Page 12
The INDEPENDENT, August 5, 2004
Needed highway work causes delays
In order to complete resurfacing before the Banks Bar-B-Q, traffic will be limited to one lane
with flaggers on duty 24 hours daily. The inset at bottom left tells it like it is!
Following a public informa-
tional meeting on July 22, con-
tractor Eagle-Elsner began
repaving Highway 47 on July
26. The contractor is “attacking
the town from both ends” in or-
der to complete the project be-
fore the Banks Bar-B-Q, August
21-22, according to Banks Pub-
lic Works Superintendent Tim
Grossnickle. The highway will
be resurfaced from the Sellers
Road intersection on the north
end of town, to Wilkesboro
Road, south of Banks.
Because a lot of the existing
road must be removed and
there is no alternate route
through town, one lane of the
highway will be closed for the
duration of the paving activity.
Traffic will be flagged through
the open lane, twenty-four
hours a day, for as long as nec-
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essary. Residential parking will
be restricted but parking on
both sides of Wilkes, Depot and
Market will be allowed.
Grossnickle said that resi-
dents should be prepared for a
wait of up to twenty minutes at
either end of town, possibly
waiting as long as forty minutes
to get through the city. He also
praised Banks Lumber Com-
pany, which has voluntarily re-
stricted traffic.
Travelers may use a some-
what lengthy detour around the
city, using Hwys. 26 and 6, to
reach Hwy. 47 north or south.
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Banks, Oregon
Banks will put police levy back on the
ballot, start process to hire new chief
Funding and staffing a police
department again dominated
discussion at the July 13 meet-
ing of the Banks City Council.
Noting that Banks currently
has only one police officer,
Mayor Bob Orlowski proposed
putting a police services levy
on the November ballot, at
$2.00 per thousand dollars of
assessed value. The previous
levy of $1.80/thousand, which
expired June 30, provided
$127,550 in fiscal year 2003-04
and was supplemented with
$59,300 from the general fund.
There had been no increase in
either the police levy, since vot-
ers approved it seven years
ago, or the general tax levy
during the last ten years. The
proposal would require about
$80,000 per year from the gen-
eral fund in order to provide ad-
equate revenue for a three per-
son department.
Orlowski also asked council
to allow him to begin the hiring
process for a new chief.
Councilor Katie Murdoch ex-
pressed hesitation to hire a
chief when the city lacks struc-
ture and leadership, and is be-
ginning the process of hiring a
city manager. She said that
council should engage in dis-
cussion about what is desired,
and that too many officers have
left the department.
Taking a different approach,
Councilor Ryan Birr said that a
new chief could be the catalyst
needed to pass a levy, and
Councilor Kirk Andrews consid-
ered hiring a chief as a way to
begin putting together a new
team.
The group agreed with a
suggestion by Councilor Teri
Branstitre and approved the
formation of a hiring commit-
tee. Murdoch will chair the
committee, which will include
council members and repre-
sentatives from legal service,
community, neighboring law
enforcement, schools etc.
Returning to funding for law
enforcement, Branstitre said
that, the city “has paid officers
embarrassingly low salaries”
and wants an increase that
would provide competitive
salaries for the full four-year
term of the levy.
Birr said that he thought the
department should be funded
through the general fund,
which would require an in-
crease in the general tax rate, a
complicated process not con-
sidered by council at this meet-
ing. He also made the motion
to put a police levy on the No-
vember ballot at $2.00/thou-
sand saying, “there is no way to
support the kind of police de-
partment wanted here (well
equipped, well trained, etc.) at
the current funding level.”
Orlowski expressed concern
about voter approval for an in-
creased levy, when the general
fund currently has a surplus.
Property tax statements show-
ing a reduced tax rate will go
out just before the election.
Council unanimously agreed
to seek approval for a police
levy.
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