Polk County Itemizer-Observer • March 18, 2015 3A
Polk County News
DEADLINES
NEWS DEADLINES
For inclusion in the
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Itemizer-Observer:
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saries, births, milestones) —
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Community Notebook and
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Monday.
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on Friday.
CORRECTIONS
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Observer is committed to
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WEATHER
RECORDED
HIGH LOW
March 10......... 63
March 11......... 59
March 12......... 70
March 13......... 64
March 14......... 58
March 15......... 62
March 16......... 64
37
51
53
44
53
42
36
RAIN
.00
.08
.00
.02
1.30
.92
.00
Rainfall during March — 2.34 in.
Rain through March 16 — 9.88 in.
Falls City, water co-op agree
NEWS IN BRIEF
10-year contract allows rate increases in first three years
Taste craft beer, benefit watershed
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
FALLS CITY — The city of
Falls City and Luckiamute
Domestic Water Coopera-
tive have approved a con-
tract that will keep water
flowing for the co-op.
After more than two
years of negotiations, a law-
suit, and an appeal of the
decision
in that
lawsuit,
the two
sides have
f o u n d
common
ground
and sealed
it with sig-
Jaffer
natures on
Friday.
“I’m really happy with the
agreement,” said Danny Jaf-
fer, LDWC president. “I can’t
tell you how happy I am.
This has gone on longer
than any of us wanted it,
but in the end, we have a
solid agreement.”
Approved by LDWC on
March 9 and by Falls City on
Thursday, the new 10-year
contract charges a rate of
$2.25 per 1,000 gallons for
up to 400,000 gallons.
That rate will increase by
10 cents in each of the next
three years. It replaces
LDWC’s previous rate of
$111.70 and $157.06 per
Government
month for the first 5,000
gallons on the cooperative’s
two meters, with additional
water billed at $2.84 per
1,000 gallons
“We have ironed out a
pretty excellent agreement,”
Falls City Mayor Terry Un-
gricht said.
He said the city would
like to keep LDWC as a cus-
tomer and believes the new
contract will provide for
that to happen.
In seeking approval for
the contract, Ungricht was
careful to learn from mis-
takes of the past.
He requested the council
approve a one-word change
to the final agreement
Thursday evening before
voting on the contract itself.
Contract issues arose
when city staff discovered
what turned out to be an
unauthorized change made
after council and LDWC
board approval in the origi-
nal 20-year agreement,
which took effect in 2003.
The change limited the
city’s ability to increase the
rates it could charge LDWC,
and city decided to have a
judge look at whether the
contract was valid.
A September 2014 deci-
sion sided with the city, say-
ing the contract was invalid.
In turn, LDWC filed an ap-
peal of
that deci-
sion.
Howev-
er, the city
never cut
off water
to the co-
operative
and raised
Ungricht
L D W C
rates in January in hopes of
encouraging further negoti-
ations.
It worked.
Jaffer said, with an agree-
ment in hand, LDWC will
drop its appeal.
“This agreement should
hold up and be a benefit to
both parties,” Jaffer said.
In other business, the
council:
• Hired the firm Local
Government Law Group of
Eugene to serve as its new
city attorney. The group will
start in April.
• Will meet at 7 p.m. on
Thursday at the Falls City
Community Center, 320 N.
Main St., to discuss its
search for a permanent city
manager.
FAIRGROUNDS CALENDAR
POLK COUNTY
FAIRGROUNDS
& EVENT CENTER
520 S. Pacific Highway
(99W)
Rickreall
503-623-3048
www.co.polk.or.us/fair
—
MARCH
19 — Fair Board meeting
19-22 — Good Sam RV Rally
28 — Doll Show and Sale
APRIL
4 — Swine Sale
4 — Wagon Wheelers
5 — Flea Market
9-11 — Oregon Old Time
Fiddlers Convention
10-12 — Oregon Meat Goat
Producers Show and Sale
11 — Wagon Wheelers
16 — Fair Board meeting
17-19 — Gem and Mineral
Show
23-25 — Quilt Show
MAY
2 — Swine, sheep, goat
weigh-in
2 — Wagon Wheelers
3 — Flea Market
4-5 — France School of
Dance
4 — 4-H Rifle and Pistol
Practice
5 — Polk County Soil and
Water Conservation District
budget hearing
7-10 — Good Sam RV Rally
8-9 — Master Gardner Plant
Sale
9 — Wagon Wheelers
11-12 — France School of
Dance
11 — 4-H Archery Club
13 — CASA Training
14 — Dog Obedience
14 — Saddle-ites meeting
16 — Perrydale Parent Club
17 — 4-H Achievers meet-
ing
18-21 — Volunteers on
Wheels (VOW) RV Rally
19 — 4-H Rifle and Pistol
Practice
20 — Polk County Soil and
Water Conservation District
budget hearing
21 — Dog Obedience
21 — Fair Board meeting
—
Schedule Subject to Change
MONMOUTH — A craft brewer tasting event Wednesday
(today) at 4 p.m. at Yeasty Beasty Pizza, 167 W. Main St., Mon-
mouth, will benefit the Luckiamute Watershed Council.
Gail Oberst will pour Elk Horn brewery’s Georgia Peach
Wheat beer. The beer is not for sale, but donations will be ac-
cepted to help the Luckiamute Watershed Council, a group
that enlists volunteer landowners in projects that improve
salmon and human habitat near local waters.
The event is the first of several beer-for-watershed events
planned this year, thanks to donations of beer and facilities.
In addition to the Yeasty Beasty event Wednesday, Rogue
Farms is also hosting a fundraising event for the council June
17, featuring live music and an auction.
To make a donation to the June 17 auction: Email to Gail
Oberst, gailoberst@yahoo.com.
For more information: www.luckiamutelwc.org.
Monmouth PD honors top officers
MONMOUTH — Officer Ben Simpson won Monmouth
Police Department’s Officer of the Year at the police depart-
ment’s annual awards night on March 6.
He was acknowledged for his “positive outlook, motivation
to provide the best service possible, willingness to assist oth-
ers and professional manner,” according to Sgt. Kim Dorn.
Three other officers were honored at the event. Reserve
Officer of the Year was given to David Ritchey for his commit-
ment to the reserve program. Ritchey also received the
Chief’s Award for his volunteerism. Officer Justin Reynolds
was presented with the Survival Skills Award. A Lifesaving
Award was given to Officer Kevin Renfro for performing CPR
on a citizen who was revived by his efforts.
PD station slated to open this spring
MONMOUTH — The new Monmouth Police Station is on
target to open at the end of April or early May, said Chief
Darrell Tallan.
No additional money has been requested from the city
council, but nothing else has had to be cut from the plans, he
said.
The new station will allow for all police vehicles to park at
the station, but some things — including the command trail-
er — will continue to be stored at Volunteer Hall on South
Warren Street.
If money is available in the future, an auxiliary storage fa-
cility and covered parking may be added to the station, but
no plans exist for those additions any time soon, Tallan said.
PCLA board members elected
POLK COUNTY — Polk County Livestock Association
(PCLA) has elected new board members for 2015.
PCLA announced last week its newly elected board mem-
bers, who were elected at the annual meeting in January: Roy
Whitman, vice president, Pat Letsch, secretary, and directors
Scott Bennett and Andy Hendersen.
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