The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current, August 10, 2018, Image 4

The Columbia press., August 10, 2018, Page 4, Image 4

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Newspaper Page TextT he C olumbia P ress 4 Election: Filing period opens for city seats Continued from Page 1 sifer said Wednesday. “I’ve had a lot of great people who helped me get my feet on the ground.” The commission works well together and has the unified mission of cleaning up the city and making residents better prepared for emergen- cies, Balensifer said. He has enjoyed presiding over com- mission meetings and serv- ing as the city’s spokesman, he added. Rick Newton, 65, still was mulling whether to seek re- election to his Position 4 seat. Henry Balensifer after his ap- pointment in June 2017. “I probably will. I’m think- ing about it strongly,” he said Wednesday. “One of my fam- ily beliefs is that you have to make a difference before you die.” Warrenton residents inter- ested in either the mayor’s post or the Position 4 seat have until Aug. 28 to declare their candidacy. On Tuesday night, the War- renton-Hammond School Dis- trict board took final action to place its $38.5 million general obligation bond on the bal- lot, just 10 days ahead of the County Elections cut-off. Taxpayers in the district would repay the bond over three decades. Those owning property would pay $2.68 per $1,000 of assessed value; August 10, 2018 a home assessed at the high school also $200,000 would find would be improved an additional $536 using the bond mon- per year on their an- ey. Long-term plans nual property tax bill. are to move both the Board members grade school and high chose to title the bal- school campuses onto lot measure “Bonds the new property. to Increase Safety and Putting the measure Newton Security; Modernize, before voters in No- Repair, Build Schools.” vember is essential, school The school district plans to officials said, to take advan- purchase property near the tage of a $4 million state North Coast Business Park in matching grant, which would an area safe from tsunamis be diverted to another school and will construct a seismi- district should the local mea- cally stable middle-school sure fail. campus with secure entries Countywide, voters also will and security cameras. be asked to fund a new jail. Vocational education and Clatsop County has placed job training classrooms at its $20 million general obli- gation bond measure on the ballot. But spread over a larg- er population base, the jail bond is expected to cost tax- payers 21 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, or $42 per year for homes assessed at $200,000. When the state closed the Oregon Youth Authority fa- cility in Warrenton last year, it agreed to transfer the prop- erty to the county. It’s near the sheriff’s headquarters and far larger than the 60- bed jail in downtown Astoria. The bond would allow the facility to be converted to 148 beds by both utilizing a portion of the existing OYA facility and constructing new space. Measures to construct a new jail were rejected by vot- ers in 2002 and 2012. The lack of capacity has meant many offenders are released early or are released after ar- rest without any jail time due to lack of space. A final measure facing vot- ers countywide is a 3 percent tax on retail marijuana sales in unincorporated Clatsop County. If approved, it’s ex- pected to bring an estimated $50,000 into county coffers annually.