Polk County Itemizer-Observer • April 29, 2015 5A
Polk County News
Evans to
discuss
higher ed,
veterans
Itemizer-Observer staff report
MONMOUTH — Rep. Paul
Evans (D-District 20) will
speak on “Higher Education
in Oregon” at a town hall dis-
cussion at Western Oregon
University, Werner University
Center, Willamette Room.
The event, sponsored by
WOU’s Department of Com-
munication Studies and the
Department of Political Sci-
ence, will be from 7 to 8:30
p.m. on Thursday.
A 1992 graduate of WOU,
Evans has taught at a variety
of campuses around Oregon,
including Portland State Uni-
versity, Chemeketa Commu-
nity College and WOU.
The event is free and open
to the public.
On Monday, from 6 to 7
p.m., Evans will host a com-
munity wide veterans forum
at the Monmouth Senior
Center, 180 Warren St. S.
The primary purpose of
the forum is to hear from or-
ganizations and citizens who
support veterans issues, to
listen to their concerns and
to share ideas on what the
nation, state and community
can do better — and how to
achieve it.
For more information:
503-986-1420.
Vote: Variety of concerns will influence how
people vote on public safety levy on May 19
Continued from Page 1A
It would cost a property
owner with a home with an
assessed value of $150,000
about $67.50 per year to re-
store those positions.
Opponents for the meas-
ure say there’s a good por-
tion of the county’s proper-
ty owners who can’t afford
even that amount.
Dallas lawyer Steve Man-
nenbach, an outspoken op-
ponent of the measure, says
he has a number of clients
in that position.
“Those people, in my
opinion, are the ones who
will be hurt most,” he said.
“There a lot of those people
in Polk County.”
Mannenbach said he also
believes residents of Polk
County are already paying a
high sum in taxes, from all
taxing districts, not just the
county, and is concerned
the measure simply isn’t af-
fordable. He also is leery of
the Board of Commission-
ers verbal promise to levy
less to offset federal timber
subsidy money.
“Oral statements aren’t
binding if it is not written
into the measure,” he said.
“If they won’t put it in writ-
ing, I see a serious issue.”
Wheeler said the board
will stand by its word on
lowering the levy once the
JOLENE GUZMAN/Itemizer-Observer
Neighbors countywide have different opinions.
final timber payment fig-
ures are known.
“We’ve made that prom-
ise all the way through,” she
said. “We will stick to that
promise.”
Like Mannenbach, Dallas
resident Wendy Snodgrass
will be voting no on the
measure with others on her
mind. Snodgrass said at one
time, she was a single moth-
er, and paying the addition-
al taxes would have been a
hardship on her family
then. She added the levy
would be a burden to those
on fixed incomes.
“These are real situations,”
she said. “Times are tough. We
have a responsibility to take
care of the elderly. There’s got
to be another way.”
Snodgrass suggested the
county could try to work
with its employee unions to
save money. Mannenbach
said he believes the county
should focus more on eco-
nomic development.
Co m m i s s i o n e r Cra i g
Pope said attracting busi-
ness, while important to the
future of the county, takes
more time than the region’s
public safety system has
now.
County Administrator
Greg Hansen said landing
new businesses, especially
those that will employ a lot
of people and build facili-
ties that will increase the tax
base, often require up-front
concessions, including
property tax breaks.
“You see the benefit of
the jobs in that, but you
don’t see the benefit of a lot
of property tax generation,”
Hansen said.
Pope pointed out proper-
ty taxes are what the county
has to live on.
“We’ve had people chal-
lenge us, ‘Why aren’t you
doing those things?’” Pope
said. “Because those are
much bigger, much more
challenging. The levy
process is the first step. You
ask you community, if that
is what they accept. If it’s
not, you go after the next
bigger problem.”
If the levy fails, the coun-
ty’s budget will be status quo.
Funding from recently ap-
proved timber payments will
be used to pay for staffing
where it is needed most.
Ultimately, it will be for
voters to decide.
“Our job is to ask voters
what they want us to do,”
Wheeler said. “If they are
satisfied with the way things
are now, then that is one
thing. But if they are not, es-
pecially with the 10-hour
coverage, then we need to
do something.”
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STRAWBERRY SALE
From the same club that has been doing this for over 25 years.
30 lb. containers of fresh
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$
48
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Please leave your phone or email.
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Across from Polk County Courthouse
M-F 9-5; Sat 9-4
There’s still time to make mom
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jewelry in gold or silver.
We have designs and all are
handmade in our store.