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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2004)
The INDEPENDENT, April 1, 2004 Page 3 Letters Difference explained between tax and fee To the Editor: As a member of the Oregon House of Representatives during the ‘80s I served on the Revenue committee for six years and the question “Is it a fee or a tax?” came up frequently. The courts have clarified the issue many times and have stated a clear distinction. A fee is an assessment for a specific use paid by the particular user of a public service. (e.g. a fee for the collection of garbage or a fee to use a State park campsite) A tax is an assessment to generate funds for general gov- ernment purposes. The cigarette tax is, in fact, a tax even though it is assessed only against people who buy cigarettes, because the money collected is allocated to the State general fund for gener- al government purposes. When the Columbia County aggregate depletion fee [of 10 cents per ton] was first estab- lished, it was dedicated to admin- istration of the County’s surface mining ordinance which regu- lates and benefits the mining in- dustry, with any surplus going to the road department. The road department was not guaranteed any of the proceeds of the aggre- gate depletion fee. When it was raised to 15 cents, it became a tax because a portion of the 15 cents was allo- cated to the road department. The most recent proposal was also a tax because it not only maintained the road department allocation but added parks and animal control as dedicated re- cipients. Bruce Hugo Scappoose are heard. We would like you to come down and meet your neighbor- hood representative. Our next meeting is the 2nd Tuesday in April, April 13, 2004, 7:00 at City Hall. Come for dessert. Sincerely, your Upper Ne- halem Citizen Planning Adviso- ry Committee, Tim Bero, Nancy Dailey, Gayle Lee, Rick Gardner, Susan Goodhope Vernonia Join program Opinion on land use? Adopt-A-Soldier Bring your thoughts To the Editor: What is your opinion of land use in this county? We want to hear about it. We are your local C.P.A.C. We are residents of the Ver- nonia area. There is one volun- teer from each of five neighbor- hoods. We are your voice to the Land Use Planning Dept. We advise the Planning Commis- sion on Land Use Applications that are applied for by Vernonia area residents. The County Commissioners also keep us informed about any land use changes that are occurring so we can make sure our voices to To the Editor: Have you ever wondered how you could help our soldiers who are continuing to defend our freedom? Well, here is your opportunity. Cub Scout Pack 201 is joining up with The Boy Scouts of America Cascade Pacific Council in supporting the “Adopt-A-Soldier” program. You can help by donating items at any one of the following local businesses: Sentry, U.S. Bank, Western Auto, or Vernonia Hardware. If you have questions or need to arrange for a pickup of your donated items, please contact Kinnell Steward at 503- Between the Bookends By Ann Krutsinger, Library Assistant Banks Public Library Winter and early spring are good times to read and prepare for summer fun and adventures. In that vein, the library has purchased some new out- door guides to help our patrons plan trips in the Northwest. Washington's Rail- Trails second edition, by Fred Wert, outlines and maps old rail trails that are now available for walking, running, bike riding, in line skating and horseback riding. There are four sections in the book: Northwest Washington, Puget Sound, Southwest Washington and Eastern Washing- ton. Another book about Washington State is Best Hikes with Dogs in Western Washington by Dan A. Nelson. Nelson’s book outlines both safe- ty and health requirements for hiking with a dog, and outlines specific trails that are “dog friendly.” Regarding Oregon’s beautiful outdoor experi- ences, the library has purchased the companion volume, Best Hikes with Dogs in Oregon, by Ellen Morris Bishop. Bishop has a thorough overview of both health and safety requirements and many trails. Her chapter headings include the Coast Range, the Columbia River Gorge, the Cascade Mountains and the Blue Mountains. Other new outdoor books about Oregon are Best Short Hikes in Northwest Oregon, by Rhon- da and George Ostertag, Soggy Sneakers: A Paddler’s Guide to Oregon’s Rivers by Pete Giordano and the Willamette Kayak and Canoe Club, and Hiking the Oregon Coast by local guide Lizann Dunegan. I got excited reading about the riding possibilities in Bicycling Ameri- ca's National Parks: Oregon & Washington, by David Story. This book has the best road and trail rides from Crater Lake to Olympic National Park. Three other outdoor books that are not strict- ly about Northwest experiences are The Fly-Ty- ing Bible by Peter Gathercole, and Marathon Training: A 100-Day Program to Your Best Race, by Joe Henderson. It is raining as I write this, but these books are great ways to dream about summer and plan some outdoor fun. Banks Public Library: 111 Market Street. Hours: Tues., Wed., Thurs., 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.; Fri. and Sat. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Preschool Story Time: Wednesdays, 10:15 a.m., through July. Phone: (503 ) 324-1382 Internet: www.WILInet.wccls.lib.or.us. to browse library resources or to reserve materials electronically. 429-8133. If you would rather, make a cash donation to help pay for postage or purchase other necessary items for the care packages. Checks can be made payable to “Family Pro- grams.” We will be collecting items for the entire month of April 2004. Some items that are be- ing sought after are: jerky, nuts of any kind, trail mix, high pro- tein power bars, granola bars, crackers & cheese, tuna pack- ets (NO CANS), powdered drinks/lemonade, chips in a can, store bought cookies, hard candies, gum, etc. Due to ship- ping, pre-packaged, non- gooey, non-crushable items are preferred. NO pork products or coffee will be accepted. Game books, paperback books, cards, dice, panty liners, inter- national phone cards & station- ary are also needed. Supplies needed for ship- ping include: plain boxes, tape & postage vouchers. It is ex- pensive to ship the packages overseas; it costs approx. $8.00 – $20.00 per five pound package. Your help is greatly appreci- ated & we would love to make a small difference in these dedi- cated people’s lives. Thank you in advance for your support. Kinnell Steward Vernonia C.A.S.A. grateful for generous donation To the Editor: The volunteers of C.A.S.A. (Court Appointed Special Advo- cates) of Columbia County would like to thank the Samuel S. Johnson Foundation for their generous donation. Community members do- nate their time to work with and assist children of Columbia County that are under the care of the Department of Human Services. Each volunteer works as an independent voice to help determine the best needs of the child in dependency cas- es. At any given time in Colum- bia County, a minimum of sixty children could use the support of a C.A.S.A. volunteer. Cur- rently, we have eight volunteers providing services to nineteen children. The Samuel S. Johnson Foundation has made it possi- ble to support our volunteers by providing supplies and allowing for continuing education. It is our hope that with the support of organizations like the Sam- uel S. Johnson Foundation that we will be able to grow, provid- ing much-needed assistance to many more children in the juve- nile justice system. Sincerely, Doreen Hocraffer, Director C.A.S.A. of Columbia County County GOP slates Candidates’ Fair To the Editor: We would like to announce to your readers that the Colum- bia County Republicans will be holding a candidate fair on April 15, 2004, at the Columbia Riv- er PUD. It is open to all Repub- lican candidates running in the primary that is on May 18. It would be a great time to come and meet the candidates and hear their views on the subjects being presented. Any candi- dates that we have not yet con- tacted can contact us at 503- 728-3548. We look forward to having all interested parties at- tend. Pat Powell GOP Secretary Rainier Policy on Letters From small towns The INDEPENDENT is pleased to provide this fo- rum for public comments. To help assure your letter is published, note the follow- ing: • Brevity is best. Long let- ters may not be published, or they may be edited. • Form letters and personal attacks will not be accepted. • A verifiable name and ad- dress must be included. From page 1 five years-old, plus three dogs. Mrs. Workman is originally from the Pacific Northwest so they anticipate a smooth tran- sition in the move to Oregon. Both grew up in towns smaller than Vernonia and believe Ver- nonia will be a good place to raise a family. Workman enjoys sports, singing and computers, and claims to have only a few cloth- ing items in ‘Husker red.
