City officials urged not to cut too deep in some departments…
Already very tight, the amount of money set aside by the City of Florence in the coming year for parks will be even less than before. That was just one of several budget proposals laid out last night for the city’s budget committee. Former city councilor and current budget committee member Dave Braley acknowledged that funding is very tight, but still, urged a cautious route when it comes to parks cutbacks.
Dave Braley – “I think, be careful not to cut it too short on this because I think it is kind of important and there’s a lot of people that use it and not just kids.”
Budget committee members also heard of the need for computer upgrades in all city departments, as well as physical upgrades to city hall itself which has suffered from several years of deferred maintenance. The Budget Committee will meet with Urban Renewal officials and conduct a State Revenue Sharing hearing at their next meeting, May 14th.
Speech Not Necessarily Free When Viewed From a State Highway
Oregon highway officials are saying it’s ok to promote your personal political views during this election season, but if they can be seen from a state highway there are a few restrictions… even if the sign is on private property. First of all, any political signs in few of a highway must not be any larger than 12 square feet. There are safety requirements as well; no flashing or intermittent lights, animation or moving parts allowed. Signs must not imitate an official highway sign and if you happen to live in a scenic corridor, your signs are prohibited entirely.
Violating signs are subject to removal by Oregon Department of Transportation workers with no notice, according to one spokesman. But they will be stored at local ODOT maintenance offices for up to 30 days.
Seafloor Mapping Aids Tsunami Prep
Researchers at Oregon State University recently wrapped up more than two years of intense field work and digital cartography, putting the finishing touches on detailed maps of the sea floor off the Oregon Coast. Chris Goldfinger, the director of the project, said the most immediate benefit will be improved tsunami inundation modeling. He says “knowing what lies beneath the surface of coastal waters will allow much more accurate predictions”. Researchers used the Pacific Storm, an OSU ship operated by the university’s marine mammal institute, along with several commercial fishing vessels during off-seasons to complete the detailed mapping.
