The
Columbia
Press
Celebrating
our
100th year
• 1922-2022
1
50 ¢
May 27, 2022
503-861-3331
Vol. 6, Issue 21
Lumber mill to take student art on the road
The Columbia Press
The artwork of six Oregon high
school students will be seen around
the globe thanks to a new program
sponsored by Hampton Lumber.
The company plans to use their
graphic designs on the plastic cov-
ers wrapped around lumber that’s
hauled and delivered within the
United States and internationally.
Winners of Hampton’s art con-
test were Raymond Nairn of War-
renton, Morrigan Rice of Astoria,
Kaylee Anderson and Temurbek
Khusanov of Seaside, Rossi Nelson
of Neah-Kah-Nie, Katherine Nevis
of Banks, and DeSean Stafford of
Banks.
“The arts have always been a pri-
ority for the Hampton family,” said
Kristin Rasmussen, Hampton’s
communications director. “With
this contest, we wanted to create a
unique opportunity for local stu-
dents to showcase their work and
articulate for the world what makes
their community and local working
forests so special. We were blown
away by the skill and creativity of
The art of
Raymond
Nairn (right),
a student at
Warrenton
High, and
Morrigan
Rice of Asto-
ria High, will
be featured
on Hampton
trucks.
See ‘Art’ on Page 4
Warrenton is tax-friendly place for retirees, report says
The Columbia Press
Warrenton is the seventh most
tax-friendly place for retirees in Or-
egon, according to a recent study.
Nearby Seaside and Tillamook also
made the top 10 list.
SmartAsset, a financial technolo-
gy company based in New York City,
analyzed tax data in towns and cit-
ies across the United States, looking
at things such as sales, property, in-
come, fuel, and Social Security tax
categories to find the most tax-friend-
ly places.
The study analyzed each place on
how financially favorable it was for re-
tirees based on a theoretical $50,000
annual income.
Brookings was No. 1 on the Ore-
gon list with a 34.31 retirement tax
friendliness index.
Tillamook was No. 2, followed by
Seaside, Florence, Deschutes River
Woods, Hood River, Warrenton, Ash-
land, Sheridan, and Grants Pass.
A Warrenton retiree with a $50,000
annual income would pay $9,026 in
income tax, a 74 percent property
tax rate, nothing in sales tax, $295 in
fuel taxes, and no Social Security tax.
Warrenton’s “friendliness” index is
32.77.
“Our analysis assumes a retiree re-
ceives $15,000 from Social Security
benefits, $10,000 from a private pen-
sion, $10,000 in wages and $15,000
from a retirement savings account
like a 401(k) or IRA,” the study’s au-
thors wrote.
“To calculate the expected income
tax this person would pay in each
See ‘Tax-friendly’ on Page 6
Next election
season opens
Wednesday
The Columbia Press
Now that the primary election has
passed, it’s time to look toward No-
vember.
The next election season opens
Wednesday, June 1.
That’s the first day to file for those
who’d like one of the council/commis-
sion seats in the town they live in.
In Warrenton, the seats of Mayor
Henry Balensifer and Commissioner
Rick Newton in Position 4 expire this
year. Newton said Wednesday that
he won’t pursue his seat, but might
switch and run for the mayor’s spot.
In Astoria, the seats of Mayor Bruce
Jones, Ward 1 Councilor Roger Rocka,
and Ward 3 Councilor Joan Herman
will be on the ballot.
In Gearhart, the spots of Councilor
Kerry Smith in Position 1 and Council-
or Brent Warren in Position 3 are up
for re-election.
In Seaside, those on the ballot are
seats belonging to Mayor Jay Barber,
Ward 1 Councilor Steve Wright, Ward
2 Councilor Tita Montero, and Wards
¾ Councilor At Large Dana Phillips.
In Cannon Beach, the
seats of the mayor and
two councilors are up
for re-election.
Warrenton already
has candidate informa-
tion packets available
at City Hall and on the
Balensifer
city’s website.
For more informa-
tion, contact the city re-
corder or clerk for the
city in which you live.
Dawne Shaw, Warren-
ton’s city recorder, can
be reached at dshaw@
ci.warrenton.or.us or
503-861-0823.
Newton