POLK COUNTY
ANDY AVGI CHOOSES
FOURTH OF JULY FOOTBALL
Page 7A
Volume 141, Issue 27
www.Polkio.com
Page 10A
July 6, 2016
$1.00
Minimum wage increase affects fair
IN
YOUR
TOWN
Wages went up to $9.75 on Friday, will continue to climb to $13.50 by 2022
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
POLK COUNTY — The
Polk County Fair will be
charging $3 for parking this
year, a direct result of the
minimum wage increase
that took effect Friday, fair
officials say.
Fair Manager Tina Ander-
sen estimates the fair, run-
ning Aug. 11-13, will cost an
extra $7,500 in labor costs
and price increases from
vendors due to the 50 cent
per hour wage hike.
“A lot of people we hire
come on before fair, they
stay on after fair and we
can’t afford to absorb those
costs,” said Fair Board
Chairwoman Anna Scharf.
She noted that other
small county fairs are strug-
gling with the same issue,
but Polk is one of the few
that didn’t already charge to
park.
Andersen added that ven-
dors that provide tents and
fences for the fair and those
who sell at the event also
have to charge more be-
cause of an increase in labor
costs.
“Those have all gone up,”
Andersen said. “Our costs
aren’t just directly associated
with our own employees,
but directly associated with
employees of all of these
other companies that are
using temp employees like
we are during fair time.”
Scharf said admission to
the fair hasn’t increased
and people will still be able
to pay for parking and ad-
mission in one stop when
they pull into the parking
lot.
The July 1 increase is the
first of a series of annual
raises approved by the
state legislature earlier this
year that will put the Mid-
Valley region’s minimum
wage at $13.50 per hour by
2022.
Portland metro’s wage will
grow to $14.75. More rural
counties will cap at $12.50.
Like the fair, businesses
are having to plan for the
annual adjustment, espe-
cially for those further down
the line, said Chelsea Met-
calfe, the Dallas Area Cham-
employees at the minimum
wage, such as the Dallas
Aquatic Center.
For now, school districts
see very little impact from
the $9.75 per hour rate as
most employee salaries are
settled through contracts
and rates higher that the
state’s new minimum.
Dallas School District has
a few temporary workers at
minimum wage, but doesn’t
anticipate much of an in-
crease this year. Falls City
Schools Superintendent Jack
Thompson said the only
time the district would see a
difference is with substitute
teachers who are paid at the
minimum rate.
“That doesn’t happen that
often,” he said.
ber of Commerce executive
director.
“They are concerned
about the incremental in-
crease that is going to hap-
pen each year,” Metcalfe
said.
The chamber will be of-
fering courses and materials
to local businesses to help
them prepare early for what
is coming.
Local governments also
are preparing for the in-
crease, but some more than
others.
The city of Dallas esti-
mates personnel costs will
jump $20,000 this year due
to the increase, City Manag-
er Ron Foggin said. The in-
crease is affecting depart-
ments that hire part-time
DaLLaS
Dallas Fire & EMS en-
tertain with pyrotech-
nic display.
»Page 6a
FaLLS CITY
Falls City School Dis-
trict passes its budget.
»Page 12a
InDePenDenCe
Reports of loose dogs
have been on the de-
cline.
»Page 3a
Falls City to pursue Wagner Library district
By Jolene Guzman
Apple Box Theater
opens “Jolly Roger and
the Pirate King” on
Thursday.
The Itemizer-Observer
FALLS CITY — The Wagner Community Library in Falls
City has enough funding for three years of operations, but
what about after that?
Members of the Falls City school board and city council
met June 29 to discuss that very issue and proposed a solu-
tion that would have voters decide the long-term future of
the library.
The two government bodies agreed to seek a library dis-
trict to charge a property tax for operations. It would be
drawn on the same boundary lines as the Falls City School
District.
Based on current costs, the library would need between
$40,000 and $50,000 per year to remain open.
Without the district, Wagner will close, the group concluded.
In late 2012, the school district announced it would have
to end its support for the library due to funding shortfalls.
The district paid for library staff and operations. Wagner was
forced to run on donations for nearly a year before stable,
but temporary, funding was found.
That came in the form of the Wagner Trust Fund, originally
created to purchase materials and supplies. The city appealed
to have it dissolved and transferred to the city for library oper-
ations. In 2014, a California court judge decided in favor of the
proposal and the funding has covered library costs since.
See WaGneR, Page 3a
MOnMOUTH
»Page 12a
POLK COUnTY
The deadline to enter
the Polk County Fair is
approaching.
»Page 2a
SPORTS
Central student-ath-
letes read to kids at the
Monmouth Public Li-
brary.
»Page 10a
JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer
Funding for the Wagner Community Library is running short and a solution needs to
be found or it will shut down in three years.
Feline dies
after rescue
Itemizer-Observer staff report
DALLAS — A cat died
on Saturday after being
rescued by Dallas emer-
gency services.
Dallas Fire & EMS re-
ceived a call at 6:15 p.m.
on Saturday about a
trapped feline.
The cat was found in a
storm drain near Dallas Se-
cure Storage on Brookside
Avenue.
Responders were able
to free the cat, but at-
tempts to locate an owner
were not successful. The
cat was thought to have
injuries prior to being
trapped in the storm drain
and later died.
Having a Grand Old Time
Sports physicals
held Tuesday
Itemizer-Observer staff report
EMILY MENTZER/Itemizer-Observer
Western Oregon men’s basketball coach Jim Shaw, right, and Wolfie greet the crowd at the Monmouth-Independence Rotary Grand Parade on
Monday morning. The men’s basketball team served as Grand Marshal. For more photos from all of the county’s celebrations, www.polkio.com.
THE NEXT
7
DAYS
PLANNING
FOR YOUR
WEEK
wed
thu
fri
sat
sun
Tour the new Main
Street Park Am-
phitheater with the
Monmouth Business
Association at its
monthly meeting.
7:30 p.m. Free.
Applebox Children’s
Theater presents,
“Jolly Roger and the
Pirate Queen,” open-
ing tonight at WOU’s
outdoor stage.
7-8:30 p.m. Free.
Dave Upton per-
forms at Redgate
Vineyard in Inde-
pendence as part of
the winery’s sum-
mer concerts.
6-9 p.m. $5.
Find a feast of fresh
produce at the Inde-
pendence farmers
markets at
Riverview Park and
Umpqua Bank.
9 a.m.-2 p.m. Free.
Grab friends and
family and head to
the Buell Grange
monthly breakfast,
just off Highway 22,
northwest of Dallas.
8-11 a.m. $6.
Mostly sunny
Hi: 76
Lo: 52
Mostly cloudy
Hi: 72
Lo: 55
Showers
Hi: 65
Lo: 53
Showers
Hi: 65
Lo: 51
Cloudy
Hi: 67
Lo: 49
DALLAS — Oregon
Family Health, 607 SE Jef-
ferson St., Dallas, will host
sports physicals Tuesday
from 5:45 to 8 p.m.
Cost is $25 (cash and
checks only; checks
payable to Dallas Booster
Club). Proceeds support
athletics at Dallas High
School. Forms will be
available on site.
For more information:
admin@dhsboosterclub.
org.
mon
Central Lions Club
will meet at the In-
dependence Elks
Lodge located at
289 South Main St.
in Independence.
noon. Free.
Partly sunny
Hi: 72
Lo: 50
tue
Court Street in Dal-
las will be closed
this afternoon for
Tuesdays on the
Square, featuring
family activities.
4-7 p.m. Free.
Cloudy
Hi: 71
Lo: 51