Page 20
The INDEPENDENT, October 20, 2005
47J board also hears Middle School update and changes to OSAA
From page 1
Closing the workshop, the
board convened regular ses-
sion and heard from finance
clerk Dawn Plews that the dis-
trict purchased the lunchroom
finger scanner that had been
returned last year after nega-
tive public response to the pro-
gram. Plews said the scanner
purchase was authorized by
Superintendent Mike Funder-
burg last summer, but it can be
returned again if the board
chooses not to implement the
program.
Board member Kim Wallace
said the lines in the cafeteria
are horrendous and that she
had opposed the scanner the
last time, but that something
must be done about the lines.
She also said she had not un-
derstood, previously, that stu-
dents can “opt out” of participa-
tion. Wallace added that she’d
like to go to a school that uses
the system and see how it
works. The board will review
this item at the next meeting.
Middle School update
In a report on the status of
the Middle School, Bob Jensen
of O’Brien Constructors said
that work is almost complete on
sealing the concrete floors. He
explained that seams in the
floors are there for expansion
so the floors don’t develop
large cracks.
Vernonia City Administrator
Robyn Bassett presented a list
of five items that need to be ad-
dressed before the city will sign
off on the project.
Items cited by Bassett in-
clude a requirement for addi-
tional parking spaces and in-
stallation of a paved 5-foot
walkway to connect the street
and the school. The school
must also provide a map of util-
ities for approval, a landscap-
ing plan needs to be submitted
and approved by the city’s
planning department, and a re-
view of traffic flow needs to be
completed with ODOT and the
Planning Commission. An open
house will be planned for the
community after the building is
complete.
OSAA changes
Athletic director Gordon Jar-
man told the board that the
Oregon School Activities Asso-
ciation (OSAA) has recom-
mended changing from four to
six classifications to make
things more even across the
board. The recommendation
would put Vernonia in 3A clas-
sification. The OSAA Board will
vote on the recommendation at
their October 24 meeting.
Policy review
Board Chair Randy Hansen
said he would like the board to
start reviewing a couple of dis-
trict policies at each meeting.
He asked the board to look at
policies on complaint proce-
dures with special considera-
tion on how board members or
staff, who are also parents,
should handle complaints.
Board members were asked to
bring suggestions for policy
changes to the next meeting.
Another policy discussed
was the supervisory termina-
tion process, which is not ad-
dressed. Hansen asked for a
committee to look at options.
Directors Wallace and Cari
Levenseller, and principal
Nathan Underwood volun-
teered.
Citizen request
A person identifying herself
only as a member of “Vernonia
Citizens” stood up during audi-
ence comments to tell the
board that they request that
Gretchen Lindauer be reinstat-
ed. Lindauer was the district’s
food service supervisor.
Bell schedule changes
Changes in the bell schedule
were approved to reflect the
times children are actually ar-
riving at school, to reduce the
time difference between the
schools’ release times, and to
provide up to 30 minutes addi-
tional class time per week. The
new schedule calls for WGS to
have first bell at 8:00 a.m. in-
stead of the current 8:05 a.m.
Tardies will still be marked from
8:15 a.m. The other change
calls for students to be re-
leased on Fridays at 1:35 p.m.,
instead of 1:30 p.m.
Other business
The board unanimously ap-
proved the Consolidated Im-
provement Plan (CIP) as pre-
sented. The CIP is due in
Salem on October 17.
Michelle Eagleson was
unanimously approved as men-
tor to new K-5 teachers.
The next meeting of the
board will be at 6:00 p.m. on
October 19 for a public work-
shop on the superintendent
search process. The next regu-
lar board meeting is scheduled
for November 10 at 6:00 p.m.
More on property taxes and how they work, plus pay by November 15 for best value
From page 1
year due to an increase in the
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Saint Helens was also affected
by the Health District, but had a
much smaller consolidated tax
rate increase of 1.99 percent.
Most tax bills for typical resi-
dential and commercial proper-
ties inside the City of Rainier
will increase 2.54 percent.
A total of $42,320,947 in
property taxes is being billed
for the county, cities, schools
and special districts. That
amount is 7.5 percent more
than was billed last year. In ad-
dition, $1,628,687 will be col-
lected for such things as
drainage districts assessments
and the Oregon Department of
Forestry’s fire patrol special as-
sessments.
County wide, the market val-
ue of all taxable property in-
creased from $3.81 billion to
$4.06 billion, an increase of
6.68 percent. The largest resi-
dential increase in market val-
ue, based on sales prior to Jan-
uary 1, 2005, was Scappoose,
where vacant land values in-
creased by 16 percent and im-
proved properties increased by
6 percent.
Commercial and Industrial
property values in the rural ar-
eas of the county as well as in
the cities of Rainier, Clatskanie
and Vernonia increased 10 per-
cent. Most of the remaining
market values in the county in-
creased by no more than 5 per-
cent. Columbia County Asses-
sor Sue Poling pointed out that
property taxes are based on
assessed values, not on real
market values (RMV). The as-
sessed value is the lower of
real market value or the maxi-
mum assessed value.
Columbia County’s total as-
sessed value this year is
$3,259,470,631 or 5.43 percent
higher than last year. The in-
crease is a combination of the
three percent increase in as-
sessed value and new con-
struction.
At least one third of the tax
bill is due by November 15.
Payments that are mailed need
to be postmarked by the 15th.
The second and third install-
ments are due by February 15
and May 16, however the
County does not send out
statements for the February or
May due dates.
Property owners who pay
the entire amount due by No-
vember 15 will receive a three
percent discount. If two thirds
of the bill is paid by November
15, a two percent discount of
that amount will be allowed.
Payments can be made at
any branch of the St Helens
Federal Community Credit
Union, Wauna Federal Credit
Union’s Clatskanie, Vernonia
and St. Helens branches, and
Bank of the West in St Helens.
Payment cannot be taken by
the banks, if taxes are owing
from previous years.
Property owners may appeal
the value of their property.
However, if the appeal results
in a lower market value, there
would be a reduction in the tax-
es due only if the market value
falls below the assessed value.
The deadline for filing an ap-
peal is January 3, 2006. Appeal
forms are available from the
county clerk or county asses-
sor’s offices.