that make our
community safer, healthier and more vibrant.
One example of this is completion of phase one
of the Board of Commissioner’s 10-Year Public
Safety Plan to maintain services, such as 24-
hour sheriff’s patrols, criminal prosecution,
parole and probation, youth services and human
services.
Looking ahead, several new targeted invest-
ments will enhance the public safety system.
Building upon the great work of the District
Attorney’s Office in prosecuting over 800 addi-
tional felonies over the past year, we are adding
two new positions that will allow for the prose-
cution of 400 more cases per year.
We are also enhancing mental health services
that specifically engage individuals in the cor-
rections system in on-going treatment, as well
as connections to community based services
upon release. Investments in a new community
crisis center, CAHOOTS and crisis respite
housing are aimed at addressing the needs of
individuals who are frequent utilizers of crisis,
jail and emergency services.
The goal of enhancing these services is to
reduce the number of individuals continuously
cycling through the corrections system and con-
nect those individuals with proven treatment
services that break the cycle of crime.
The 2013 voter-approved jail levy has had a
significant impact on improving public safety in
our community. Currently, there are 317 jail
beds available for local offenders in Lane
County, 62 more beds than required by the
county’s promise to voters. The Sheriff’s Office
continues to ensure that the most violent offend-
ers remain in custody as long as required by the
courts. Capacity-based releases have dropped
by 65 percent and no Measure 11 or violent
offenders have been released pre-trial due to
capacity issues.
Independent audits have found that the coun-
ty has complied with all requirements of the
levy. Fiscal responsibility in managing taxpayer
resources has resulted in lower than anticipated
jail expenses in the first two years of the levy,
and several jail revenue sources have exceeded
amounts projected prior to voter approval of the
levy. These factors have led Lane County to
reduce the amount of property taxes collected
from taxpayers for the jail levy over the next
two years.
While many of our core public safety servic-
es remain underfunded and additional state and
federal support is needed, we are focused on
creating long-term stability and enhancing serv-
ices for the community.
The Secretary of State’s removal of Lane
County from the watch list of “high risk” coun-
ties in Oregon verifies that Lane County’s
financial stability is improving. As always, we
are thankful for the support and engagement of
residents throughout Lane County and are com-
mitted to solving the challenges ahead.
Commissioner Faye Stewart represents East
Lane County and is currently the Chair of the
Board of County Commissioners. County
Administrator Steve Mokrohisky was appointed by
the Board of Commissioners in 2014 and serves as
the chief administrator for Lane County.
L ETTERS TO THE
E DITOR P OLICY
Siuslaw News welcomes letters to the edi-
tor concerning issues affecting the Florence
area and Lane County. Emailed letters are
preferred. Handwritten or typed letters must
be signed.
All letters should be limited to about 300
words and must include the writer’s full
name, address and phone number for verifi-
cation. Letters are subject to editing for
length, grammar and clarity.
Publication of any letter is not guaranteed
and depends on space available and the vol-
ume of letters received. Libelous and anony-
mous letters as well as poetry will not be
published. All submissions become the prop-
erty of Siuslaw News and will not be
returned.
Write to:
Editor@TheSiuslawNews.com
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Pres. Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461
TTY/TDD Comments: 202-456-6213
www.whitehouse.gov
Gov. Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court St.
Salem, OR 97301-4047
Governor’s Citizens’ Rep.
Message Line 503-378-4582
www.oregon.gov/gov
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
541-431-0229
www.wyden.senate.gov
FAX: 503-986-1080
Email:
Sen.ArnieRoblan@state.or.us
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753/FAX: 202-228-3997
541-465-6750
State Rep. Caddy McKeown
(Dist. 9)
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1409
Email:
rep.caddymckeown@state.or.us
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (4th Dist.)
2134 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6416/ 800-944-9603
541-269-2609/ 541-465-6732
www.defazio.house.gov
State Sen. Arnie Roblan (Dist. 5)
900 Court St. NE - S-417
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1705
West Lane County Commissioner
Jay Bozievich
125 E. Eighth St.
Eugene, OR 97401
541-682-4203
FAX: 541-682-4616
Email:
Jay.Bozievich@co.lane.or.us