New Taxes Mean New Fees
The state of Oregon will need to cover 5.3 billion dollars in funding for transportation needs and it will come in the form of new taxes for the new year. Some of the most notable changes that will occur is a new 4 cent tax increase on gasoline making the overall tax 34 cents. In addition there will also be an increase of 13 dollars for car registration fees and a $16 dollar increase for title registration making that fee $93.00. lawmakers say that these increases along with increases for motorcycles, mopeds, and heavy trucks will fund infrastructure projects for up to a decade. Another law change that is not directly aimed at taxation, but will likely have a revenue reducing effect is the raising of the minimum smoking age. If you smoke you will now have to be 21 years old in order to purchase tobacco products. Gun owners who are deemed a threat to themselves or others may also have their guns confiscated according to Senate Bill 719 allows judges to issue an extreme risk protection order. The law is aimed at preventing suicide by gun and mass shootings. In all Oregon lawmakers passed over 750 bills into law this past year. For more information on these and other legislation you can go to Oregon.gov.
Humane Society Issues Still Present
More people are speaking out about the issues at the Oregon Coast Humane society. While both sides seem to agree that good people are at the center of the disputes, some believe that it is time to make some definitive decisions about the direction the OCHS is going. Coast Radio spoke with Scott Bailey, who is a former board member, about the scope of the problems as seen from outside the board. He said that while recently issues have come to a head, there have been challenges for years. And while there is plenty of blame to spread around for what is currently happening some of it is the nature of the beast so to speak
“A lot of those management issues are nobody’s fault. You have to work with the personnel whom you have you have to take the volunteers who are willing to give time and sometimes those circumstances are not perfect.”
Also joining Bailey was longtime volunteer, Jack Hannigan. He says that there is a fear of what might happen if suddenly a new board was put in place.
“They’re afraid, based on some of the accusations that were made, both on management of the shelter level and certain employees that if a new board came in the whole staff would be fired.”
Both men said they would like to see some major changes occur but stopped short of just what actions that would take. The full interview will be part of the January Our Town coming up this Wednesday on KCST and again in Thursday on KCFM.
Port Still Seeking Input
In a continuing effort to bolster community involvement the Port of Siuslaw is looking for public comment and ideas and suggestions for upcoming improvements and projected projects that the port is considering. The next meeting will be Tuesday, January 9th at 5pm at the port office.
City Moves to Construction Schedule
The city of Florence has posted its official hours and locations for meetings and other services that are currently held at City Hall. The building will begin its transformation mid-January and many services will be relocated. The Public Works Facility will temporarily house Code Enforcement, utility billing and finance, business and liquor licenses, and building and planning. The Florence Events Center will be the location for City Council meetings, Planning Commission Meetings, Florence Urban Renewal Agency meetings, City Committee meetings and a host of other City events and meetings. The almost 2.5 million dollar project is slated to begin on January 8th.
