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Polk County News Polk County Itemizer-Observer • July 6, 2016 3A Calls for loose dogs declining Fourth of July fireworks can lead to an increase in lost dogs By Emily Mentzer The Itemizer-Observer MONMOUTH/INDEPEN- DENCE — Both Independ- ence and Monmouth police chiefs agree: calls for loose dogs have gone down in re- cent years, and reconnecting those dogs with their owners has gone up. “Overall, I feel that pet owners have become much more responsible over the past 10 years or so,” Mon- mouth Chief Darrell Tallan said. “Dog owners are espe- cially better about taking care of their pets and mak- ing sure the dog is kept in a secure location and not out running loose.” The one exception is dur- ing the Fourth of July festivi- ties, when dogs can be frightened by loud noises, Tallan said. Impounded dogs are kept in the cities’ respective ken- nels for three to five days, depending on if the dog has a license or not. After that, unclaimed ani- mals are taken to the Ore- gon Humane Society — which can cost the police department about $100, In- dependence Chief Bob Mason said. Fortunately, that doesn’t happen very often any- NEWS IN BRIEF Hancock forest properties closed POLK COUNTY — Effective Tuesday, all of Hancock Forest Management's Northwest Oregon Properties are closed to all public access — including walk-ins — until Oregon Department of Forestry declares fire season terminated. Still time to apply for city council INDEPENDENCE POLICE DEPARTMENT/ for the Itemizer-Observer Fourth of July festivities can lead to an increase in loose dogs. more. Social media — specifical- ly Facebook — has helped t re m e n d o u s l y w h e n i t comes to finding a dog’s owner. Mason said lost dog posts are re-shared multiple times. “Many community mem- bers who see the impound- ed dog photos on Facebook are able to help us by either calling and telling us who the owner is, or by just noti- fying the owner directly to let them know their dog is in impound,” Tallan said. If a dog is spotted running loose, it is best to call the po- lice department’s non-emer- gency line (Monmouth: 503- 838-1109; Independence: 503-838-1214) and not try to pick up the dog personally, Tallan said. “If the dog is aggressive, we recommend that citi- zens not approach it and let the community service offi- cer or officers attempt to catch or contain the dog until the owner can be lo- cated,” he added. The departments are in the very early stages of dis- cussing a way they can com- bine resources to use Mon- mouth’s dog kennel for both cities. The idea was discussed first at the May joint city council meeting with Mon- mouth and Independence city councils present. Mason said the kennel space Independence uses is inadequate, mostly because of its location. “There’s houses all around the property adjoining the kennel,” he said. “Theirs (Monmouth’s) is a better venue.” DALLAS — Citizens interested in serving on the Dallas City Council still have time to apply to fill the vacancy left by the res- ignation of former councilor Murray Stewart. Applications to be appointed to the office are due on Friday at 5 p.m. The appointee’s term of office will begin immediately upon being selected by the council and continue through Dec. 31. Council members are required to attend two regular council meetings per month, on the first and third Mondays at 7 p.m. Members are also required to attend a workshop each month, usually on the first Monday at 5:30 p.m., and standing commit- tee meetings every other month. Council members are also part of the budget committee, which requires attendance at several budget meetings in the spring. Applicants must be registered voters of the state of Oregon and must have been a legal resident of the city of Dallas contin- uously during the 12 months immediately preceding appoint- ment to the council. Application forms can be picked up at City Hall, 187 SE Court St., Dallas; downloaded from the website at www.dallasor.gov; or mailed by request. For more information, call 503-831-3557. Paws for a Cause back for second year POLK COUNTY — Through the month of July, the Polk Coun- ty Sheriff’s Office will collect new or gently used pet supplies or pet food. All items will be donated to local animal shelters in honor of the late Polk County Jail Sgt. Randy Whittaker. Pet food, treats, toys, collars, leashes, food dishes and other supplies can be dropped off at the following locations: Polk County Sheriff’s Office, 850 Main St. Dallas; The Academy Build- ing (second floor reception), 182 SW Academy St., Dallas; Public Works, 820 SW Ash St., Dallas; Community Corrections, 689 Main St., Dallas; and Polk County Fairgrounds, 520 S. Pacific Highway (99W), Rickreall. Cash donations will be accepted and donated toward paying for the memorial kennel at Willamette Humane Society in Whit- taker’s name. For more information: Jody Germond, 503-831-1733. Wagner: FC leaders will seek district Continued from Page 1A Supporters hoped it would pay for library costs long enough to find a permanent solution. School Board Chairwoman Jami Kidd said one possibility — a li- brary district including six com- munities — was discussed, but didn’t get far. “All of those other communities have essentially dropped out of that group and left us to sit alone, which greatly increased the cost to our citizens,” Kidd said. Pursuing grants is another op- tion, but the group decided the only viable long-term solution was to ask for permanent support for the library. “Once the city runs out of money, as far as the Wagner Fund goes, there’s no place to go,” said Councilor Dennis Sickles. Getting that message out to vot- ers is key, said school board mem- ber Bob Young, and will affect the timing of placing the new district on the ballot. Falls City School Superintendent Jack Thompson suggested Novem- ber 2017 as a target. He said No- vember 2016 is too soon. “I wouldn’t do that,” he said. “It’s going to fail because something that irritates people is when they don’t find out about things until two months before. If you give it a year, you go next November, then there’s a year for that conversation to get around town.” Young added a key piece of that conversation has to be that the li- brary will close in three years if voters don’t support the measure. He said getting information to the community has to begin soon. “I’m telling you right now some- one needs to take the ball and run with it,” Young said. “Or in three years we will all be sitting here thinking ‘What the hell happened to the time?’” Falls City Mayor Terry Ungricht agreed, saying the city and school district will have a challenge on their hands in passing a library district. He said the Falls City precinct voted against Polk County public safety levy in 2015, and the school district’s bid to build a new gym failed by 11 votes in May. “I really think if we discuss it … the people will do what they can,” he said. “I think we are fighting an uphill battle, but we can give peo- ple the facts.” The group agreed to meet again in September and December to continue discussions about form- ing a library district. In other Wagner business, Thompson announced that the district offered the vacant library director position to Andy Rommel. Rommel has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in fine art and a bachelor’s in graphic design. He at- tended the joint meeting June 29 and said he was excited to get started, even with the future de- pendent on the outcome of an election. “I really see this as an opportu- nity to be active in the community, and that is what I want,” he said. Look What’s Coming Up! Summerfest Reserve by July 11th Publishes July 27th Polk County’s Wine Guide Polk County’s very own wine, brewery and distillery guide ...coming soon! Interested in hearing more? Contact the Itemizer-Observer 503-623-2373 www.polkio.com 147 SE Court St. Dallas, OR Polk County Fair Reserve by July 25th Publishes August 10th Back to School Reserve by August 1st Publishes August 17th Hop & Heritage Festival Reserve by August 29th Publishes September 14th Contact Heidi, Rachel or Karen by June 10th to be a part of this special! Itemizer-Observer 147 SE Court St, Dallas • 503-623-2373