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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 25, 2017)
DALLAS PERFORMS CROSS-COUNTRY ‘LITTLE SHOP’ DALLAS Page 5A Volume 142, Issue 43 www.Polkio.com Page 12A $1.00 October 25, 2017 Property tax bills are on the way Itemizer-Observer staff report POLK COUNTY — Prop- erty tax bills are in the mail, or should be soon, and many owners will see a reduction in their taxes for 2017-18, said Polk County Assessor Doug Schmidt. “According to numbers submitted by the Assessor’s Office, a significant number of property owners could see a decrease in their prop- erty taxes this year,” Schmidt said in a news release about 2017-18 property taxes. “Even though a property’s assessed value may have in- creased by 3 percent or more, the taxes on the prop- erty may not have increased the same amount.” The reason behind that is changes to the amount of property taxes needed to repay bonds in certain tax- ing districts, Schmidt said. 2017-18 Polk County Property Tax Averages Note: The values shown below are for demonstration purposes and may not reflect the actual Average Assessed Value for that city. Average Assessed Value Tax Rate Percentage Average Yearly Taxes Change from 2016-17 Dallas Falls City Independence Monmouth $157,334 $58,022 $126,807 $151,558 14.2780 11.8714 18.9401 17.3278 $2,246 $689 $2,402 $2,626 -0.6% -0.8% -1.8% -2.1% West Salem Willamina $205,744 $87,111 17.5615 14.5746 $3,613 $1,270 2.4% -1.3% Source: Polk County Assessor Graphic by Kathy Huggins/ Itemizer-Observer Polk County paid off its road bond recently, reduc- ing the countywide tax rate by 50 cents per $1,000 of as- sessed value. Central School District reduced its bond re- quirements by 44 cents per $1,000, reducing taxes in its district. Those reductions could mean a decrease in property taxes from 2016-17, Schmidt said. Not everyone will see property tax bills fall. The exceptions are those who live in West Salem and in the Southwest Polk Rural Fire Protection District, where taxes required to pay for bonds increased. “Both the city of Salem and the Salem-Keizer School District increased their bond repayment requirements, so West Salem will see an in- crease in their taxes this year,” Schmidt wrote. “How- ever, because the Polk County bond was paid off, West Salem property owners may not see the full 3 per- cent increase in their taxes.” The same is true of South- west Polk, which passed a bond to pay for equipment and fire stations. See TAXES, Page 7A Can you solve the mystery? The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — A murderer hides among Dallas’ colorful cast of characters. Is it Finn Burgundy? Maybe Pram Peach or Wolfe Indigo? Perhaps it is Mayor White. You get to play detective on Saturday during the Dal- las Downtown Murder Mys- tery, as characters reveal clues and possible motives. At the beginning of the event, you are given clues, and a map of downtown to guide you to each suspect to gather more evidence. Be careful who you trust, though, because they all have secrets. “There’s a dark underbelly in this town,” said Burgundy, the director of the local the- ater troupe, Moon Shadow Playhouse. He would know. Others in town say he might be part of it, with the taking of bribes for parts in his productions and the not-so-secret drink- ing problem. “I don’t drink. Not at all. Maybe one — or four,” Bur- gundy said. “If you had to put up with all the charac- ters I put up with, you’d drink, too.” Then again, he demands a lot of his actors and crew, so they may spread rumors out of revenge. Or to hide their own guilt. Pram Peach, Moon Shad- ow Playhouse’s costume de- signer, has dreams of de- signing clothes for movie stars. “My goal is to make it to Hollywood and have my things shown on the red car- pet,” Peach said. “I’ve been sending my stuff to stars, but I haven’t gotten anything back from them yet. I’m just kind of frustrated and wait- ing to see if you can get something to go to the red carpet with.” See MURDER, Page 11A The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — Warning: Or- ganizers of “Welcome to the Movies,” a haunted house at 877 Main St., Dallas, ask all who enter to sign a waiver. That’s how scary it can be. “A lot of people are in here — it’s mainly people, not so much props,” said Mellissa Hoover, organizer and scarer. “There are props to set the scene, but I have a lot of volunteers. There’s 30 scarers in here. It’s pretty packed.” Each “scarer” is ready to jump out when visitors least expect it — even if it’s their THE NEXT 7 DAYS PLANNING FOR YOUR WEEK second time through. “The experience changes almost daily,” Hoover said. “It’s never the same.” Volunteer zombies and monsters aren’t heartless, especially with children. They have a code word parents can use with the ac- tors let them know to tone it down for little ones, if need- ed. If visitors are too afraid to turn the first corner, they’ll get a refund of their dona- tion-admission. “We’ve had four teenagers who turned around and came back. They were too scared,”Hoover said. See HAUNTED, Page 3A wed Dallas High School stages “Little Shop of Horrors” just in time for Halloween. »Page 5A FALLS CITY Falls City football will host North Douglas in a league playoff game. »Page 14A INDEPENDENCE Central High School’s production of “The Ad- dams Family ” is all about growing up. »Page 2A MONMOUTH »Page 3A SPORTS Central’s boys soccer team defeats Corvallis 1-0. »Page 12A POLK COUNTY Check out all the Hal- loween events around the county. »Page 11A Salem Health West Valley receives award Itemizer-Observer staff report JOLENE GUZMAN/Itemizer-Observer Doug Graven, left, Mark Sturtevant and Carol Chaney all portray characters. Welcome to your nightmare By Emily Mentzer DALLAS Increasing popula- tion is behind city council zoning change. Dallas Downtown Association hosts unique murder mystery on Saturday By Jolene Guzman IN YOUR TOWN EMILY MENTZER/ Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — The Oregon Office of Rural Health has recognized Salem Health West Valley hospital as the top performing Critical Ac- cess Hospital for the sec- ond year in a row. "We're proud of our re- porting team and our lean problem-solving culture here at the hospital," said Bruce Rodgers, Salem Health West Valley chief administrative officer. "Un- derstanding our quality measures shows us our successes and opportuni- ties for improvement. It's all part of getting better every day." The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy creat- ed the Medicare Quality Improvement Program in 2011 to implement meas- ures focused on low-vol- ume critical access hospi- tals. The program helps small hospitals identify measures that fit best and ensure the highest quality patient care. All 25 of Oregon's critical assess hospitals participate in the voluntary program. Mellissa Hoover, right, and her cast of “scarers” and ready to terrify you for a cause. thu fri sat sun Need a new hobby? Try pickleball, a newish sport some- what similar to ten- nis, at Roger Jordan Community Park. 9 a.m. Free. Oregon author Willy Vlautin speaks about his novels, in- cluding one to be released soon, at the Dallas Public Library. 7 p.m. Free. Dallas Seventh-day Adventist Church starts three-day documentary series for Martin Luther’s 500th anniversary. 7 p.m. Free. The Polk Community Free Clinic offers health care for the uninsured and un- derinsured at Trinity Lutheran in Dallas. 7 a.m. Free. Dallas resident Re- becca Fromherz per- forms with Salem Concert Band at the Elsinore Theatre in Salem. 3 p.m. $10-$30. Partly sunny Hi: 65 Lo: 45 Mostly sunny Hi: 66 Lo: 42 Sunny Hi: 66 Lo: 44 Sunny Hi: 65 Lo: 45 Mostly sunny Hi: 63 Lo: 43 mon Salem Health West Valley hosts a fundraiser sale at the hospital. Pro- ceeds provide stu- dent scholarships. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mostly sunny Hi: 61 Lo: 43 tue Happy Halloween! Have a fun and safe holiday, and be sure to watch for little ghosts and goblins as they trick-or- treat. Partly cloudy Hi: 63 Lo: 43