2A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • September 30, 2015
Polk County News
AFSCME, county at odds
Two organizations have been negotiating since June
By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
POLK COUNTY — Polk
County mental health
workers and administration
are in a “cooling off” period
after unsuccessful negotia-
tions over wages.
“Basically, we’ve been
bargaining with the county
s i n c e
June,”
s a i d
Dustin
B r e -
i t w i e s e r,
mental
health
counselor
Hansen
and mem-
ber of the
bargaining unit for Ameri-
can Federation of State,
County and Municipal Em-
ployees Local 173. “We have
not been able to reach a
settlement. They’re taking a
hard line. They cited politi-
cal reasons for not wanting
to give us a raise. They
won’t budget off 1.5 percent
(cost-of-living adjustment)
with us.”
County Administrator
Government
Greg Hansen said AFSCME
members are asking for 2.5
percent COLA, a difference
of 1 percent. The county
and the union essentially
agree on selective salary in-
creases for 10 to 15 posi-
tions, he added.
Amanda Stevens, Polk
County mental health work-
er, said at the Sept. 23 coun-
ty commissioner meeting
that the “insufficient COLA”
offered “makes me feel de-
valued and disrespected.”
She said her workload —
and that of all mental
health workers in the coun-
ty — has increased signifi-
cantly because of reforms
to Medicaid and the Afford-
able Care Act.
“We serve more clients,
with additional monitoring
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requirements,” Stevens
said. More reports are being
made and investigated.
Joseph West, AFSCME
representative, said state
requirements in reporting
have put a lot more work on
mental health counselors
such as Stevens.
“Workers in her depart-
ment used to do six- to
seven-page reports,” West
said. “Now those reports are
80 to 90 pages.”
West said that union
workers have worked with
the county in the past, ac-
cepting lower increases and
taking layoffs. But now, the
county has roughly $3 mil-
lion more in the mental
health budget.
“The wage increases that
the mental health — and
our overall public service
workers — are requesting
or trying to reach with the
county are pretty much on
average with most of what
we’re seeing (in other AF-
SCME represented agen-
cies),” West said.
Hansen said the addi-
tional revenue in the men-
tal health budget has gone
to contingency and in-
creases in staffing and
equipment. He noted that
he tries to keep county
workers paid on the same
level as those in five other
counties used to compare:
Linn, Benton, Lincoln,
Yamhill and Tillamook.
Hansen said he doesn’t
agree that the reason the
county is keeping firm at its
1.5 percent COLA offer is
political.
“Recently we went for a
public safety levy,” he said.
“The county is very cog-
nizant of that, and are
stewards of the public’s
money. I don’t think it’s the
best time to give a more
than generous COLA.”
During the cooling off
period, the county and
union will meet with a me-
diator two more times to
try and work out the wage
portion of the contract.
EMILY MENTZER/ Itemizer-Observer
The new Monmouth Historic Walking Tour app for iPhones or Androids allows users to
explore the tales of buildings in town and on Western Oregon University’s campus.
Explore, learn about Monmouth
New app makes it easy to walk around downtown, WOU
By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
MONMOUTH — A new app for smart-
phones makes it easier than ever to find out
more about historic buildings in the city of
Monmouth.
The app, Historic Monmouth Walking
Tour, is available for both iPhones and
Google formats. It cost about $6,000, which
was paid for through a grant, said Mark
Fancey, Monmouth community develop-
ment manager.
Once downloaded, the app provides users
with information, pictures and history about
29 historic sites in Monmouth, including
Western Oregon University. A global posi-
tioning system icon allows users to identify
where they are in the city and see where on
the map the next historic site is.
The app is very basic. The GPS function
does not automatically update to show
where you are or in what direction you are
walking. No notifications are available as
you pass by historic sites, so you have to be
looking for them.
It’s free to download and use. The map is
easy to read, and the facts are interesting. Ad-
ditional photos are included with some sites,
featuring historic pictures of a place, or
sometimes photos of what it looks like inside.
The app also features “fun facts” about
Monmouth, including that the sequoia tree
that is decorated every year on Western Ore-
gon University’s campus was planted in
1887.
Dallas author wins award for children’s book
Itemizer-Observer staff report
DALLAS — Kim Conolly,
a Dallas author, has won
the Cascade Award for her
unpublished children’s
book, “I’ll Tuck You in,
Mama,” at the Oregon
Christian Writers Summer
Conference held in Port-
land in August.
The contest received
more than 225 entries.
Finals judges were top ed-
itors, agents, and authors
from the Christian publish-
ing industry.
Jeff Gerke, a Writer’s Di-
gest author, and Susan May
Warren, an award-winning
a u t h o r, p re s e n t e d t h e
awards.
For more information
about the Cascade Awards
or Oregon Christian Writers,
contact@oregonchristian-
writers.org.
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