29 September 2014
County vehicle registration fee to be considered
Lane County Commissioners will meet tomorrow for their first public discussions on the possibility of adding a fee to vehicle registrations. Money raised through that fee would be tied to road and street repairs and maintenance.
The proposal is coming from a citizen advisory committee which has determined that adding a surcharge to the existing statewide $43 vehicle registration fee would be preferable to imposing one of several other alternatives, including a county gas tax; additional property tax levy; or a special taxing district.
A 2009 law approved by the legislature allows counties; with or without voter approval; to match the state fee. Under the law, 40-percent of the county-wide collections must be distributed to incorporated cities in the county. Only Multnomah County currently has an additional fee, it’s $19. That’s being used to finance improvements to the Sellwood Bridge. Washington County Voters will decide the fate of a $30 fee there in November.
30th anniversary beach cleanup
Nearly five-thousand volunteers showed up on what turned out to be a very nice day on the Oregon Coast for the 30th anniversary Fall Beach Cleanup. More than 52-thousand pounds of trash and debris were picked up at sites along Oregon beaches and riverbanks during the three hour event organized by the non-profit group Solve.
Some of the most interesting things picked up on the beach… bike racks, pickup canopies, shoes and even old cell phones.
School Superintendent meets with public
Ethel Angal will sit down tomorrow over lunch with area residents. The goal of the school superintendent is to connect with the public. The first priority is to answer questions about school programs and policies. But that’s not all.
Ethel Angal – “What I’m hoping to get is feedback from folks too, about the kinds of things they would like to see me work on putting in place for community involvement.”
The brown-bag lunch is set for the District Office on Oak Street next to the Elementary School tomorrow from noon until one.
Humane Society Wine and Chocolate Gala Set
Since 1994 animal lovers in Florence have been gathering together once a year each fall to share wine and chocolate. It’s the single largest fund raiser for the Florence Area Humane Society. Jackie Allan says last year, the group’s Wine and Chocolate Gala raised $17-thousand. That money is very important, she says, to their operations.
Jackie Allen – “It buys months and months of dog food and cat food… supplies.”
Once again, the event will be held at Three Rivers Casino… it’s set for Friday night, six pm.
Jackie Allen — $20 gets you entry into the event and a free glass of wine and lots of munchies.”
Many of those munchies are provided by volunteers, but most come from area restaurants. There will also be the chocolate fountain. Advance tickets are available at the Humane Society Shelter on Rhododendron Drive and several other locations around town… as well as at the door.
