Page 4
The INDEPENDENT, June 2, 2011
Council approves hiring process
Report reveals basis of DPSST decision
The Vernonia City Council
held a special meeting on Tues-
day, May 31, having to do with
their City Administrator recruit-
ment process.
The council voted unani-
mously to approve the interview
process outlined. The process
calls for interviews of adminis-
trator candidates on June 24 by
three panels. The panels will be
composed of:
• Council and mayor,
• city department heads, and
• a community panel made
up of one person selected by
each councilor and one by the
mayor.
The council also approved
travel expense stipends of no
more than $500 per applicant,
payable upon submittal of re-
ceipts for “legitimate travel ex-
penses.”
Following that vote, council
recessed to executive session
(not open to the public) to dis-
cuss the “employment of an of-
From page 1
placed on hold pending the out-
come of the DPSST investiga-
tion.
3) Kay was untruthful with
the City of Vernonia by telling
them he was a member of the
Oregon Police Canine Associa-
tion (OPCA).
In November, Kay told the
City of Vernonia that he was a
member of OPCA. In his inter-
view with King, Kay said he was
a member of OPCA from 2004
to 2007. According to OPCA,
Kay was never a member and
did not even submit an applica-
ficer, employee, staff member
or agent,” and “to deliberate
with persons designated to ne-
gotiate real property transac-
tions.”
After coming out of execu-
tive session, council gave Jen-
nie Messmer, from the League
of Oregon Cities, permission to
go ahead with background
checks on three candidates,
prior to tours and receptions on
June 23 and the interviews on
June 24.
The next regularly scheduled
council meeting is June 6, at
7:00 p.m. at city hall.
— CLARIFICATION —
In the May 19 article on Ver-
nonia City Council meetings,
Scott Laird clarified that his
apology to the council and may-
or was not for disseminating
public information to members
of the community. He said, “At
no time did I apologize for that.”
Rather the apology was that,
“…while a motion was on the
floor and discussion was taking
place concerning the termina-
tion of the contract for Interim
City Administrator Bill Haack.
Voicing my opinion during the
discussion was inappropriate.”
tion for membership to them.
4) Kay knew, or should have
known, when he retroactively
sought and obtained 15 K9 cer-
tifications from the American
Council on Criminal Justice
Training (ACCJT), that those
certifications did not meet the
industry standard as being
comparable to OPCA certifica-
tion.
In his response, Kay assert-
ed that ACCJT standards were
equivalent to OPCA. Two K9
experts contacted by DPSST
said, “No,” the standards were
not equivalent.
5) Kay misrepresented a K9
evaluation conducted to see if
his dog met equivalent K9 ex-
pertise.
Kay asked the evaluator to
omit unsatisfactory results of
the evaluation.
6) Kay knew or should have
known that by contaminating or
otherwise compromising the re-
VPD Sergeant Mike Kay
sults of the K9 evaluation, the
results would be not good.
Kay also said he “always
wear latex gloves” while han-
dling narcotics during the eval-
uation, the evaluator said that
was not so.
7) Kay misrepresented
King’s suggestion that, be-
cause the validity of the 15 K9
certifications were in question,
he may wish to seek a
See State on page 5
Community Calendar
VERNONIA
Alcoholics Anonymous
Mondays
6:30 p.m., 410 North Street
Alcoholics Anonymous
Thursdays (Big Book Study) 7:00 p.m., 410 North Street
American Legion Post #119
2nd Tuesday
7:00 p.m., 627 Adams Avenue
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., Library
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
Izaak Walton League
3rd Thursday
For location call 503-429-7193
Kiwanis Club
2nd & 4th Tuesdays
6:30 p.m., New Hong Kong
Lions Club
1st & 3rd Tuesdays
6:30 p.m., New Hong Kong
Municipal Airport Committee
1t Wednesday
6:30 p.m., City Hall
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
2nd Wednesday
7:00 p.m., WGS Library
Vernonia Garden Club
2nd Tuesday
1:30 p.m., Vernonia Library
Vernonia Grange
3rd Monday
7:00 p.m., Grange Hall
Vernonia Health Center
3rd Thursday
6:30 p.m., 510 Bridge St.
Vernonia Learning Center
1st Wednesday
6:00 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
2nd Thursday
1:00 p.m., City Hall
Vernonia Ridge Riders
Last Thursday
7:00 p.m., Senior Center
Vernonia RFPD Board
2nd Tuesday
6:00 p.m., Fire Station
Vernonia School Board
2nd Thursday
6:00 p.m., District Office
Vernonia Sr. Center Board
2nd Friday
10:00 a.m., Senior Center
Vernonia Transfer Station
2nd & 4th Saturdays, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
Behind VHS
Vern. Volunteer Ambulance Assoc. 1st Tuesday
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
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 429-0869
BANKS
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous
American Legion Post #90
Banks City Council
Banks Fire District #13
Banks Library Commission
Banks Planning Commission
Banks School Board
Banks Youth Group
Chamber of Commerce
CPO 14
Everybody’s Hometown Band
Friends of the Library
Lions Club
Sunset Park Assoc.
T.O.P.S.
Friday
Wednesday
2nd Tuesday
2nd Tuesday
2nd Wednesday
3rd Tuesday
Last Tuesday
2nd Monday
Sunday, Wednesday
1st Thursday
3rd Monday
Tuesdays
2nd Tuesday
1st & 3rd Mondays
3rd Wednesday
Wednesday
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
9:00 a.m., Main Fire Station
7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station
7:30 p.m., Methodist Church
7:30 p.m., Methodist Church
7:30 p.m., Main Street Post
7:30 p.m., City Hall
7:00 p.m., Station 13
7:00 p.m., City Library
7:00 p.m., City Hall
7:30 p.m., Jr. High Library
7:00 p.m., UMC Youth Bldg.
12:30 p.m., Fire District Office
7:00 p.m., City Library
7:00 p.m., BHS Music Room
7:00 p.m., City Library
7:00 p.m., Brown Derby
8:00 p.m., Gun Club
7:00 p.m., Administration Bldg.
COLUMBIA COUNTY (All meet in St. Helens unless otherwise noted.)
Board of Commissioners
Wednesday
10:00 a.m., Courthouse
Citizens for Senior Justice
2nd Tuesday
7:00 p.m., Sunset Park Church
Columbia Comm Mental Health
1st Tuesday
5”30 p.m., 58646 McNulty Way
Columbia Soil & Water District
3rd Wednesday
7:30 p.m., NRCS , 2514 Sykes
County Fair Board
2nd Monday
6:00 p.m., Fairgrounds 4-H Bldg.
County Parks Commission
3rd Tuesday
Times vary, 1054 Oregon St.
Mental Health Advisory Comm.
Quarterly
For Info call 503-397-7211
Comm. on Children & Families
3rd Thursday 5:30 p.m. OSU Ext., 505 N. Hwy. 30
Local Alcohol & Drug Plann. Comm.
Quarterly
For Info call 503-397-7211
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.