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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2004)
The INDEPENDENT, July 1, 2004 Page 5 Group will work on control of Art, Title 1, counseling positions added page 1 Title I will be able to handle oth- the budget. noxious weeds in the county From New teachers hired at the er duties. Board member Phil Doyle Control of noxious and inva- sive weeds in Columbia Coun- ty will be addressed by a volun- teer group called the Columbia Invasive Weed Control Partner- ship (CIWCP). CIWCP is composed of rep- resentatives of federal, state and local agencies, as well as individuals and businesses that are active in noxious weed con- trol and management in Co- lumbia County. The group’s goal is to coordinate weed con- trol efforts, maintain distribution databases, enhance public ed- ucation, secure sustainable funding and formulate an over- all plan for weed management in the county. There have been no coordi- nated weed management ef- forts in Columbia County for many years. Local entities, such as utilities, county and state road maintenance crews and timber companies, have been controlling weeds on their own lands, but their efforts lacked coordination and com- munication concerning identifi- cation and spread of species that affect many of these groups. CIWCP will begin manage- ment efforts with information collection, distribution, and sur- vey work to identify new in- vaders or to determine the ex- tent of established weed infes- tations. CIWCP has also started a program called “Weed Watch- ers.” Anyone interested and/or concerned about invasive weeds in the county is invited to become a Weed Watcher. For information about CIWCP or Weed Watchers, call Cindy Ball at the Columbia Soil & Wa- ter Conservation District, 503- 397-4555, ext. 100. high school in language arts, guidance counseling, special education and fine arts (shop) have saved the district $40,296 because they are starting at the low end of the pay scale. These reductions in expens- es, along with an additional savings in special education home-to-school transportation, resulted in a total reduction from the approved budget of $76,529. Funderburg proposed reallo- cating the funds with staff add- backs of .5 full time equivalent (FTE) each in certified posi- tions for Title I, middle school counseling and art instruction. Adding back the .5 FTE to art created a full-time position and will eliminate the need to use a classroom teacher for art. The same is true for the Title I posi- tion, except that the administra- tor who would have also taught Following the explanation of the reallocations, Jim Krahn opened the budget hearing for comment from the small audi- ence. Noni Andersen thanked the staff for correcting mistakes in the document approved by the budget committee. No addi- tional comments were made and the public hearing was closed. The board then opened the special board meeting so they could complete their work on commented that it was wonder- ful to be able to add back to the budget. Geinah Cheny thanked the Budget Assistance Team for their thorough job. Krahn praised good management practices, and said “people who are no longer here are not abusing the system,” referring to the nearly $30,000 of sav- ings in workers compensation premiums. The board unanimously ap- proved the budget as presented. Run with Extra Confidence with Chevron DELO 400 ™ PLUS MOTOR OIL The name you trust for: • Gasoline • Diesel Fuel • Oils • Solvents • Additives • Greases H EATING O IL P ROTECT Y OUR D ECK WITH S HINGLE O IL CALL (503) 429-6606 WILCOX & FLEGEL 720 Rose Avenue • Vernonia