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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (April 6, 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 ementzer@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, Twitter and Instagram. Watch for breaking news, links to sto- ries, sports scores updates and more. WEATHER RECORDED HIGH LOW March 29......... 65 March 30......... 72 March 31......... 74 April 1................ 77 April 2................ 71 April 3................ 72 April 4................ 59 33 37 40 42 42 43 NA RAIN .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .NA .NA Rainfall during March — 6.36 in. Rain through April 5 — 17.09 in. Polk County Itemizer-Observer • April 6, 2016 3A Polk County has positive budget outlook The proposed 2016-17 spending plan is “healthy,” grows to nearly $65 million overall By Jolene Guzman Polk 2016-17 proposed budget: The Itemizer-Observer POLK COUNTY — Polk County Administrator Greg Hansen had a rare opportu- nity Monday morning. For the first time in several years, he presented his pro- posal for the county’s budget with a positive outlook, at least in the short-term. Hansen began four days of Polk County Budget Com- mittee hearings with an overview of the county’s fi- nancial picture for 2016-17. The overall budget will in- crease by 10 percent, or by nearly $6 million, while the general fund is slated to grow by $2.4 million, or 12 percent. “This is a much different budget than in the past five years. It’s a healthy budget,” Hansen said. “We are in a pretty good place in the ma- jority of our funds. It’s a nice one to propose.” That said, there are chal- • Overall, the 2016-17 budget is proposed at $64,926,465, an increase of $5.9 million (10 percent), in- cluding an increase in staffing by almost 30 full-time equivalent positions. • The general fund is proposed at $22,235,900, in in- crease of $2.4 million (12 percent), including four addi- tional full-time equivalent positions. • Approximately half of the increase will be held in contingency to mitigate anticipated cost increases in Public Employees Retirement System rates and employ- ee benefits in future years. lenges, including an antici- pated increase in Public Em- ployees Retirement System (Pers) rates for the county next year. With that in mind, Hansen said approximately half of the general fund op- erating increase will be held back in contingency. The county will see new Pers rates in mid-2017, which could increase between 4 per- cent and 7 percent, Hansen estimated. Each 1 percent in- crease will cost the county about $175,000. “July 1, 2017, could be very interesting,” Hansen said. The overall budget pro- posal is $64.9 million, with $22.2 million in the general fund. Nearly $720,000 from the most recent “timber pay- ments” was included in the 2016-17 general fund budg- et. It is the second portion of the payment issued last year in a reauthorization of the program also known as Se- cure Rural Schools (SRS). The money is meant to off- set revenue loss due to a de- crease in timber harvests on federal lands. The payment allows the county to lower the amount of property taxes it will levy on the five-year public safe- ty levy to approximately 32 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. Voters authorized levying up to 45 cents per $1,000 for the levy. Hansen said he’s confi- dent that will be the last payment, a belief that Com- m i s s i o n e r C r a i g Po p e echoed. Pope said on his visit to Washington, D.C., in Febru- ary, he found little action to- ward renewing the pay- ments, which benefit coun- ties in several states. He said a letter urging action on be- half of those states is circu- lating around the U.S. Sen- ate, but otherwise there’s “no appetite” for pushing new legislation on the issue. “I don’t have a lot of opti- mism for a SRS bill in 2016,” Pope said. If payments are not re- newed, that will be the only major revenue reduction for the county, which saw in- creases in property taxes of $700,000, a $225,000 in- crease in franchise fees, and $200,000 from the public safety levy. Other funds, namely pub- lic health (16 percent), be- havioral health (22 percent) and health services (10 per- cent) saw healthy increases in the budget proposal. “Looking ahead, the pic- ture continues to look brighter as the real estate market begins to gather mo- mentum. We enter the mid- dle years of our operating levy and state funding re- mains stable,” Hansen said. The budget hearings con- tinue Wednesday (today) and Thursday. Citizens have an opportu- nity to comment on the budget at 11 a.m. Wednes- day (today) and the budget committee will vote to it ap- prove on Thursday. Hand washing, bleach prevents norovirus Virus may have caused a rash of absences from Whitworth Elementary School last week By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — Wash your hands with soap — and no, hand sanitizer doesn’t count. That is the best defense against norovirus, the sus- pected — though not con- firmed — culprit in the high number of absences at Whit- worth Elementary School in Dallas last week. Schools are not required to report norovirus out- breaks, said Katrina Rothen- berger, Polk County’s Public Health administrator. But the office does offer guid- ance to mitigate the spread of the stubbornly hardy virus that causes a short- lived, but very unpleasant illness. “There have been no con- firmed cases,” said Rothen- berger, but, “it sounds like norovirus.” Norovirus is often called “the stomach flu,” but it is not the same virus you get a flu shot every year to pre- vent. That virus, influenza, causes a respiratory illness, while norovirus causes vom- iting, diarrhea and can lead to dehydration. It is highly contagious and can live on surfaces for sev- eral days. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers and most common household clean- The “stomach bug” How norovirus spreads: • Direct contact with an infected person. • Consuming contaminated food for drinks. • Sharing utensils or cups with an infected person. • Touching surfaces with the virus on them and putting your fingers in your mouth. Preventing the spread of norovirus: • Good hand washing with soap. • Cleaning surfaces with a bleach solution cleaner. • Staying home if you are sick. For more information about norovirus prevention: www.cdc.gov/norovirus. ers are ineffective against the nasty germ. Soap and bleach-solutions cleaners are best options for killing the virus, Rothenberger said. Whitworth posted infor- mation on its Facebook page following the high number of illness at school — about double what is normal — emphasizing hand-washing and staying home if you are sick. In a subsequent post, the school reported it had to resort to “old school” lunch serving, with adults dishing up food instead of letting kids use the self-serve salad bar to cut down on utensil “sharing.” If you are unlucky enough to get sick, Rothenberger has advice that your school- mates or coworkers will ap- preciate: Stay home. Keep in mind that you are still contagious after you start feeling better, so re- member to wash those hands and use a bleach-so- lution cleaner, Rothenberger said. Free Seminar! Protecting Your Family Through Estate and Life Planning April 10, 2016 6:30-7:30 p.m. An informative presentation for family on Will and Estate Planning and Advance Directives for medical care. New to the area? Number change? Call us to update! Contact the Advertising Dept. at the Itemizer-Observer for more information. Presenters: Lane Shetterly, attorney Dr. Robert Davies, physician There is no charge, registration is not necessary, and nothing will be sold. Prepare yourself and your family now! Held at: TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH 320 SE Fir Villa, Dallas 503-623-2233 • www.dallastlc.org Sponsored by the Above and Beyond Ministry team Itemizer-Observer 503-623-2373 2016 Relay For Life Of Polk County A New Take On Relay For Life Many Relay For Life sponsors support the fight against cancer year after year because they have seen the progress research has made in the effectiveness of cancer treatments and the development of early detection techniques. However, recently I posed the following question to one of Polk County’s first-time sponsors: “What motivates a new sponsor to support Relay For Life in its mission to raise funds for cancer research, treatment, and prevention?” Sam Dufner, owner of West Valley Taphouse, shared his answer with me: "We at West Valley Taphouse are proud to be a part of the local community and feel both obligated and proud to support our neighbors, community members, and general society in an effort to make life better for everyone. We support the mission of Relay For Life and feel fortunate to be able to do our small part in the effort to combat cancer." The family of Rolling Prairie Farms said: “Relay gives our small family a chance to honor our sister’s memory while at the same time standing with Polk County’s businesses, organ- izations, and health care providers determined to make a difference for future generations.” For those of you still undecided about joining a worldwide fundraising event that has made a real impact on the fight against cancer, read Sam’s quote again. It just may motivate you to sign on as sponsor this year. Fill in the grid so the numbers 1 through 9 appear just once in every column, row, and three- by-three square. See example. Solution on Page 6A The deadline for submitting a sponsorship is April 15. Pease join me in thanking these six most recent sponsors of Relay For Life of Polk County: ♥ Capital Ford ♥ Mitch Ratzlaff State Farm ♥ White’s Collision Service ♥ Her & Him DJ’s ♥ Monmouth-Independence Rotary ♥ Rolling Prairie Farms West Valley Hospital West Valley Physicians & Surgeons Clinic/Dr. John Hadley West Valley Surgical Specialty Clinic/Dr. Alison Smith Monmouth Medical Center/Dr. Charles Essex The Majestic/Ray Stratton City of Independence Bollman Funeral Home Dr. Michelle Hasbrook. DDS Central Lions Club Brandt Sanitary Service Royal Flush/Tony Teal MINET Dallas Aquatic Center James W. Fowler Statewide Rent-A-Fence Les Schwab Tire Centers of Dallas, Independence, West Salem H & R Block Polk County Association of Realtors Western Days Pressed Coffee & Wine Bar Limeberry Frozen Yogurt Polk County Itemizer-Observer Washington St. Steakhouse & Pub Eola Hills Wine Cellars Dutch Bros. Team Perrydale Dallas Retirement Village Bookey Strong West Valley Taphouse NW Natural Partnerships In Community Living, Inc Salem Sand Club Relay For Life of Polk County will take place at Riverview Park in Independence June 4~5. If you or someone you know is interested in sponsorship, contact Lyla Bruce at 503-508-9277, or online at aquarius1251@yahoo.com, or visit our website at www.relayforlife.org/polk countyor By Ben Arnoldy The Christian Science Monitor
