No Pay Hike for County Execs

Coast Radio News
Local News

28 January 2013

No Pay Hikes for County Execs

Cutting short any discussion on possible double-digit pay hikes, the two Lane County executives that would have benefited from them said no Friday evening.  Administrator Liane Richardson and county counsel Stephen Dingle both said they would decline any offers of big raises.  The 15-percent increases were proposed by the county’s Human Resources department which said Lane’s executives were underpaid in comparison to other similar regional positions in Oregon.  Richardson said she and Dingle both agreed that the priority right now should be on public safety, not their own compensation.  Lane County Commissioners were set to discuss the possible raises tomorrow… several hours before they were scheduled to open hearings on a possible tax levy proposal that would be used to fund jail operations.

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DLCD Approves Wave Energy Designations

Four areas off the Oregon Coast would be set aside for research and development of wave energy power generation and transmission under a plan adopted by the State of Oregon last week.  The Land Conservation and Development Commission… L-C-D-C… adopted amendments to the Oregon Territorial Sea Plan Thursday.  The aim is to set aside areas for projects that would avoid interfering with fishing, scenic vistas and sensitive habitat.  One of the four locations is near Reedsport where a New Jersey company has received the nation’s first federal permit to build a wave energy park.  Governor John Kitzhaber says the plan shows Oregon can “thoughtfully support” offshore wave energy projects while protecting fisheries and the quality of life for coastal communities.  The plan goes to the federal government for approval.  It will ultimately used in making decisions on future wave energy projects.

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Tribal Artifacts

A North Bend man has been sentenced to five years’ probation and fined $2-thousand after he was convicted of repeatedly disturbing a Native American tribal site in Coos County.  David Gieselman was discovered digging up objects from the site on the north shore of Coos Bay by officials with the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians in February and May of 2010.  That led to a search of his home where Oregon State Troopers found more than 180 artifacts.  Coos County judge Michael Gillespie ordered Gieselman to forfeit 12 tribal artifacts that were found in his possession when he returned to the site.  The 53-year old was also banned from entering any Oregon State Park for five years.

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