22 January 2013
Sheriff to talk public safety in Florence
No matter how you slice it, the status of public safety in rural Lane County continues to slide. A combination of several factors has led to a ‘structural deficit’ in the county’s finances. Since public safety takes the largest share of the general fund, that’s where most of the cuts are implemented.
Lane County Sheriff Tom Turner will be in Florence tomorrow at midday to talk about the current and possible future status of his department… from deputies on patrol to the jail… and including parole, probation, prevention and prosecution.
Turner will speak at the Florence Kiwanis Club at noon Wednesday; the club meets at the Florence Elks Lodge; it is open to the public.
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Council goals include FEC finances
Finding a permanent funding solution for the Florence Events Center will be the number one goal for the Florence City Council in the coming year. The council will take formal action on their goals for the upcoming year this evening. Operations at the center have failed to break even for the past several years, but the center has been able to operate without using any general fund property tax money since it opened.
The council will also select leadership and establish rules for the coming year; as well as officially accept a $671-thousand bid for the third and final phase of an urban renewal project to upgrade water and sewer lines in Old Town Florence.
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School Exclusion Date Coming
An important date for parents of school age children in Oregon is just over four weeks away. State law requires all students to have up-to-date records of immunizations against a variety of childhood diseases… or have a religious or medical exemption. Parents that don’t provide that record by February 20th face the probability of their child not being allowed on attend school. Last year, local health departments notified parents and guardians of 35-thousand children in Oregon that their records were not up to date. About 46-hundred missed the cutoff.
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Oregon Library Passport
You can access reading materials all the way from Agness, Albany and Astoria to Waldport, Wallowa County and points in between simply by using your Siuslaw Public Library card. The Oregon Library Association launched a new program earlier this month that allows library card holders to access facilities in participating libraries around the state. It’s called the Oregon Library Passport Program. Michele Burke, the association’s president says it reduces barriers to library services and mirrors the way Oregonians live, work, shop, and play.
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