Polk County
Voices
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • March 29, 2017 4A
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EDITORIALS
Your voice matters
In the last few months, we’ve noticed an uptick in citizen
involvement at local council meetings.
Councilors, mayors and city employees have noticed,
too, because it has meant some meetings run longer than
those governmental bodies are used to.
As Monmouth Councilor Jon Carey said in the March 21
council meeting: Participatory democracy is a slow deal.
Oftentimes that’s true. Monmouth councilors agreed to
consider an inclusivity resolution — which they will vote
on at their April 4 meeting — after hearing comments from
citizens and Western Oregon University students since Jan-
uary. At first, requests to declare Monmouth a “Sanctuary
City” failed. Once the focus turned to a strong statement
about inclusivity, councilors were open.
As Councilor Tom Steinke said, “... We’re such a nice
town as it is.”
Mayor Steve Milligan said he has been working on wel-
coming resolution of some sort for the city of Mon-
mouth — as well as broader efforts countywide — since
about 2011, when he was a Monmouth city councilor. It
wasn’t until the residents got involved that a resolution is
coming before the council. Whether or not the council ap-
proves the resolution remains to be seen, but the fact that
they will consider it is progress.
In Independence, residents are appealing business
plans for marijuana growing and processing operations. A
neighborhood does not want this kind of business near
their borders and have gotten involved in the process.
A movement was attempted in Monmouth recently to
curb marijuana retailers, but failed, mostly because of the
timing. We’ll see if Independence residents are too late to
intervene at this point, but in 2014, when recreational mar-
ijuana was legalized, the city of Independence was the first
to establish a tax on the drug. Councilors were open to the
idea of welcoming medical dispensaries and recreational
outlets. It wasn’t until Independence residents started
speaking out about marijuana related businesses that the
council paused and made stricter zoning laws.
In Dallas, the council was ready to approve a new busi-
ness registration. Councilors had discussed it at length,
and they were ready to move forward until residents and
business owners got involved and spoke against the policy.
Now, our county, cities and school districts are heading
into the heart of what we like to call budget season. Many
important decisions will be made about infrastructure,
services, utility rates, and staffing. We know budget meet-
ings aren’t always the most interesting, depending on your
point of view, but they are incredibly important. All the
money our local governments are spending comes from
our pockets — it’s all taxpayer dollars.
Pick up a copy of the budget in your city or school dis-
trict, or from the county. Read through the budget mes-
sages. Ask questions. Stay involved.
PUBLIC AGENDA
GOVERNOR
Gov. Kate Brown (Dem.)
160 State Capitol
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-378-4582
Email: via website,
http://governor.oregon.gov/
—
STATE LEGISLATORS
Sen. Arnie Roblan
(District 5, Democrat)
S-417 State Capitol
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1705
sen.arnieroblan@state.or.us
www.oregonlegislature.gov/roblan
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Existing building
better for center
I don’t understand the
thinking of the person or
group that overlooked the
empty buildings and prop-
erties available in Dallas,
and settled on the small
space behind the Carnegie
building on Church Street
for a new senior center — a
building that will need an
elevator, and no parking for
its patrons.
The Plain & Fancy build-
ing would have been an ex-
cellent location. Look at the
parking available, and the
exposure it would have got-
ten. What about the empty
lot on the corner of Church
and Mill — easier access —
RadioShack building.
I am not a member of the
senior center at this time, so
I can only report what I
have heard from the general
public, that because of a
timeframe, the grant money
had to be used or it would
be lost.
Losing the grant and ap-
plying later may have made
more sense than purchasing
a site that is too small for
the purpose intended. What
were they thinking?
Sounds like the cart went
way ahead of the horse. Are
there secret plans to tear
down the Carnegie that the
public is not aware of? Does
the city of Dallas not want
to sell any of its property for
this purpose?
For Dallas, in my opinion,
a remodel on an older
building would have fit in
better.
Barbara Whitlow
Dallas
Foundation
supports James2
We at James2 Community
Kitchen would like to send
out a big thank you to the
Dallas Community Founda-
tion for the grant we re-
ceived on March 9. By re-
ceiving this generous grant,
we are able to help feed over
4,500 people locally in the
Dallas community through-
out the year. This grant en-
ables us to purchase fresh
produce, vegetables and
meat for the people we
serve.
For those of you not fa-
miliar with James2 Commu-
nity Kitchen, we are a non-
profit organization where
volunteers cook and serve
free meals every Tuesday at
St. Philip church and every
Thursday at Dallas United
Methodist Church. The
meals start at 4:30 p.m. and
are served until 6 p.m. at
each site. We are solely
funded by donations and
grants.
Falls City volunteers also
prepare and serve free
meals on the second, third
and fourth Tuesday of every
month from 4:30 to 6 p.m.
at the Falls City Methodist
Church.
Come by any of the sites
and enjoy a nutritious meal.
Bring your neighbor and
enjoy an evening of socializ-
ing while dining. We even
do the dishes.
Loretta Hodous
Dallas
Public Agenda is a listing of upcoming meetings for gov-
ernmental and nongovernmental agencies in Polk County.
To submit a meeting, send it at least two weeks before the
actual meeting date to the Itemizer-Observer via email
(ionews@polkio.com).
—
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29
• Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk
County Courthouse, first floor conference room, 850 Main St.,
Dallas. 503-623-8173.
MONDAY, APRIL 3
• Central School District Board of Directors — 6:30 p.m.,
Henry Hill Education Support Center, 750 S. Fifth St., Independ-
ence.
• Independence Planning Commission — 7 p.m., Independ-
ence Civic Center, 555 S. Main St., Independence. 503-838-1212.
• Polk County Budget Committee — 9 a.m., Polk County
Courthouse, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173.
TuESDAY, APRIL 4
• Monmouth City Council — 7 p.m., Volunteer Hall, 144 War-
ren St. S., Monmouth. 503-838-0725.
• Polk County Budget Committee — 9 a.m., Polk County
Courthouse, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5
• Monmouth Historic Commission — 6 p.m., Volunteer Hall,
144 Warren St. S., Monmouth. 503-838-0725.
• Monmouth Planning Commission — 7 p.m., Volunteer
Hall, 144 Warren St. S., Monmouth. 503-838-0725.
• Polk County Budget Committee — 10 a.m., Polk County
Courthouse, first floor conference room, 850 Main St., Dallas.
503-623-8173.
Sen. Jackie Winters
(District 10, Republican)
S-301 State Capitol
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1710
sen.jackiewinters@state.or.us
www.oregonlegislature.gov/winters
Sen. Brian Boquist
(District 12, Republican)
S-305 State Capitol
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1712
sen.brianboquist@state.or.us
www.oregonlegislature.gov/boquist
Rep. David Gomberg
(District 10, Democrat)
H-471 State Capitol
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1410
rep.davidgomberg@state.or.us
www.oregonlegislature.gov/gomberg
Rep. Paul Evans
(District 20, Democrat)
H-281 State Capitol
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1420
rep.paulevans@state.or.us
www.oregonlegislature.gov/evans
Rep. Mike Nearman
(District 23, Republican)
H-378 State Capitol
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1423
rep.mikenearman@state.or.us
www.oregonlegislature.gov/nearman
—
U.S. CONGRESS
Sen. Ron Wyden (Dem.)
221 Dirksen SOB
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: 202-224-5244
Fax: 202-228-2717
Salem office: 707 13th St. SE,
Suite 285, Salem, OR 97301
Phone: 503-589-4555
Email: via website,
www.wyden.senate.gov
Sen. Jeff Merkley (Dem.)
313 Hart SOB
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: 202-224-3753
Fax: 202-228-3997
Salem office: 161 High St. SE,
Suite 250, Salem, OR 97301
Phone: 503-362-8102
Email: via website,
www.merkley.senate.gov
WANT TO WRITE A LETTER?
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Election-related letters of all
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Writers are limited to one elec-
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Each writer is restricted to
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Letters that are libelous, ob-
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The Itemizer-Observer does
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dissenters are welcome to re-
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letter writers should maintain a
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Letters, like all editorial mate-
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Letters must include the au-
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Letters must be submitted
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The deadline for letters to the
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—
Reach us at:
Mail: Editor, Polk County
Itemizer-Observer, P.O. Box 108,
Dallas, OR 97338.
Fax: 503-623-2395.
Email: ionews@polkio.com.
Office: 147 SE Court St., Dallas.
Rep. Kurt Schrader (Dem.)
108 Cannon HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: 202-225-5711
Fax: 202-225-5699
Salem office: 544 Ferry St. SE,
Suite 2, Salem, OR 97301
Phone: 503-588-9100
Fax: 503-588-5517
Email: via website,
www.schrader.house.gov
—
POLK COUNTY
Board of Commissioners
850 Main St.
Dallas, OR 97338
Phone: 503-623-8173
www.co.polk.or.us
—
CITIES
Dallas
187 SE Court St.
Dallas, OR 97338
503-623-2338
www.ci.dallas.or.us
Falls City
299 Mill St.
Falls City, OR 97344
503-787-3631
www.fallscityoregon.gov
Independence
555 S. Main St.
Independence, OR 97351
503-838-1212
www.ci.independence.or.us
Monmouth
151 W. Main St.
Monmouth, OR 97361
503-838-0722
www.ci.monmouth.or.us
HOW TO REACH US
NEWSROOM
Emily Mentzer ..............Editor/Monmouth/Independence Reporter ....ementzer@polkio.com
Vol. 142, No. 13
(USPS) - 437-380)
The official newspaper of Polk County • Serving Polk County families since 1875
Winner of 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014 General Excellence Awards
from the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association
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Dallas, OR, Independence, OR and Monmouth, OR.
Published weekly at 147 SE Court Street
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Phone: 503-623-2373
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