FAMILIES, FARMS MIX
MARLON CATCHES TITLE
POLK AGFEST
WRESTLING
Page 7A
Page 10A
Volume 141, Issue 9
www.Polkio.com
75¢
March 2, 2016
Bill to provide tax
break for industry
IN
YOUR
TOWN
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
POLK COUNTY — Legislation helping rural cities and
counties encourage industrial business expansion has
cleared the Oregon Senate and is slated for a vote in the
House of Representatives this week.
Senate Bill 1565 would allow local governments to ex-
empt new capital improvements valued between $1 mil-
lion to $25 million from property taxes. The incentive
could be in effect for three out of the first five years after
local agencies approve the exemption. Tax deferrals —
paying taxes at a later date — is also an option in the bill.
Standard language in the legislation allows for a 100
percent exemption for three years, but local governments
are allowed the flexibility to change the terms. That in-
cludes offering the exemption for the full five years, or
lowering the rate from 100 percent in any given year.
The exemption would only go into effect if taxing dis-
tricts represents 75 percent of the total combined rate of
taxation approve.
Sen. Brian Boquist (R-Dallas), one of the bill’s chief
sponsors, testifying under oath in a public hearing this
month, said the purpose of the bill is to give local govern-
ments a flexible tool for economic development and busi-
ness retention.
He said improvement in the economy hasn’t been uni-
form and many rural areas, such as Polk County, still are
struggling.
“You have these little areas that still need to be helped
and need to be able to help themselves.” Boquist said.
As originally written, the bill would have allowed the
exemption to be used statewide, which Boquist said was
his intent with the legislation.
An amendment added in the House Revenue Commit-
tee last week changed that. The revision limited the ex-
emption to only those businesses located outside the
urban growth boundary of cities with a population of
40,000 or less. That would exclude the Portland Metro
area, Salem-Keizer, Eugene-Springfield, Albany, Corvallis
and Bend.
Property tax assessors have voiced concerns that the
flexibility in the bill would make administering the ex-
emptions complicated.
Polk County Assessor Doug Schmidt, speaking on be-
half of the Oregon Assessor’s Association, said he supports
the underlying intent of the bill. But the number of op-
tions cities and counties have to depart from the standard
language in the bill would make administering the ex-
emptions a time-consuming manual process, he said. Tax
deferrals, if businesses were to choose that option, would
also be difficult to implement for short-staffed assessor’s
offices throughout the state.
“Assessors, we look at how easy is something to admin-
ister, because, again, like everybody else with reduced
budgets, we have reduced staff,” he said.
To answer those concerns, the bill was amended re-
quiring county assessors to testify about the administra-
tive impact an exemption proposal that deviates from the
standard 100 percent over three of five years. Offices
would receive a fee for their work, too.
Schmidt said Boquist’s willingness to create the stan-
dard exemption alleviated many of the assessors’ issues
with the bill.
“We still have concerns, but we can administer this bill
with a minimal amount of manual processing if jurisdic-
tions abide by the standard exemption,” Schmidt said.
The bill passed the Senate on Feb. 19 and a public
hearing and work session was held Friday in the House
Committee on Revenue, after which, the committee ap-
proved the bill. It is slated for a House floor vote on
Wednesday (today).
KVCS may join Falls
City school district
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
KINGS VALLEY — Falls
City School District and
Kings Valley Charter School
work well together on a
number of fronts.
Students from the
schools compete together
on sport teams, providing
more athletic opportuni-
ties. Academic partnerships
exist as well, said Jamon
Ellingson, Kings Valley’s di-
THE NEXT
7
DAYS
PLANNING
FOR YOUR
WEEK
rector.
“We’ve worked with their
teaching staff in the past,
exchanging equipment and
ideas,” Ellingson said.
The working relationship
is so good that discussions
have recently begun about
changing the boundaries of
the Falls City and Philo-
math school districts to
make it possible for Falls
City to take over as the
school’s charter sponsor.
See SCHOOLS, Page 5A
DALLAS
LaCreole Middle
School students will
take viewers back to
the origins of Peter Pan
in their play, “Tick
Tock.”
»Page 15A
FALLS CITY
Falls City student-
athletes will soon be
decked out in new uni-
forms, thanks to a grant
from the Trail Blazers.
»Page 3A
INDEPENDENCE
Fruit trees were
planted close together
in the Inspiration Gar-
den at Mount Fir Park.
»Page 3A
MONMOUTH
Three juveniles were
referred for 27 incidents
of car break-ins from
Feb. 19-21.
»Page 14A
SPORTS
EMILY MENTZER/ Itemizer-Observer
Anton Alvarez is the 2015 Monmouth Independence Junior Citizen. He was nominated
for his volunteerism at Salem Hospital and with the Monmouth-Independence YMCA.
DESIRE TO SERVE
Anton Alvarez honored to be Junior Citizen
By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
INDEPENDENCE —
Anton Alvarez doesn’t volun-
teer because someone’s
watching, but someone was
watching — and nominated
him for Monmouth-Indepen-
dence’s 2015 Junior Citizen.
Anton is a humble recipi-
ent of the award.
“I’m not really big on the
recognition,” he said. “I just
like volunteering. It’s my
own personal goal. I just do
what I do. I like volunteer-
ing, and that’s why I do it.”
His spirit of volunteering
makes an impact on those
around him.
The Central High sopho-
more was nominated for his
volunteerism at Salem Hos-
pital and at the Monmouth-
Independence YMCA. He is
in band and was on the swim
team, until a back injury
made him stop competing.
It’s his work at Salem Hos-
pital that made him stand
out above the crowd of ex-
cellent youth who were
nominated for the award. Al-
varez said he started volun-
teering with the hospital in
the summer of 2015.
“There was a pretty tough
process of getting in,” he
said. “You had to fill out an
»Page 11A
Polk man
charged with
double murder
Itemizer-Observer staf report
And the nominees are:
First Citizen — Pat Jafer, Lois Sieber, Tom Takacs.
Distinguished Service — Moises Ceja, Russ Cooper,
Joann Fuhrman.
Educator of the Year — Buzz Brazeau, Frank White, Rob
Winningham.
Education Support Staf of the Year — Patty
Bermudes, Nancy Harper, Ryan O’Malley.
Retail Services — Les Schwab Tire Center, Petals &
Vines, Roth’s Fresh Markets.
Nonproit or organization — Central School District,
HALO, Monmouth-Independence YMCA, Partnerships in
Community Living Inc.
Food and Beverage Service — Arena Sports Bar & Grill,
San Antonio Mexican Restaurant, Three Legged Dog Public
House.
Personal Service Provider — Ash Creek Animal Clinic,
Monmouth Fitness Center, Superior Cuts.
Professional Services Provider — Brandt’s Sanitary
Service, C Cable Realty, Itemizer-Observer, MAPS, Minet,
Monmouth Power & Light, Oregon State Credit Union.
application, which was pret-
ty lengthy. Then there was
an essay. Then we had to get
two letters of recommenda-
tion. Then we had an inter-
view.”
Anton liked it so much that
he chose to continue even after
the summer program ended,
said Cleo Alvarez, his mom.
“As he was getting older,
he’s always seemed bent to
do something in the medical
field,” she said.
That has only been con-
firmed by his work in the
Central boys basket-
ball set to host play-in
game tonight.
hospital.
“I love the environment of
the hospital itself and seeing
all the people,” Anton said.
“Being a volunteer at the
hospital, you see different
kinds of people.”
He leaves school on
Wednesdays — a half day —
and heads to the hospital
where he does “a lot of
things you wouldn’t think
need to be done.”
“There’s a lot of little tasks,
for sure,” Anton said.
See SERVICE, Page 5A
SALEM — A man
originally from Polk
County was arrested in
West Salem Saturday in
connection with a dou-
ble homicide in
Crooked
River
Ranch.
A c -
cording
to Ore-
g o n
Morris
State Po-
lice, the suspect in the
alleged homicide,
Mitchell Julio Morris, 20,
was arrested Saturday
morning without inci-
dent.
The Jeferson County
Sherif’s Oice respond-
ed to a report of shots
ired at about 6:50 p.m.
in the 9000 block of
Southwest Sand Road
in Crooked River Ranch.
Deputies found two
people dead, Bailee Ray
Southwick, 18 and
Mackenzie Lyman, 21.
They both lived at the
location of the shooting
and Morris was living
with them at the time of
the shooting.
wed
thu
fri
sat
sun
mon
tue
Even if you can’t
make it to a local li-
brary, you can cele-
brate Dr. Seuss’
birthday through
reading a book.
All day. Free.
Meet Oregon author
and illustrator Mark
Fearing at the Dallas
Public Library and
learn about narra-
tive, visual art.
4 p.m. Free.
Central High
School’s perform-
ance of “Once on
this Island” opens
tonight at the audi-
torium.
7:30 p.m. $5-$8.
Mid-Valley Christian
Academy will host
its annual dinner
and auction at Cen-
tral Baptist Church.
Child care available.
5 p.m. $20.
The Rickreall Grange
Flea Market returns
with fresh-baked
goods, vendors,
breakfast and lunch.
Head to the grange.
9 a.m.-4 p.m. Free.
“The Intern” is the
movie fundraiser
this year for the In-
dependence Friends
of the Library. Tick-
ets include popcorn.
7 p.m. $15.
The TOPS club
meets in the First
Christian Church
basement. The
weight-loss group
is open to anyone.
6 p.m. First is free.
Rain
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Lo: 44
Possible T-storms
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Lo: 40
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Lo: 44
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Lo: 45
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Lo: 43
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Lo: 39
Rain
Hi: 51
Lo: 42