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The INDEPENDENT, May 1, 2003
The
INDEPENDENT
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Serving the upper Nehalem River valley. Published twice
monthly, on the first and third Thursdays of each month, by
Public Opinion Laboratory Ltd., 725 Bridge Street, Vernonia,
OR 97064, as a free newspaper. Publishers, Dirk & Noni An
dersen. Editor, Noni Andersen. Phone/Fax: 503-429-9410,
e-mail: noni@vernonia.com Display Advertising, Clark Mc-
Gaugh, 503-429-9410, e-mail: clark@vernonia.com
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County priorities do
injustice to citizens
Columbia Pacific Food Bank, which is the umbrella organiza
tion for Vernonia Cares and other local emergency food pantries
in Columbia County is in desperate need. The county’s unem
ployment rate is now over 12 percent; local emergency food out
lets have seen the need for food assistance increase by 45 per
cent; 16.6 percent of our county’s population needs emergency
food.
Three years ago, Columbia County’s budget included $2,000
for the food bank; the last two years, the amount was $1800. This
year, with a dramatic increase in need combined with a 65 percent
decrease in USDA commodities, the food bank requested $2500.
The answer: $300.
There are five senior citizens centers in the county. Three of
..................
them...Vernonia, Clatskanie and Rainier...have a lot of low-in
come seniors who need the services offered through the County
Says
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Council of Seniors and the Agency on Aging. In addition to pro
viding low-cost meals three days a week, funds from these By Dale E. Webb, member
Nehalem Valley Chapter, Izaak Walton League
sources can arrange for home delivered meals to seniors and dis
With the legislature in
abled who are unable to get to the centers. Other funds go to Col-
session, there are some
co Transportation, which is particularly needed in Vernonia. A sen
interesting twists in the
ior advocate in each center helps seniors with housing /renter/en-
plots regarding the out
ergy assistance, helps them get to appropriate offices for food
doors and the people who
stamps and Medicaid assistance; can help with appropriate in-
use it. I mentioned, in a
home assistance.
previous article, a proposal
Three years ago, the county helped Colco with $40,000, then
to
try an experimental pro
$36,000. This year, their help is $5,000...while they keep saying
gram in regard to naviga
they are concerned about transportation for seniors and disabled.
ble streams. The measure
The County Council of Seniors is also down to $5,000, from
was going to set up five
$55,500 three years ago and $49,500 two years ago. Incidentally,
those bus drivers, cooks and senior advocates are mostly paid test streams that are currently not deemed navi
gable, but most likely are. The idea was to ease
minimum wage and have no benefits.
The Board of Commissioners has claimed the high road by the conflict between the landowners along the
taking no cost of living raise this year. That isn’t quite as impres streams and the public that uses the streams.
sive as they might wish since they gave themselves a 7.6 percent The bill had a subcommittee hearing and ap
increase last year. Taxpayers now reward this caring trio with peared to die, with many objections on both
sides of the issue. But, like in many legislative
nearly $63,000 each, plus benefits.
But they are still buying "Facilitated Goal Setting” for $4,000. sessions, some bills seem to develop a life of
How many hours of minimum wage assistance could that $4,000 their own.
With the help of Senator Ted Ferrioli (R-John
buy for senior citizens?
Costs are up for the county as they are for everything and Day), the bill has now been twisted into a private
everyone else. PERS and health insurance are huge increases landowners’ land grab. Senate Bill 293 would,
basically, give up the state’s interest in owner
they cannot control.
This county budget raises more questions than it answers, ship of the streambed in return for public usage
even to those accustomed to reading government budgets. There of the waterway. The key is that the public would
appears to be little effort to actually reduce costs in any way ex not have an automatic right of usage; they would
cept by eliminating support for outside agencies such as County be required to pay access fees as yet to be de
Council of Seniors, Colco Transportation and Columbia Pacific termined. The fee amounts could potentially
Food Bank. These are all agencies that actually help people when price the public off the rivers, which is what a lot
they need help, a recognition that has almost totally disappeared of river users believe is the plan. There is also a
from consideration under the auspices of Columbia County Com provision in the bill to allow private clubs to claim
missioners Rita Bernhard, Tony Hyde and Joe Corsiglia. They sections of rivers and exclude the public; this is
pure commercialization of a public resource. It is
haven’t stopped spending, they’ve just stopped helping.
amazing in a state like Oregon, a state that cre-
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ated the beach bill to allow public use of our
beaches, that such rancor has erupted over pub
lic ownership of streambeds. Federal law is
clearly on the side of public usage of all naviga
ble streams, yet our legislators could very well
give away our rights. It is time to ascertain if they
truly represent us...before they turn around and
give away our beaches also.
I also recently wrote about a fee increase pro
posal by Oregon Department of Fish and
Wildlife. The ODF&W budget has fallen behind
again and needs a boost of about $9,000,000.
Of course they are asking for $10,000,000, but
what the extra million is for was not explained.
Well, it seems that Governor Kulongski also has
a proposal for ODF&W’s budget; it is for an in
crease of $15,000,000, five million of which
would go to the state General Fund.
What? Yes, the money would go to the state
General Fund, to replace the $5 million dollars
that ODF&W currently receives from the Gener
al Fund to operate fish hatcheries. When I first
heard of this issue, I saw red, but in reconsider
ation, I think it is fair to ask the question, “should
we be subsidizing public fishing while schools
and other public agencies go wanting?” Many
sportsmen will consider the Governor’s proposal
a direct attack against their pastime; I must give
him credit for proposing an honest question in a
dire time. Sportspeople in Oregon subsidize a lot
of programs that benefit the general public, so
the answer to this question is not an easy one,
but I would propose that, if sportspeople need to
step up and pay their full way, it should be re
membered when the times are good again.
On another topic, in 1884, J.L. Bernard set
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Please see page 22