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Polk County News 6A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • June 21, 2017 Monmouth passes 2017-18 budget By Emily Mentzer The Itemizer-Observer MONMOUTH — The Monmouth City Council ap- proved the 2017-18 budget after a rather lengthy process, City Manager Scott McClure said. “We had more meetings this year,” he said. “We were pretty thorough. The budget committee proposed cuts and revenue sources.” One of the issues was that the city had been drawing down reserves to make im- provements. “We had to get things back in balance, and had to absorb the PERS hit this year,” McClure said, refer- ring to the increases in the city’s contribution to the Oregon Public Employee Retirement System. At one point in the budget process, McClure said the city was considering cutting a police officer position. “By the time they (the budget committee) got done, they added back a couple more revenue (streams) and we got the of- ficer back,” McClure said. A few departments were reorganized and stream- lined, including the finance department and the police department, he said. “We maintained the staffing level there without having to lose the officer,” McClure said. The police department will now have a lieutenant and three sergeants, he said. “We’ll have one less po- lice officer, but the intent is now the sergeants will be in the field more, so you make up for the officer by having the sergeants have more pa- trol,” McClure said. The entire budget process had a lot of ups and downs, he said. “We knew we were going to have more work this year to make sure we got through it,” McClure said. “The com- mittee did a great job and stuck to policy. Instead of rubber-stamping and say- ing, ‘OK, sounds good,’ or spending time focusing on how many screws and bolts are you buying, they stuck to services provided.” On the initial budget, Mc- Clure estimated local mari- juana tax revenue at $30,000 a year. He said he was sur- prised when, right before the last step of finalizing the budget, the city received $76,000 from the state for its share of the state marijuana tax. “We got things balanced with that,” he said. “We also increased our internal fran- chise fees, the fees we charge to water, sewer and electric. The good news is our electric and sewer funds are doing OK right now, so it didn’t translate to an in- crease.” Two surprises for the city’s utility funds came for water and electric, McClure said, which will mean rate increases in the near future. As far as water goes, a well wasn’t functioning properly and needed attention, Mc- Clure said. The surprise ex- pense for the electric fund was brought by the Oregon Department of Transporta- tion’s project on Highway 99W. ODOT is requiring the city to remove all of its utili- ties from the highway’s right-of-way. “The idea is we are a guest in their right-of-way,” Mc- Clure said. “So if they say we have to move, we have to move.” The bottom line: Mon- mouth’s general fund is back into a good place, and though multiple depart- ments contracted some services, it didn’t get at the heart of operations, Mc- Clure said. NEWS IN BRIEF Police investigate Highway 22 crash WEST SALEM — The Salem Police Department, with the assis- tance of the Oregon State Police, is investigating a fatal motorcycle crash that occurred Saturday afternoon in West Salem. Officers were dispatched to the westbound lanes of Highway 22 between the Edgewater and Rosemont exits at about 12:05 p.m. on a report of a motorcycle crash. Officers arrived on the scene to find a black 2015 Honda motor- cycle had hit the center guardrail, and the motorcycle operator de- ceased at the scene. The motorcycle operator has been identified as Phillip P. Slivkoff, 24, of Woodburn. He was alone on the motorcycle, and there were no other vehicles directly involved in the incident. Traffic on the roadway was restricted while the crash was being investigated. Anyone with information on this crash should con- tact the Salem Police Department at 503-588-6123. LaCreole hosts science summer camp DALLAS — LaCreole Middle School will host its first annual Rocket Summer Camp, Aug. 22-25. The camp is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Students work in teams to design a way to retrieve vital payload from the Martian surface. Camp activities include: Using 3D printing to design, build and launch an ESTES rocket; and working with LEGO robotics to cre- ate a rover and program it to complete a Martian obstacle course. T-shirts, snacks and swag bags provided by NASA are includ- ed. Camp is free, but limited to 20 students. Applications are available at the LaCreole main office and due are Friday. For more information: Anna Digby, anna.digby@dsd2.org or Ken Guffey, ken.guffey@dsd2.org POLICE REPORT Information for the police report comes from law en- forcement agencies. Not all calls for service are included. The status of inci- dents reported may change after further investigation. Individuals arrested or sus- pected of crimes are consid- ered innocent until proven guilty. — DALLAS Arrests/Citations • Richard E. Buckley, 30, of Dallas in the 200 block of SE Washington St. on Saturday on third-degree theft. • Alma H. Johnston, 27, of In- dependence in the 500 block of SE Washington St. on Sunday on second-degree criminal tres- pass, resisting arrest and pos- session of methamphetamine. INDEPENDENCE Arrests/Citations • Kathleen M. Golden Phillips, 51, of Placentia, Calif., on Gun Club Road on June 15 on DUII. • Levi W. North, 38, of Inde- pendence, in the 100 block of D Street on Sunday on unlaw- ful possession of metham- phetamine, felon in posses- sion of a firearm and carrying a concealed weapon (knife). MONMOUTH Arrests/Citations • George Antonio Davis, 38, of Portland, in the 100 block of Main Street on June 10 on ha- rassment. • Rusty A. Arp, 33, of Mon- mouth, ion the corner of Mon- mouth-Independence High- way and Hogan Road on June 15 on probation violation. born on Dec. 25, 1942 in Artesia, California and grad- uated from Hilltop High School in Chula Vista, Calif. The family moved to Chino, Calif. in 1972. He entered the army in 1964 and served a year in Vietnam. In 1966, he married LaVerna Van Der Veen and moved to Forest Grove, and in 1980, to Inde- pendence. John in survived by his wife of 50 years; five chil- dren, Rhonda Prouty, John (Annola) De Jong, Sheri (Kevin) Baker, Linda (Eric) Shumaker, Jerry (Staci) De Jong; 12 grandchildren and three brothers. We will miss coming in the house not seeing him in his favorite chair. A graveside service will be held Monday, June 26, 2017, 10 am at Willamette Nation- al Cemetery in Portland. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Veterans of Foreign Wars or Sunrise Church, 823 N. Ford St, McMinnville. Arrangements are in care of Farnstrom Mortuary. Memories and condo- lences may be shared at FarnstromMortuary.com. She was born on July 5, 1930. She is survived by her son Marvin Ross of Dallas and daughter Sandy Armenakis of Salem along with 10 grandchildren and many g r e a t grandchil- dren. Also surviving is a brother D u a n e Dunaway of Dallas. She was preceded in death by a son Danny Ross and a brother Rex Dun- away. Private family services will be held. Private interment will be in the Dallas Ceme- tery. Memorial contributions are suggested to the Willamette Humane Society. The Dallas Mortuary Tribute Center is caring for the fam- ily. To leave a message or memory for the family please go to www.dallastrib- ute.com. OBITUARIES Jose M. ‘Pops’ Fernandez Sept. 1, 1934 – June 11, 2017 Jose M. Fernandez, known as “Pops” to his fam- ily and friends, was born Sept. 1, 1934, in Havana, Cuba. He spent his early life there and became a bantam weight b o x e r known as “Chico Fernandez.” In 1958, he went to Mexico to fulfill some fighting contracts and, due to the turmoil in Cuba, he came to the United States. He finally settled in Omaha, Neb. There he met and married Jackie. The cou- ple moved to Oregon in 1965. They had five children. Jose worked at Swan Is- land shipyards in construc- tion, and later as a self-em- ployed painter. During his later years he resided in Alaska, California, and Oregon with his daugh- ters. He is survived by his daughters Maria Rardin, of In- dependence, Teresa Connor, of Independence, Encarna- cion Ingram, of Forest Grove, and Caridad DeVries, of Dal- las. He was the proud “Pops” of 16 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by son Jose, and brother Manuel. Funeral Mass will be Wednesday, (today) June 21, 11 a.m. at St. Patrick Catholic Church, Independence, with interment at Gesthemani Cemetery, 11666 SE Stevens Road, Happy Valley, OR. Farnstrom Mortuary is caring for the family. Memo- ries and condolences may be shared at FarnstromMortu- ary.com. Joanna ‘Jean’ Larson Phelps March 9, 1928 – April 2, 2017 Joanna “Jean” Larson Phelps, born March 9, 1928, in Petti- b o n e , N.D., along with twin brother L o w e l l “Dean” Larson (precedes her in death) to A.M. and Laura Larson, passed away April 2, 2017, at home. She lived in North Dakota, Minnesota, Washington, and settled in Oregon in 1942. She lived in Hood River, Portland, and then moved to Taft. She graduated from Taft High School in 1946. Joanna met John Phelps in high school and they married in 1948. She lived in Nelscott, Otis, Rose Lodge, Tualatin, McMinnville, Dallas, and most recently Salem. Joanna was a homemaker and loved cooking, sewing, camping, gardening, square dancing, pets and spending time with family. She was an Avon Representative for a decade and worked at the State Capitol during two leg- islative sessions. Joanna also enjoyed the annual Phelps family picnic and get-to- gethers with high school classmates known as “The Fun Bunch.” She is survived by sons, Steve and Ron Phelps; daughter, Tammy Inman; two grandsons, a grand- daughter and a great-grand- son. Service will be held Satur- day June 24 at 2 p.m. at City View Funeral Home 390 Hoyt St. S., in Salem. Recep- tion following. Donations can be made to the Humane Society, Heart/Kidney Association in lieu of flowers. John Richard De Jong Dec. 25, 1942 - June 16, 2017 John Richard De Jong was Joyful Sound Hearing 312 Main Street • Dallas Marie Diane Adams • Hearing Testing • Hearing Aids • Service Call today for your FREE Consultation Mark Sturtevant 503-623-0290 Personally involved and invested in the Dallas community July 28, 1938 – May 26, 2017 Welcoming new patients. Most insurance health plans accepted. Also a Moda preferred provider. No services are planned at this time. Farnstrom Mor- tuary is in charge of arrange- ments. Memories and con- dolences at FarnstromMor- tuary.com. Dolores J. Ross July 5, 1930 – June 16, 2017 Dolores J. Ross, 86, a resi- dent of Salem died Friday. Salem 412 Lancaster Drive NE Salem, OR 97301 (503) 581-6265 Low Cost Cremation & Burial Funerals & Memorials Simple Direct Cremation $595 Simple Direct Burial $710 Traditional Funeral $2,275 Discount priced Caskets, Urns and other Memorial items. Privately owned cremation facility. Locally owned and operated by Oregon families. www.ANewTradition.com Bertha Shilling May 1, 1920 – June 14, 2017 Graveside service is at 1 p.m. on Thursday at Alford Cemetery, in Harrisburg. Dallas Mortuary Tribute Center is caring for the fam- ily. Obituary Information Obituaries cost $8 per 25 words and include a photo and flag for veterans. Obituary information must be submitted by 4 p.m. on the Monday before publication to be included in the newspaper. Most funeral homes handle obituary information and pro- vide it to the newspaper. Obit- uaries submitted by private parties must be prepaid. Color and black-and-white photos can be submitted, but photos will only be published in black and white. Death no- tices — like all information submitted to the news depart- ment — are subject to editing for style, content and length. Information can be brought or mailed to the Itemizer-Ob- server, 147 SE Court St., Dallas, OR 97338, or emailed to ionews@polkio.com. For more information: Emily Mentzer, 503-623-2373.
