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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (April 4, 2012)
The INDEPENDENT, April 4, 2012 Page 11 Come meet the finalists for Banks Hearing to discuss address changes School Superintendent on April 10 The Banks City Council has fix identification, and will not office, 120 S. Main Street, from During the March 24, Spe- cial Board Meeting of the Banks School District Board of Directors, the following three candidates were selected as fi- nalists for the position of Su- perintendent of the Banks School District: • Brian Gander, Superinten- dent, Jewell School District • Darryl Smith, Human Re- sources Director, Jefferson County School District, and • Bob Huston, Principal, Banks Elementary School, Banks School District. The Board will be conduct- ing site visits during the week of April 2 - 6. There will be a community forum for the public to meet the candidates on Tuesday, April 10, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Banks Junior High School. Community members are encouraged to attend the forum to meet the three finalists and provide feedback to the board. announced that it will conduct a public hearing to consider adopting a “House Numbering and Street Identification Ordi- nance”. The hearing will be held at or shortly after 7:00 p.m. on April 10, 2012 at city hall, 100 South Main Street, Banks. The proposed ordinance will establish standards for naming new streets and assigning ad- dresses to individual proper- ties. The ordinance will desig- nate all streets in Banks with a Northwest (NW) quadrant pre- Beware of tax scams, says AG Kroger With tax season upon us, Attorney General John Kroger warns Oregonians to steer clear of scam artists looking to cash-in on tax season. The overwhelming majority of Ore- gon tax preparers provide hon- est and valuable services to their clients. Nonetheless, whether it is in person, online or via email, there are con artists who market themselves as tax practitioners – but are only out to steal your money. Fake tax preparers employ a number of fraudulent tactics, including manipulating figures to claim inflated expenses, false deductions, unallowable credits or excessive exemp- tions. When the fraud is detect- ed, however, it is the taxpayer – not the return preparer – who can suffer the consequences, which can include paying addi- tional taxes, plus interest and other penalties. Under both state and federal law, all paid tax practitioners must possess a Personal Tax Identification Number issued by the Internal Revenue Ser- vice (IRS) and enter it on the returns he or she prepares. This includes attorneys, CPAs, enrolled agents and unenrolled tax preparers. Anyone who pre- pares personal income tax re- turns for compensation in Ore- gon must also be licensed by the state Board of Tax Practi- tioners. Attorney General Kroger of- fers the following advice to Oregonians seeking profes- sional help this tax season: • ALWAYS verify that your tax preparer is properly li- censed by the Oregon Board of Tax Practitioners at: www.ore gon.gov/otpb. • Never give out personal in- formation such as your Social Security number, bank account Main Street Pizza 680 S. Main Oak Village Shopping Center Banks, Oregon 503-324-5858 Receive $2 off any large Pizza. $ 2 Off 00 Expires 4-30-12. Coupons cannot be sold or duplicated. Main Street Pizza 680 S. Main Oak Village Shopping Center Banks, Oregon 503-324-5858 Receive $1 off any medium Pizza. $1 Off 00 Expires 4-30-12. Coupons cannot be sold or duplicated. or mortgage receipt to a tax preparer unless you know they are licensed. • Be wary of tax preparers who promise larger than nor- mal refunds or a greater refund than their competitors. • Don’t fall for any solicita- tions that imply credits or re- funds are available without proof of eligibility. • Do not sign your return un- less it contains a valid Person- al Tax Identification Number. • Avoid preparers who base their fee on a percentage of your income or a percentage of See Beware on page 19 change existing street names. All existing addresses having a three-digit number will be changed to a five-digit number. The ordinance conforms with the Washington County addressing system, and will es- tablish a uniform citywide ad- dressing system that should also assist calls for emergency response and special deliver- ies. It is proposed that the ordi- nance become effective on September 1, 2012, which will be the official date for three- digit address properties to con- vert to the five-digit address. However, the post office will continue to deliver mail to both three or five-digit addresses for up to one year from the effec- tive date of the ordinance. Af- fected parties will need to make change-of-address notifica- tions and other actions, as nec- essary, to change-over to the new five-digit addressing sys- tem. The proposed ordinance is available for public review on the City’s web site at www.city ofbanks.org by selecting the following links: City Services; Planning & Zoning; Address- ing. A hard copy of the docu- ment is also available for re- view at the City’s administrative 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, and at the Banks Public Library, 111 Mar- ket Street during their regular hours. The public hearing on this matter will be conducted pur- suant to the rules of procedure adopted by the Council. Both oral and written testimony are invited and will be received in favor of or in opposition to the proposed ordinance during the hearing. Written testimony may also be submitted to the City Recorder at the City adminis- trative office prior to the hear- ing and no later than 1:00 p.m. on April 9, 2012. Contact Jolynn Becker, City Recorder, at 503-324-5112 with further questions. Persons with dis- abilities should contact the City Recorder if special accommo- dation is needed. Following a City Council de- cision to adopt the ordinance, the City staff will notify affected parties in writing about their new five-digit address. Also, on April 5, from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., City staff will be hosting an open house at City Hall for the public to attend and view proj- ect mapping and related infor- mation.