Polk County News
2A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • January 25, 2017
DEADLINES
NEWS DEADLINES
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CORRECTIONS
The city of Monmouth
does not contract information
technology services from the
city of Independence. Mon-
mouth uses services from Polk
County. The I-O regrets the
error.
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WEATHER
RECORDED
HIGH LOW
Jan. 17............... 51
Jan. 18............... 56
Jan. 19............... 52
Jan. 20............... 51
Jan. 21............... 49
Jan. 22............... 51
Jan. 23............... 53
26
46
38
37
36
37
30
RAIN
.90
.83
.03
.12
.23
.10
.00
Rainfall during Jan. — 5.37 in.
Rain through Jan. 23 — 5.37 in.
Taskforce revs economy Dallas to borrow
Focus on marketing, business and building development
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — Mayor Brian
Dalton wants 2017 to be the
year Dallas started revving
its economic development
engine.
Dalton laid out that vision
in his state of the city ad-
dress on Jan. 17. He’s hoping
the city’s commerce growth
will begin to match its resi-
dential growth.
“Folks are starting to call
us by that ugly term, ‘bed-
room community.’ Sadly,
they have something of a
point,” he said. “Since 2015,
we have had 608 building
lots approved or under ap-
proval, and eight residential
subdivisions in the planning
process this last year.”
While happy for the uptick
in residential building, Dal-
ton doesn’t see the same
progress on the commercial
side. From a purely tax-rev-
enue perspective, that isn’t a
good thing, he said
As a rule, residential
homes offer the city less in
property taxes than their oc-
cupants use in services.
With businesses, the op-
posite is true.
“An adequate tax base to
support livability occurs
when there is a proper bal-
ance between homes and
businesses,” Dalton said.
“We are losing that balance
right now.”
Dalton’s message wasn’t
all gloom. Efforts of the city’s
Economic Development
Commission and Economic
Development Roadmap
process are working to
change the trajectory of
commerce in Dallas.
“I think we’ve hit bottom
on the no-fun run of our
economic slide,” Dalton said.
“The direction now is up.”
The Economic Develop-
ment Roadmap identified
what citizens believed were
the most important needs to
be address on the economic
front, and charged them
with coming up with ideas
$1.75 M to buy
Mercer Reservoir
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
JOLENE GUZMAN/Itemizer-Observer
Several vacant business spaces dot downtown Dallas.
to meet them.
The Rural Development
Initiative facilitated a series
of town hall meetings, out of
which three focus areas
emerged, said Greg Ellis, a
former economic consultant
to the city.
Those areas are: commu-
nity marketing, business de-
velopment and building de-
velopment.
Committees formed to
address each of those needs,
Ellis said.
Community marketing fo-
cuses on events that could
bring people into town — and
spend money while here.
Ellis, who belongs to that
committee, said the first event
it wants to bring to town is a
disc golf tournament.
“We’ve been contacting
people who can make that
happen and help kind of
coach us,” Ellis said.
Tournaments have been
held on Dallas City Park 18-
hole course and former city
re c c o o rd i n a t o r Da v i d
Brautigam organized a
“lawn games” event last
summer using the course.
The business develop-
ment committee is charged
with finding ways to bring in
more customers to estab-
lished business, while the
building development com-
mittee is looking for ways to
fill vacancies.
Dalton said there are a lot
of spaces available for busi-
nesses looking to open or
expand.
“We have 27 empty spaces
in downtown and 300 acres
of industrial land not being
used right now,” he said.
Ellis said the roadmap ini-
tiative is off to a good start
and hopes to incorporate
more people and ideas.
“I’m really excited about
this continuing. With the
enthusiasm I see now, I
don’t think it’s going to go
away,” Ellis said. “The peo-
ple that are involved right
now are really excited
about it. I think you need
to keep new people coming
in.”
The three committee will
have a yet-to-be scheduled
joint meeting in February.
“More people are wel-
come, because we would
love to have people come
into the committees,” Ellis
said. “I’m sure that there’s a
million great ideas out
there.”
DALLAS — The city of Dallas will borrow $1.75 million
to pay for most of the purchase of property surrounding
the city’s sole water source, Mercer Reservoir.
The Dallas City Council approved the loan, offered
through the Department of Environmental Quality’s Clean
Water State Revolving Loan Fund. Terms on the loan are
20 years at 1.6 percent interest. The city applied for the
loan in 2015, and was recommended for funding.
“It’s a 400-acre purchase that has been negotiated over
the last year,” said Mayor Brian Dalton before the council
took its 8-0 vote approving the loan on Jan. 17. Councilor
Jackie Lawson was excused from the portion of the meet-
ing during which the vote took place.
The total cost of the purchase is $1.895 million.
Engineering and Environmental Services Director Fred
Braun wrote in a memo to the council that the city will be
purchasing approximately 405 acres of land immediately
surrounding the reservoir.
“The purchase includes sites that were identified as ge-
ologically prone to landslides as well as prime land that
can be used for timber harvest and/or expansion of the
reservoir,” Braun wrote. “The city will set aside (from tim-
ber harvest) the areas determined to be geologically sensi-
tive.”
The purchase price will be divided among three land
owners: Golden Pond Timberlands — $975,000; John Han-
cock Life Insurance Company USA — $621,000; and Han-
cock Timberland XI Inc. — $303,000.
The remaining $145,000 of the purchase price not cov-
ered by the loan will be drawn from the city’s water sys-
tems development charges fund, which is set up to pay for
expansion of the system.
Braun said repayment of the loan was calculated into
the new utility rates that will go into effect in February.
Purchasing pieces of the Rickreall Watershed, which
feeds the reservoir, was suggested in a detailed study of
the watershed completed on behalf of the city in 2012.
On other business, the council:
• Heard Mayor Brian Dalton’s annual State of the City
address.
• Elected Councilor Micky Garus as its council presi-
dent in a 5-4 vote. He will serve a two-year term as council
president.
At the Jan. 17 meeting, all nine councilors were present,
though Councilor Jackie Lawson called into the meeting
from Eugene. Lawson nominated Garus for the post, while
Councilor Kelly Gabliks nominated Councilor Ken Woods Jr.
Garus won on the first ballot — the previous attempt to
elect a council presided ended in a tie — with the support
of Lawson and councilors Jennie Rummell, Paul Trahan
and Terry Crawford. He voted for himself.
Woods voted for himself, along with councilors Jim
Fairchild, Bill Hahn and Gabliks.
Following the council president vote, Lawson was ex-
cused for the remainder of the meeting.