Polk County News
6A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • April 12, 2017
Coming attraction: Dallas Cinema
County could ask for
levy renewal early
Former Fox Theatre undergoing remodel; to serve beer and wine soon
By Jolene Guzman
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
The Itemizer-Observer
POLK COUNTY — Voters may be asked to consider re-
newing the Polk County public safety levy a year sooner
than expected.
The county is going into its third year of the five-year
levy. It was approved by voters in May 2015 at 45 cents per
$1,000 of assessed value on properties.
The Polk County Budget Committee discussed when —
not if — the county should ask voters to renew support for
the levy, which helps pay for the county’s sheriff, district
attorney, community corrections, and juvenile offices.
County Administrator Greg Hansen said unless a
change occurs in property tax law or timber harvests in-
crease dramatically, the county will need the levy to pro-
vide current services. The range on the new levy would be
35 cents to 40 cents, he said.
“It’s going to be less than what you went out for origi-
nally, but the county is still going to need assistance in
funding the public safety system if you want to maintain
the services that this levy brought,” he said.
On the timing, Hansen recommended May 2019, which
would be before revenue was collected for the fifth year of
the levy.
“Doing it in advance, you are guaranteeing stability if it
passes,” Hansen said. “You still have a year if it fails to get
something passed.”
Committee members agreed, though the final decision
will be made by the Polk County Board of Commissioners.
“Doing it a year early makes a lot of sense just because
I’ve seen how it works,” said committee member Vern
Wells. “People low on the totem pole, they are worried
about having a continuing job in that last year.”
Wells said if they wait until the last minute, people start
looking for other work, and you may have to hire and train
new people.
Commissioner Craig Pope said the county should con-
tinue the promise made to voters in the first campaign to
use timber revenue — whether that be from the current
O&C Act or a new management plan — to lower the
amount levied each year.
“I think the upside is that we also get to tell our con-
stituency, if the federal folks actually get it done and start
bringing more dollars in, we are going to use those dollars
first,” Pope said.
Hansen said if the levy is reauthorized a year early, he
believes the last year of the current levy would be repealed
and the new rate would take its place. He said he would
find out for certain before the official decision is made.
DALLAS — The Dallas
Cinema, formerly the Fox
Theatre, is gearing up for a
fresh start.
The theater closed Friday
and will re-emerge this Fri-
day with an updated look in-
side, including a lobby re-
model, new paint, a new
snack bar, some sound up-
grades, and auditorium seat
cleaning.
“We will open Friday
whether or not we are
done,” said owner Jeff Mexi-
co on Monday. “I can still
show a movie.”
Friday’s reopening is just
the beginning of changes at
the theater.
Dallas Cinema is applying
for a license to sell beer and
wine and adding more
kitchen equipment to ex-
pand the menu.
“We won’t be ready for
food, beer and wine until the
end of April,” Mexico said.
“I’m still waiting for the
OLCC (license) to be com-
pleted. That takes time.
Then we have to learn our
oven.”
Once the staff has a han-
dle on the oven, the theater
will offer pizza, burgers and
fries, chicken strips, sand-
wiches, salads, nachos, slid-
ers — in addition to pop-
corn, of course.
Mexico plans to apply for
the city of Dallas’ facade
grant to change the sign,
which still reads “Fox,” and
repaint the front of the
building.
JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer
Soon the sign on the former Fox Theatre will feature it’s new name: Dallas Cinema. New
flooring is going in this week, along with a remodeled snack bar and other changes.
Changing the name is
part of the process, he said.
“It had a reputation when
I got it in 2007,” he said. “I
tried to improve it and
everything, but it still looked
the same outside.”
He’s hoping a new name
will help pique curiosity
enough that people will
want to give it anoyher try.
Mexico said he had this
vision for the theater for a
long time, but couldn’t com-
mit the time to making it
happen.
“With the drive-in closed,
I’ve got more time to con-
centrate on this, get it where
it should be, and get more
people in the doors,” he
said. “It does OK, but we
need more people in the
doors. Everybody wants beer
and wine these days, and the
remodel has been a dire
need for a long time.”
He offered a similar menu
at the Pix Theater in Albany
before he sold it four years
ago. It’s still serving beer,
wine and an expanded
menu, and doing well, he
said.
The plan is to replicate
that success at Dallas Cine-
ma.
He said adding beer and
wine to the menu won’t de-
tract from the family-friend-
ly atmosphere.
Most showings will be
open to all ages.
Mexico said in his experi-
ence at the Pix, he didn’t
have problems with people
consuming too much alco-
hol during movies.
“It’s not like a bar. People
will have one or two glasses
of beer or wine,” he said.
“They aren’t going to sit here
and get drunk. At the Pix, I
never had a problem.”
Dallas Cinema will offer
some weekend shows for
adults only.
“We are going to do Friday
night and Saturday night
late shows and they will be
21 and older only,” he said.
“That will be approximately
a 10 p.m. show, just because
it would be nice to have a
late-night date night without
any kids.”
with Maundy
Thursday Service
6 pm Service
begins with Maundy
Thursday soup supper
followed by observance
of Good Friday.
All are welcome to
participate in this service.
Trinity Lutheran Church • 320 SE Fir Villa, Dallas
503-623-2233 • www.dallastlc.org
You are invited
to join us
for worship.
April 14
Good Friday Prayer Vigil
Noon - 6 pm and
8pm - Midnight
Good Friday Tenebrae
7:00 pm - Service of Darkness
Easter Sunday
7:30 am - Sunrise Eucharist
8:30 -10 am - Easter Breakfast
10:30 am - Festival Eucharist
Faith Lutheran Church
200 Monmouth - Independence Hwy
Monmouth • 503-838-3459 The Church on the “S-Curves”
Pastor Dallas C.R. Dubke • www.FaithLutheranMonmouth.org
6:30 a.m. Easter Sunrise Service
7:30 a.m. Easter Breakfast — Free (7:30 to 9:30)
10:00 a.m. Easter Celebration with Holy Communion
9:00 a.m. Sunday School Easter Egg Hunt
Youth Bake Sale — Before and after worship
In celebration of the day, please bring a canned food item
to benefit the Dallas Food Bank.
Trinity Lutheran Church
320 SE Fir Villa, Dallas • 503-623-2233 • www.dallastlc.org