24 April 2013
Conservative Outlook In Store for Urban Renewal
The draft budget for the Florence Urban Renewal Agency will be discussed this evening. Florence City Manager Jacque Betz says it will provide for far less activity in the coming year.
Jacque Betz – “I would say for the next few years we’re going to kind of be kind of low key. The assessed value has gone down because of the recession and we want to be very conservative.”
The reduced assessed value means the agency will have less money to operate with than expected in coming years. The agency is in the final stages of an approximately $3-million upgrade to water and sewer lines in the Old Town Area… primarily funded by tax increment financing. Directors of the agency meet this evening at city hall.
Voter Registration Deadline Nearing
The deadline for registering to vote in the May 21st election is less than a week away. Right now is a good time to double check your registration and make sure you can vote next month. Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown says voting is “one of our most precious rights”.
Double checking that registration is as simple as a few keystrokes on the computer. Residents can go to Oregon-dot-gov and follow the links to the Secretary of State’s website and then click on the “elections” icon… from there you can check your registration and even fill out a voter registration form.
If you don’t have a computer, that’s ok… you can simply pick up the phone and call the Lane County elections department.
The registration deadline is Tuesday, April 30th and ballots are expected to be mailed out next Friday, May 3rd.
Rhody Update
So far 49 parade entries… seven of those for marching bands… have been received for the May 19th Grand Floral Parade in Florence. Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Cal Applebee says parade entries will be accepted up until the week prior to the 106th Rhododendron Festival… and they must be accompanied by a $15 entry fee. Applebee says Rhody pins and apparel are also available for sale. The pins can be found at several area retail and professional establishments; t-shirts and sweatshirts are available at the Chamber Visitor Center.
Advance sales of day-long passes at the Davis Carnival are also on sale at the center for $22 each… Applebee says that’s a savings of anywhere from one to four dollars per day.
The 106th Festival is May 17th through the 19th but the Queen’s Coronation Ball is set for Saturday, May 11th.
Average Price for Gas Down Three Cents
The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in Florence fell by three cents this week to $3.51… That’s down 23 cents since the March 13th high of $3.74. Marie Dodds with Triple-A of Oregon says the Oregon statewide average is down 13 cents in the past month and dipped a nickel last week alone… but it’s still 11 cents higher than the local average at $3.62.
Triple-A is reporting the national average is down a penny this week to $3.52.
