Polk County News
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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
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RAIN
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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