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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 20, 2016)
Polk County News DEADLINES NEWS DEADLINES For inclusion in the Wednesday edition of the Itemizer-Observer: Social news (weddings, engagements, anniver- saries, births, milestones) — 5 p.m. on Thursday. Community events — Noon on Friday for both the Community Notebook and Community Calendar. Letters to the editor — 10 a.m. on Monday. Obituaries — 4 p.m. on Monday. ADVERTISING DEADLINES Retail display ads — 3 p.m. Friday. Classified display ads — 11 a.m. on Monday. Classified line ads — Noon on Monday. Classified ads are updated daily on www.polkio.com. Public notices — Noon on Friday. CORRECTIONS The Polk County Itemizer- Observer is committed to publishing accurate news, feature and sports reports. If you see anything that re- quires a correction or clarifi- cation, call the newsroom at 503-623-2373 or send an e- mail to nadams@polkio.com. WEBSITE The Polk County Itemizer- Observer website, www.polkio.com, is updat- ed each week by Wednes- day afternoon. There, you will find nearly every story that appears in the print version of the newspaper, as well as some items, in- cluding additional photos, that do not appear in print due to space limitations. The Itemizer-Observer is also on Facebook and Twit- ter. Watch for breaking news, links to stories, sports scores updates and more. HIGH LOW Jan. 12............... 53 Jan. 13............... 55 Jan. 14............... 45 Jan. 15............... 51 Jan. 16............... 53 Jan. 17............... 50 Jan. 18............... 54 41 41 41 40 41 40 38 Wage increase recommended Polk treasurer Compensation committee OKs 4 percent to commissioners By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — Polk County’s Compensation Board — the three nonelected citizen members of the budget committee — recommend- ed all county elected officials receive a 4 percent hike in pay come July 2016. The one exception may be Polk County Sheriff Mark Garton, who by law has to be the highest paid in his office. He will receive 4 percent or whatever it takes to keep his salary at the top of the sher- iff’s office. This is a recommendation only and comes months be- fore the real work on the 2016-17 budget begins. Last year the board, which had met in May when the budget was approved, de- cided to move its meeting to Jan. 13 this year. That means its recom- mendation will be included in the budget and discussed when the rest of the financial plan is debated this spring. Final approval of the rec- ommendation is up to the Polk County Board of Com- missioners, which last year approved raises for the clerk, treasurer, assessor and sher- GOVERNMENT iff, but declined to increase their own pay. The 4 percent figure isn’t what County Administrator Greg Hansen recommended. He said elected officials salaries in Polk County con- tinue to fall behind those in neighboring and similar-sized counties. The gap ranges from 2 percent behind for the sher- iff to lagging 19 percent for the commissioners. To make up ground, he recommended increases of: 8 percent for the commis- sioners; 4 percent for the clerk; 3 percent for the sher- iff; 5 percent for the assessor and setting the salary for the treasurer at $1,000 following what could be a dramatic change in responsibilities for that office (for more on that see “Polk treasurer to be re- defined” on page 3A). District Attorney Aaron Felton is a state employee and his salary is paid by the state. While many other coun- ties do, Hansen recom- mended not providing addi- tional income for Felton. “My continuing recom- mendation is not adding a supplement to that because I think it’s the state’s job to pay its em- ployees ad- equately,” he said. C o m - pensation b o a r d member Vern Wells supported Hansen H a n s e n’s suggestions, but the other two members, Blair Wasson and Norbert Hartmann, were hesitant to give the commis- sioners that big of a raise. Hartmann said doing so may erode voter support for future levy measures, includ- ing a second public safety levy. “If we do this, we are set- ting ourselves up for a very hard sell on the public safety levy the next time around,” Hartmann said. “I know that you will never catch up if you don’t start doing some- thing, but I also know the political issue if you do it.” to be redefined By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — Polk County Treasurer Linda Fox will not seek re-election to a fourth term in office and with her retirement may come a change in the office’s job re- quirements and salary. In Polk County, which is required by law to have a treasurer, the job includes being the county’s financial manager. Administrator Greg Hansen said voters made a wise choice in electing Fox, who is a certi- fied public accountant and had experience in govern- mental financial matters before taking office. “She inherited a lot of duties and took on a lot of duties because she’s gra- cious and she is very good at what she does,” he said. He’s not confident the county will always be that lucky. At the county’s Compen- sation Board hearing Jan. 13, Hansen recommended the financial management part of the treasurer’s job, and the associated salary, be separated from the elected office. That way it could be filled by a profes- sional with the needed cre- dentials. “I still feel strongly, when you have a $60 million or- ganization, you don’t really want to roll the dice on your finances,” Hansen said. “That’s my position. It has nothing to do with any- one who may be running for the position.” Dallas resident Dave We- ston, a candidate for the of- fice, told the board, and the Polk County Board of Com- missioners, that his experi- ence in the private sector qualifies him to take on the duties of the treasurer. “I hope that you don’t feel that the county is step- ping off a cliff here after the wonderful service that Linda has given this coun- ty,” Weston said. The compensation board agreed with Hansen’s rec- ommendation and made one of its own: setting the treasurer’s monthly salary at $1,000 and creating a stipend of $5,850 to pay for a financial manager. Hansen said the final de- cision is up to the commis- sioners, who will discuss the issue further on Tuesday. NEWS IN BRIEF Get training for nonprofit boards CORVALLIS — Members of nonproit organizations board of di- rectors may participate in “Nonproit Organization Board Training,” to be presented from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday at the Oregon State University LaSells Stewart Center in Corvallis. Workshops will be presented by IRS and Oregon Department of Justice specialists; nonproit attorneys and nonproit CPAs; univer- sity faculty and nonproit consultants. The event’s keynote speaker is by Ellen Rosenblum, Attorney General for Oregon. For more information or to register and pay fees: www.nonprof- itsteward.org. Kicker will be on 2015 tax returns WEATHER RECORDED Polk County Itemizer-Observer • January 20, 2016 3A RAIN 1.01 .33 .25 .09 .60 .94 .34 Rainfall during Jan. — 4.28 in. Rain through Jan. 18 — 4.28 in. SALEM — There will be a “kicker” issued for this year, but won’t be any kicker checks issued as there have been in the past. A more than $402 million tax surplus was conirmed by the Of- ice of Economic Analysis during the irst week of October. The surplus triggered a tax surplus credit, or “kicker,” for the 2014 tax year. To claim the kicker, you must ile a 2015 tax return. To calculate the amount of credit, multiply your 2014 tax liability before any credits, except credits for taxes paid to other states, by 5.6 percent. Detailed information on how to claim your credit will be in the 2015 Oregon personal income tax return instructions. For more information: www.oregon.gov/dor. How’s that New Years’ Resolution “working out” for you? We’ve got the answer! New Virtual Group Fitness Trainer Kiosk- take a class 24 hours a day by yourself or with a friend! 12 Week Body Challenge Contest 24/7/365 Member Access! $299 for Non-members Workouts • Nutrition Program • Prizes! Membership includes — • Sauna • Spa Style Locker Rooms • High Intensity Functional Movement Equipment • Classes for All Fitness Levels & Ages (Classes Listed Online) • New Membership Introductory Training WorldGymDallas FREE Dule Bag with all new memberships! (while supplies last) 887 Main St, Dallas • 503-623-4440 • worldgym.com/dallas Please, recycle this newspaper. Plan on picking up your Itemizer-Observer in February—good stuff and no fluff! February February February February 3rd 3 & 10 17th 24th The Big Game! Sweetheart of a Deal Money Talks! Babies of 2015 We’re passing along what it says! Want to get the most for your money? Then you’ll want to read this section! The babies are here! The cutest babies ever born live here in Polk County and we’ll show you! We’ll be publishing all the local spots to catch the game on February 7th! Our full color Valentine’s Day page to make shopping for your loved one easy! Need the newspaper delivered to your door? Invite us in with a subscription. Only $27 a year! Call 503-623-2373. Or visit us in person or online at www.polkio.com Itemizer-Observer • 147 SE Court St, Dallas
