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The INDEPENDENT, June 5, 2003
City of Banks general fund is healthy
Banks Budget com m ittee
wrapped up its work for this
year by approving the 2003-
2004 budget at a May 14 meet
ing. The budget will go before
the city council for a hearing
and final adoption on June 10.
Budget committee chair Teri
Brandstitr started the May 14
meeting with a discussion
about possible ways the city
could help reduce insurance
costs for city employees, partic
ularly those with families. Insur
ance costs for city employees
have risen dramatically in the
last two years since Banks was
excluded from the League of
Oregon Cities group insurance
coverage due to the small num
ber of employees. Brandstitr
told the committee that any
change in the policy would
have to be made by city council
but that it was important for the
budget committee to under
stand potential fiscal impacts.
Mayor Bob Orlowski told the
committee that the general
fund is now strong enough to
support other funds. In the
past, money was “borrowed"
from the Traffic Impact Reserve
Fund (TIF) to cover operating
expenses until tax revenues
were received, beginning in
December. The TIF is large
($528,000) and is designated
for certain street and road im
provements. Previously, O r
lowski said, there were ques
tions about why TIF money was
not used for the Oak Way im
provements completed a cou
ple of years ago. In that case,
he explained, the intersection
improvements were included in
the permit process and were
the developer’s responsibility.
However, Orlowski told the
committee, it is important that
TIF remain intact because it
may qualify for use in the Sell
ers Road realignment and im
provements.
According to budget clerk
Debra Deegan the budget com
mittee concluded this year’s
meetings with a discussion of
the budget adoption process.
After approval by the budget
committee, the budget goes to
city council for adoption. Coun
cil can take action to increase
spending up to 10% of the total
amount of the budget. Any ad
ditional increase requires a
supplemental budget and the
budget committee must be re
convened.
CORRECTION
The address of surplus
property sold by the City of
Banks was 140 Market Street.
The Independent had an incor
rect address for the property in
the issue of May 15, 2003.
Music in May attracts 500 Northwest music students
The annual Music in May
Festival, the only college-spon
sored high school music festi
val in the Northwest, at Pacific
University, was held May 28
through 31. Approximately 500
student musicians from com
munities throughout Oregon,
Washington and Idaho partici
pated in the festival, which con
cluded with a final concert at
Banks man named to
PSU President’s List
Banks High School gradu
ate Kevin Vandecoevering has
qualified for the Winter 2003
President’s List at Portland
State University. He is enrolled
in the School of Business Ad
ministration
Pacific University’s Athletic
Center.
Banks and Vernonia stu
dents participating in the recent
Music in May, at Pacific Univer
sity in Forest Grove, included
Gesenia Mejia, Katie Looper
and Eryk Olsen of Banks High
School,
and
Christopher
Richardson of Vernonia High
School.
Music in May offers student
musicians three days of work
shops, lessons and rehearsals.
The annual event is sponsored
by Pacific University’s Music
Department. Students stay in
residence halls with school
chaperones.
High school choral, band
and orchestra students are se-
lected to participate based on
their school music ensemble di
rector’s recommendation and
the instrumentation needs of
the Music in May ensembles.
The grand finale concert fea
tured four conductors, including
Dr. Michael Burch-Pesses, Pa
cific’s director of bands, and
visiting conductors from North
western University, the Univer
sity of Cincinnati’s College-
Conservatory of Music, and the
Midwest Young Artists in Chica
go, Illinois.
Helicopter landing site being built
in Banks for Life Flight service
Transportation agencies are
all too familiar with the possibil
ity of serious accidents on Ore
gon Highways 6 and 47, as well
as other country roads. When
accidents or other life-threaten
ing emergencies occur, quick
response is crucial. Now, a cre
ative public-private partnership
is developing a landing pad for
Life Flight service in Banks.
Chief Brian Coussens of
Banks Fire District and Betty
Colgrove of Life Flight Network
started the ball rolling by select
ing a site and developing a lay
out for the landing spot. Then
they contacted Ray Mott,
ODOT Maintenance Supervisor
at Manning, and ODOT set
aside land for the pad at the in
tersection of Highways 6 and
47 in Banks.
Brush was cleared and de
bris removed from the site by a
Washington County Sheriff's
Office Jail inmate work crew
supervised by
Deputy Terry
Rilling, with help from Evers
Dairy employees.
Mott then spoke to local con
tractor Dave Dober Construc
tion, who readily agreed to pre
pare the site and install pit-run
base rock. Sunset Rock sup
plied the rock and ODOT in
stalled a crushed rock leveling
course. Westside Rock sup
plied the final layer of crushed
rock and now Washington
County will shape and prep the
pad so the area will be ready
for paving.
W ashington County Engi
neer Greg Miller, arranged to
have the county’s Department
of Land Use and Transportation
help with the paving and Gary
Baker, of Baker Rock, agreed
to supply the 75 tons of asphalt
hot mix needed for the project.
When the weather and the
paving crew’s schedules coin
cide, the pad will be finished.
Life Flight will make a test land
ing at the new pad at a date to
be determined.
Baker Rock, Dave Dober
Construction, Evers Dairy, Sun
set Rock, and Westside Rock
are all committed to the good of
this community. Banks Fire Dis
trict No. 13, Life Flight Network,
ODOT and Washington County
are all committed to the safety
of roadway users.
For more information, con
tact Chief Brian Coussens,
Banks Fire District #13 at 503-
324-6262; or e-mail to <bri
anc@ banksfire.org>.
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