Polk County Itemizer-Observer • February 11, 2015 5A
Polk County Voices/News
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
High taxes make
selling home tough
Home and business own-
ers in Polk County will be in
for a big shock in the next
few months if we don’t stop
all this madness when it
comes to taxes and fees.
If the public safety levy
passes, this could make Polk
County the second highest
overall taxed county in the
state. I want to sell my home
one day and not chase out
buyers due to over-taxation.
Remember, our taxes al-
ready pay Dallas, Independ-
ence, Monmouth and West
Salem for police protection.
Let’s send a message: Stay
within your budget. Vote
“no” on the levy.
Brandie Mangum
Dallas
County’s tax base
was misrepresented
In the letter by Ken Mayer
of Feb. 4, he infers that Polk
County will have the second
highest tax rate in the state
when the levy passes. This is
incorrect.
Currently, the two highest
base rates are for Sherman
County, $8.71, and Wheeler
County, $8.52. We won’t be
anywhere near that. Polk
County’s base is $1.71 plus
54 cents (road bond) plus 45
cents (new levy) for $2.70.
This leaves 17 counties
ahead of Polk with a base
rate higher than $2.70 (rates
per $1,000 of assessed value;
tax rate information gath-
ered from an Oregonian arti-
cle dated March 4, 2012, at
http://www.oregonlive.com/
environment/index.ssf/2012
/03/oregon_timber_coun-
ties_scrambl.html).
Steve Milligan
Monmouth
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Corrections posts ‘most wanted’
Itemizer-Observer staff report
POLK COUNTY — Polk
County Community Correc-
tions lists these individuals
as “most wanted” for Febru-
ary. Citizens with informa-
tion on the whereabouts of
any of these individuals
should call Community Cor-
rections at 503-623-5226.
• Michael Albert Hermens,
born April 25, 1974, 5-8, 220
pounds, brown hair, brown
eyes. Charges: Burglary II,
theft I.
• Abraham Torres-Lopez,
born Oct. 27, 1996, 5-5, 150
pounds, brown hair, brown
eyes. Charges: Burglary I
(two counts).
• Michael John Harley
Dean, born Feb. 14, 1994, 6-
3, 140 pounds, blond hair,
blue eyes. Charges: Unau-
thorized use of a vehicle.
• Zachary Bryant Perry,
born Feb. 5, 1988, 5-7, 230
pounds, brown hair, brown
eyes. Charges: Failure to reg-
ister as a sex offender, rape
III.
• Kenith Dell Laster, born
Oct. 8, 1993, 5-9, 160
pounds, blond hair, hazel
eyes. Charges: Possession of
methamphetamine, rape I.
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POLICE REPORT
Information for the police re-
port comes from law enforce-
ment agencies. Not all calls for
service are included. The status
of incidents repor ted may
change after further investiga-
tion. Individuals arrested or sus-
pected of crimes are considered
innocent until proven guilty.
—
DALLAS
Arrests/Citations
• Rawlyn Chenoweth, 18,
and Ryan Chenoweth, 18, of
Dallas in the 400 block of
Southeast Hankel Street on the
Feb. 3, both on a charge of
reckless driving.
• Richard L. McKenzie, 53, of
Portland on the 300 block of
Main Street on Friday on
charges of second-degree bur-
glary, possession of burglars’
tools, and second-degree crim-
inal mischief.
INDEPENDENCE
Arrests/Citations
• Adrian James Ulery, 37, a
transient in the 200 block of
Williams Street on Feb. 2 for
disorderly conduct.
James Edward Young, 21, of
Independence in the 100 block
of South 17th Street on Thurs-
day for second-degree rape,
second-degree sodomy and
tampering with a witness.
MONMOUTH
Arrests/Citations
• Samuel Christopher Spiro,
22, of Monmouth at the corner
of Monmouth Avenue South
and Main Street West on Jan.
30 for prohibited exposure.
• Brandon Chase Cabrai
Rezentes, 22, of Monmouth at
the corner of Monmouth Av-
enue North and Stadium Drive
North on Jan. 30 for unlawful
possession of less than one
ounce of marijuana.
• Kameron Janelle Ford, 24,
of Portland in the 100 block of
Warren Street South on Jan. 31
for physical harassment.
• Lituania Corral, 20, of Inde-
pendence at the corner of Mon-
mouth-Independence Highway
and Boyd Lane on Jan. 31 for
misdemeanor driving under
the influence of intoxicants.
• Amber May Miletta, 21, of
Monmouth at the corner of
Riddell Road and Hoffman
Road on Feb. 2 for misde-
meanor driving under the influ-
ence of intoxicants.
• Steven Joseph Markel, 20,
of Monmouth in the 300 block
of Clay Street West on Thurs-
day for minor in possession of
alcohol.
Woman killed in Hwy. 22 crash
Itemizer-Observer staff report
SHERIDAN — A head-on
crash on Highway 22 near
Red Prairie Road in rural Polk
County on Sunday claimed
the life of a Salem woman.
Carrol L. Davis, 70, died in
the collision at about 4:30
p.m. on Highway 22W near
milepost 6.5.
The collision happened
when a green 1995 Plymouth
Neon, driven by Joshua
Deeds, 19, of Otis, was head-
ing westbound and tried
overtaking a vehicle in the
oncoming lane. The Neon
collided head-on with an
eastbound gray 2004 Chevro-
let Venture, driven by Orsene
L. Davis, 73, of Salem.
Carrol Davis was the pas-
senger in the Venture and
was pronounced dead at the
scene. Orsene Davis was
transported via air ambu-
lance to Salem Hospital with
serious injuries. Deeds was
transported to Salem Hospi-
tal with serious injuries.
The highway was closed
for about three hours.
Oregon State Police is in-
vestigating the crash with as-
sistance from the Polk Coun-
ty District Attorney’s Office.
OSP was assisted at the
scene by the Polk County
Sheriff’s Department, Dallas
Fire Department, Polk Coun-
ty Fire District No. 1, South-
west Polk Fire District, Sheri-
dan Fire District and the Ore-
gon Department of Trans-
portation.
Dallas beginning detailed study
of condition of city’s sewer lines
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — The city of
Dallas Public Works crew is
getting up close and person-
al with every foot of sewer
line in the city — even more
so than before.
In a project that began
slowly about a year ago, but
more recently has been
given higher priority, the
crew is taking video of the
entire system. That’s about
50 miles of pipe, ranging in
age from brand new to 100
years old.
Fred Braun, the city’s engi-
neering and environmental
services director, said the
painstaking process is a cru-
cial part of completing the
city’s “inventory management
plan” for the sewer system.
“The first thing you need
to know for an inventory
management plan is what
condition your assets are in,”
he said Monday.
The city’s sewer treatment
plant was built in 2000, so it’s
fairly new, and the asset plan
has already been completed.
GOVERNMENT
However, the collection sys-
tem review will take more
time. Crews will use a cam-
era specifically designed for
being threaded through
sewer pipe, looking at the
condition of each segment.
Braun said the city is assess-
ing condition of the biggest
lines first because large pipe
failure will cause the most
damage.
The detailed assessment
will show where water is
leaking into the system —
called inflow and infiltration,
or I & I — putting more pres-
sure than necessary on the
treatment plant, especially in
the rainy months.
Additionally, a completed
inventor y management
plan, with a detailed condi-
tion assessment, will give the
city a leg up on grant appli-
cations and when seeking
loans for collection system
upgrades.
“It certainly helps,” Braun
said. “The more information
you have, the stronger the
application.”
Braun said the project will
likely be ongoing for a num-
ber of months to a year, put-
ting Dallas on track to be one
of just a handful of smaller
cities with the condition re-
view on hand.
“Most of the larger cities
already completed this,” he
said, adding smaller cities
are conducting the assess-
ments as they acquire the
technology. “We are ahead of
the curve on most small
cities.”
GOT NEWS?
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story? Submit your tip
to ionews@polkio.com.
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