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Review of “Proof”
Running Aug. 18, 19, 24, 25 & 26
INSIDE — A6
SPORTS — B
128TH YEAR | ISSUE NO. 66
FLORENCE, OREGON
SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890
Chief Director Langborg declares intention to resign
SVFR faces up to $500,000 financial shortfall, extends contract with independent CPA
By Mark Brennan
and Chantelle Meyer
Siuslaw News
The Siuslaw Valley Fire and Res-
cue (SVFR) Board of Directors met
on Aug. 15 with a short agenda that
will have long-term ramifications for
residents of the Siuslaw region. How-
ever, the agenda highlighting poten-
tial fiscal difficulties looming in the
near future took a back seat to the
announcement of the resignation of
Chief Director Jim Langborg.
While directors were surprised by
the financial information provided by
SVFR Office Manager Dina McClure,
which warned of a $500,000 shortfall
in revenue and collections due to er-
rors and a lack of proper accounting
procedures, it seemed that the an-
nouncement by Langborg that he has
accepted a job at a fire district in Cal-
ifornia was even more surprising to
those in attendance.
Langborg said he would stay on for
60 days and leave the department in
October.
Each month, SVFR and Western
Lane Ambulance District (WLAD),
which share administration under an
intergovernmental agreement (IGA)
formed in 2016, post the agenda and
supporting materials for the upcom-
ing month’s board meetings on their
respective websites. This month, that
packet contained information on SV-
FR’s financials.
McClure reported that SVFR might
be confronted with as much as a
$500,000 operational shortfall in the
coming months.
Her explanation for the miscalcula-
tions suggested she had made a couple
of errors that had added to the prob-
lem, but the majority of the projected
deficit had to do with circumstances
beyond her control.
During the public comment period,
several community members directed
their remarks directly to the board.
John Murphey was the first person
to speak.
“I was the chair of the budget
committee for the 2018-19 budget
cycle. I read the packet online each
month, and (now) I’ve seen we have
a $700,000 projected shortfall. I guess
that makes me believe we will have
to borrow money to get through the
dry period financing,” Murphey said.
“The $700,000 we can recover from. I
think we all need to keep level heads
— the board, the chief, the staff — and
I think we just need to come together
and figure out how we are going to do
it and get through this together.”
McClure later clarified that the pro-
jected number is closer to $500,000.
Murphey went on to make some
suggestions that could possibly miti-
gate the impending shortfall.
“You might put on some kind of a
spending freeze, and only do what is
necessary, until you get it sorted out.
We might want to consider not going
to any conflags, because it takes too
long to recover our money, and we
See SIUSLAW VALLEY page 9A
For Bruce
COURTESY PHOTOS
PHOTOS BY MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS
BUCKING
BRONCOS
he 2018 Northwest Bronco Roundup
started Friday and continues this week-
end. This annual event features the 1966-
77 Ford Bronco Show and Shine at Three
Rivers Casino Resort on Saturday, Aug. 18,
a cruise through Historic Old Town Florence
and adventures in the Oregon dunes each
day.
See BRONCOS page B1
T
Community members reminisce about time with
Bruce McKibbin, late teacher, fisherman and mentor
By Jared Anderson
Siuslaw News
D
uring the past week, friends,
family members and cowork-
ers of Bruce McKibbin spoke about
their memories of the man, and the
legacy he left behind.
McKibbin passed away unexpect-
edly on Monday, Aug. 6, in a boat-
ing accident near the North Jetty of
the Siuslaw River.
McKibbin was known for his
role in the Siuslaw School District’s
wrestling program, along with the
storied Little Toads. After his retire-
ment in 2006, he devoted his life to
his family and his fishing, becom-
ing an integral part of the local fish-
ing community.
The following are excerpts of
interviews and public comments
about his life, given by people in the
community who knew him best.
Bruce McKibbin touched many lives through his
work in the Siuslaw community as a teacher, men-
tor and fisherman. He was active up until his
death on Aug. 6.
INSIDE
Celebration of life
It was an overcast afternoon at the Gaze-
bo near Woahink Lake. Almost 200 people
showed up to pay their respects to Bruce,
who had passed away one week earlier.
While hearts were heavy, the event was a
celebration of not only Bruce’s life, but life
itself.
Past students, some of whom hadn’t seen
Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Community. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
B5
A3
A4
A2
Sideshow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B4
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B
This Week on the Coast. . . . . A6
Weather Data . . . . . . . . . . . A2
THIS WEEK ’ S
TODAY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
68 53
66 55
68 56
68 56
WEATHER
Full Forecast, A3
each other for years, hugged and laughed,
while close friends and family members em-
braced and shared memories.
Members of the community brought fresh-
ly made dishes of food and set out a barbe-
que to serve a hearty meal.
They stood up, one by one, to share their
stories of Bruce.
See FOR BRUCE page 5A
S IUSLAW N EWS
2 S ECTIONS | 18 P AGES
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