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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 20, 2007)
Page 4 The INDEPENDENT, September 20, 2007 Temporary water rate increase explained by Jim Tierney, Chairman, Ver- nonia Public Works Committee This month the city sent out water bills that include a sub- stantial, but temporary, in- crease of $11.50 per residential water user each month. City staff and volunteers, and the City Council are well aware that this increase is going to hurt families in Vernonia. I have been asked to explain it. Unfor- tunately, to be accurate, I need to get a little technical. I will try to keep it simple. Every city in Oregon must budget and account for its mon- ey using a bookkeeping system called Fund Accounting. This requires the city to categorize spending and the revenue that support it, into distinct funds. For example, the city has a wa- ter system improvement fund and a water system mainte- nance fund. Water system de- velopment charges (SDCs) are revenues for improvement, while water rates fund system maintenance. The city is not supposed to mingle the income or expenses from one fund with any other fund. However, if cir- cumstances make it prudent for the city to use assets from one fund to help another fund, the city can lend money, at interest, from one fund to the other – for up to two years. Adherence to these rules is assured by annu- al audits performed by inde- pendent accountants hired by cities to review their books. This is the first half of the technical stuff The second part is about “loan reserves.” When cities and borrow money from the government or banks, the lenders protect themselves by requiring the borrower to set up and maintain a loan reserve. These reserves are often equal to a year of loan payments. In the case of a really large loan, a reserve could be $100,000 or more. If a borrower spends the money in a reserve, for any reason, the loan is in default. I am not certain how many loan reserve funds Vernonia has, but I think there are at least five. During the 2005-06 fiscal year, the city inappropriately spent money from one of its water system loan reserves to pay off a loan on another proj- ect. Last year, city administra- tor Dick Kline discovered that the city had done this and that we were in violation of both our loan agreement and the fund accounting rules. Vernonia must adhere to the loan agree- ment by rebuilding this loan re- serve fund to $119,949 by 2009. Because the loan also required that both the pay- ments and the reserve be paid by water user fees, to get out of default and back into compli- ance, the city had no choice ex- Please see page 17 Community Calendar VERNONIA Alcoholics Anonymous Mondays & Thursdays 6:30 p.m., Head Start Bldg. American Legion Post #119 2nd Thursday 7:00 p.m., 627 Adams Avenue Arts & Crafts Society 2nd Thursday 2:00 p.m., City Library Booster Club 2nd Wednesday 7:00 p.m., VHS Library Boy Scout Troop 201 Tuesdays 7:00 p.m., Scout Cabin Boy Scout Troop 860 Wednesdays 7:00 p.m., LDS Church Cemetery Beautification Comm. 2nd Thursday 6:30 p.m., City Hall CERT 4th Wednesday For Info Call 503-429-3018 Chamber of Commerce 2nd Wednesday For Info Call 503-429-6081 Community Coalition 2nd Monday 12:30 p.m. School District Ofc. Cub Scout Pack 201 Scout Cabin For Info Call 503-429-4250 Friends of the Library 1st Tuesday 7:00 p.m., Vernonia Library Girl Scouts, Neighborhood 4-2 For Info Call 503-819-0143 Hands On Art Committee 1st & 3rd Thursdays 4:00 p.m., City Hall Izaak Walton League 3rd Thursday For location call 503-429-7193 Lions Club 1st & 3rd Tuesdays 6:30 p.m., Buckhorn Restaurant Municipal Airport Committee 4th Thursday 7:00 p.m., City Hall Narcotics Anonymous Saturdays 7:00 p.m., Head Start Bldg. Pioneer Museum For Info Call 503-429-3713 Public Works Committee 4th Tuesday 7:00 p.m., City Hall Vernonia Cares Directors For Info call 503-429-1414 Vernonia City Council 1st & 3rd Mondays 7:00 p.m., City Hall Vernonia Community PTA 3rd Thursday 7:00 p.m., WGS Library Vernonia Grange 3rd Monday 7:00 p.m., Grange Hall Vernonia Health Center 2nd Monday 6:00 p.m., 510 Bridge St. Vernonia Learning Center 1st Wednesday 7:00 p.m., VLC Vernonia Parks Committee 3rd Wednesday 6:30 p.m., City Hall Vernonia Planning Comm. 1st & 3rd Thursdays 7:00 p.m., City Hall Vernonia Pride 3rd Thursday 1:00 p.m., City Hall Vernonia Ridge Riders Last Thursday 7:00 p.m., Senior Center Vernonia RFPD Board 2nd Tuesday 7:00 p.m., Fire Station Vernonia School Board 2nd Thursday 6:00 p.m., District Office Vernonia Sr. Center Board 2nd Friday 1:00 p.m., Senior Center Vernonia Transfer Station 2nd & 4th Saturdays, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Behind VHS Vern. Volunteer Ambulance Assoc. 1st Thursday 7:00 p.m., Fire Station Vernonia Volunteer Firefighters 2nd Monday 7:00 p.m., Fire Station WOEC Directors 3rd Tuesday 7:00 p.m., WOEC S M 2 9 16 23 30 3 10 17 24 Glass named to new city position SEPTEMBER 2007 T W T F 4 11 18 25 but neither knew what the day’s reading said. The budget is now on the city’s new financial software, Kline reported, and that once each department has seen and approved the reports, council will start seeing the new infor- mation. Kline also read a memo from him addressed to Joann Glass: “It is my pleasure to inform you that you have been selected to fill the newly created, full-time position of Administrative and Financial Services Manager/ City Recorder for the City of Vernonia. Effective September 16, 2007, you will serve on pro- bationary status for a period of six (6) months, extendable as necessary, until your perform- ance justifies transition to regu- lar status. Your salary will be set at $2827.17 per month, with an increase available upon successful completion of your Please see page 17 From page 1 ing any of this project in the event the committee is unable to raise matching funds. In re- sponse, Scott Laird told council that this is a ‘reimbursement’ grant in that funds are spent and then reimbursed, and that the entire amount need not be used if the committee cannot raise full matching funds. Laird said the project would be scaled back if necessary to match available funds. The grant includes the stipulation that the property be maintained for park and recreation purpos- es, of some sort, for 25 years. Kline told council that the water flow on Rock Creek has dropped below 12cfs which re- quires the city to go to the “Second Level of Concern.” (See related article for details.) Councilor Brett Costley asked if the city is reading the water gauge every day. Both Kline and Joann Glass nodded yes, 5 12 19 26 6 13 20 27 7 14 21 28 S S 1 8 15 22 29 7 14 21 28 M 1 8 15 22 29 OCTOBER T W 3 2 10 9 16 17 23 24 30 31 2007 T 4 11 18 25 F 5 12 19 26 S 6 13 20 27 S M 4 11 18 25 5 12 19 26 MIST-BIRKENFELD M-BRFPD Board Business Mtg. 2nd Tuesday M-BRFPD Board Workshop 4th Tuesday M-B Ambulance Drill 1st & 2nd Thursdays M-B Fire Drill 1st & 2nd Wednesdays M-B Helping Circle 2nd Monday M-B SAR Drill 3rd Wednesday M-B Volunteer Assoc. 1st Tuesday Natal Grange 2nd Wednesday T.O.P.S. Mondays Upr Nehalem Watershed Council For date call 429-2401 NOVEMBER 2007 T W T F 1 2 7 8 6 9 13 14 15 16 20 21 22 23 27 28 29 30 S 3 10 17 24 7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station 7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station 7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station 7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station 7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station 7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station 7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station 7:30 p.m., Natal Grange Hall 6:00 p.m., Main Fire Station 7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station BANKS Alcoholics Anonymous Fridays 7:30 p.m., Methodist Church Alcoholics Anonymous Wednesdays 7:30 p.m., Methodist Church American Legion Post #90 2nd Tuesdays 7:30 p.m., Main Street Post Banks City Council 2nd Tuesday 7:30 p.m., City Hall Banks Fire District #13 2nd Wednesday 7:00 p.m., Station 13 Banks Library Commission 3rd Tuesday 7:00 p.m., City Library Banks Planning Commission Last Tuesday 7:00 p.m., City Hall Banks School Board 2nd Monday 7:30 p.m., Jr. High Library Banks Youth Group Sundays, Wednesdays 7:00 p.m., UMC Youth Bldg. Chamber of Commerce 1st Thursday 12:30 p.m., Fire District Office CPO 14 3rd Monday 7:00 p.m., City Library Friends of the Library 2nd Tuesday 7:00 p.m., City Library Lions Club 1st & 3rd Mondays 7:00 p.m., Brown Derby Sunset Park Assoc. 3rd Wednesday 8:00 p.m., Gun Club T.O.P.S. Wednesdays 7:00 p.m., Administration Bldg. COLUMBIA COUNTY (All meet in St. Helens unless otherwise noted.) Board of Commissioners Wednesdays 10 a.m., Courthouse Citizens for Senior Justice 2nd Tuesday 7:00 p.m., Sunset Park Church Columbia Soil & Water District 3rd Wednesday 7:30 p.m., NRCS , 2514 Sykes County Fair Board 2nd Monday 7:00 p.m., Fairgrounds 4-H Bldg. County Parks Commission 3rd Monday 6:00 p.m., 1054 Oregon St. Mental Health Advisory Comm. 3rd Tuesday 10 a.m., 2nd Floor, Courthouse Comm. on Children & Families 3rd Thursday 5:30 p.m. OSU Ext., 550 N. Hwy. 30 Local Alcohol & Drug Plann. Comm. 2nd Tuesday 3:00 p.m., 2nd Floor, Courthouse Organizations and meeting dates not listed may be included by calling 429-9410 or by mail to The INDEPENDENT, 725 Bridge Street, Vernonia, OR 97064.
