The INDEPENDENT, June 16, 2011
Page 5
Not all Timber residents received notice of meeting City accepting applications to re-
From page 1
correct problems with the
leased building, and stated it
was structurally unsound for
occupancy. The lease on the
building expires in November
2011. In the event of the post
office’s closure, Mr. McQuire
spoke of the most likely option
available for Timber being clus-
ter box units (CBU) with parcel
lock boxes. Another option he
mentioned was a Village post
office located within an estab-
lished retail business. The Vil-
lage post office could offer
stamps for sale and flat rate
packaging, but there is no retail
business in Timber.
The meeting was announced
in a letter addressed to Timber
residents. Unfortunately the no-
tice it was mailed only to resi-
dents in the 97144 zip code,
which excluded people who live
across the street and just down
the road from the post office
and have the Forest Grove zip
code of 97116.
A group of approximately 20
concerned citizens, who did re-
ceive the meeting announce-
ment turned out to listen, ask
questions and express their
displeasure with the possible
closure. They discussed how it
will affect their personal and
business lives, as well as the
post office being the only place
in town to catch up on the local
grapevine and visit a bit with
neighbors. The closure idea did
not get a stamp of approval
from anyone present. It was a
sad night in Timber.
Fathers need long-term financial moves
more than they need breakfast in bed
by Jason Alderman (www.prac-
ticalmoneyskills.com)
With Father’s Day upon us,
dads everywhere are gearing
up for an avalanche of gifts and
“I love yous” from their spouses
and kids. If you really want to
return their affection, think
about what you can do to pro-
tect your family financially. All it
takes is a little organization and
learning how to correctly allo-
cate your resources.
First, get insured. If your
family depends on your in-
come, you must be prepared
for life’s unexpected events,
whether an accident, illness,
unemployment or death. Make
sure you’ve got adequate cov-
erage for:
• Health insurance. Every-
one needs medical insurance,
no matter how young or
healthy. Just remember: Lower-
premium medical plans aren’t
necessarily cheaper overall;
you also need to factor in co-
payment, deductible and pre-
scription amounts, in- and out-
of-network charges, coverage
limits and exclusions when
choosing a policy.
• Homeowner/renter’s insur-
ance. Don’t let theft, fire, faulty
plumbing or other catastrophes
leave your family without a
home or possessions.
• Life insurance. Depending
on your family’s size and ages,
you’ll probably want coverage
worth at least five to 10 times
your annual pay; more, if you
want to cover college costs.
And don’t forget to insure your
spouse’s life so you’ll be pro-
tected as well.
• Disability insurance. Mil-
lions of Americans suffer a dis-
ability at some point during their
working years that is sufficient-
ly serious to make them miss
work for months or years at a
time; yet many forego disability
insurance, potentially leaving
them without an income after a
serious accident or illness.
Learn details of your employ-
er’s sick leave and short-term
disability benefits ahead of
time, and if long-term disability
is offered, it’s probably a worth-
while investment.
Start saving. To ensure your
family’s financial security, you
need to make regular contribu-
tions to several savings vehi-
cles:
• Establish an emergency
fund with enough cash to cover
at least six months of living ex-
penses. If that goal seems un-
attainable, start small: Have
$50 a month from your pay-
check or checking account au-
tomatically deposited into a
separate savings account.
• Even if retirement is
decades away, the sooner you
start saving and compounding
your interest, the faster your
savings will grow. If your em-
ployer offers 401(k) matching
contributions, contribute at
least enough to take full advan-
tage of the match: A 50 percent
match is the same as earning
50 percent interest on savings.
• Once those two accounts
are well-established, open a
529 Qualified State Tuition Plan
or a Coverdell Education Sav-
ings Account to start saving for
your children’s education.
Get organized. Make sure
your affairs in order in case
something should happen to
you. With your spouse, organ-
ize files for:
• Medical, homeowner/ren-
ter, auto, life, disability and
long-term care insurance poli-
cies.
• Banking, credit card and
loan accounts, including pass-
words.
• A will (and possibly a trust)
outlining how you want your es-
tate managed after death.
• Durable power of attorney
and health care proxy specify-
ing who will make your financial
and medical decisions if you
become incapacitated. Also, a
living will tells doctors which
medical treatments and life-
support procedures you do or
don’t want performed.
• Birth certificate, marriage li-
cense, Social Security card, fu-
neral and burial plans, safe de-
posit box information and other
important paperwork.
Take these few steps to pro-
tect your family now and be-
lieve me, you’ll sleep better at
night.
Father’s Day is Sunday, June 19th
place Hudson’s Council position
From page 4
Hudson. When the polls closed
at 8:00 p.m. June 10, the final
count was 504 yes votes to 84
no votes.
The vote was certified by the
County Clerk on Monday, June
13, and Hudson was immedi-
ately removed from office. The
Independent has learned that
the recall election will cost the
city $1,131.00 and some
change.
At a special council meeting
on June 13, the mayor and the
rest of council agreed to open
the application process to fill
the rest of Hudson’s term with a
volunteer from the community.
Those interested in serving as
a Vernonia city councilor can
obtain an application for the va-
cancy online at www.vernonia-
or.gov or at city hall. Applica-
tions will be accepted through
1:00 p.m. on Monday, June 20.
Interviews by the council will
be held on Tuesday, June 21, at
6:00 p.m. The person chosen
will most likely be sworn in that
same night and will be able to
participate in the city adminis-
trator interviews scheduled for
Friday, June 24.
Enjoy the…
204th Army Band
of the Army Reserves
…and
Saturday, July 2nd
at 4:00 PM in
Join
Vernonia’s
in the
Hawkins
fun at the
Park
Vernonia
4th of July Parade