T he C olumbia P ress
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Election: Filing period opens for city seats
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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.