TSP Slated for Possible Approval
The Florence City Council will deliberate during its Monday evening meeting on the updated Transportation System Plan. At the city’s last meeting it was decided that the council needed a little more time to go through and digest the almost 800 pages of materials that was created in the search for the city’s goals regarding every aspect of transportation over the next 20 years. City Manager Erin Reynolds says that while the document is extensive it is not as daunting as the size suggests.
“There are about 100 pages that we really tell people that are worth reading and that would be volume one of the TSP.”
Reynolds says it is the culmination of more than 18 months of work which encompasses public and private transportation, bikeways, road construction and repair.
“We’re looking forward to bringing this to conclusion and moving forward with the implementation.”
All of the public hearings are concluded and the City Council could pass the plan Monday. The City Council meeting will be at City Hall at 5:30 and can be livestreamed at ci.florence.or.us.
School Budget Committee Members Selected
The Siuslaw School Board made two appointments to the budget committee Wednesday evening. Terms for two committee members panel ended in June. Only one, Jennifer Waggoner, reapplied. She was reappointed unanimously. There were two other applicants. Former landscaping business owner Lisa Walter-Sedlacek and Melissa Stinson, who manages a “memory care” facility and has a child in school, were interviewed by board members last week. Stinson, who also serves on the Dunes City Council, won the appointment. Waggoner and Stinson will serve until June 30th, 2026.
Insurance Rebate
SAIF, the publicly-owned Workers Compensation Insurance carrier, announced this week that for the 14th straight year they have declared a dividend. That happens when overall claims experience is better than expected. The current dividend will range between 22 and 27 percent of their payment in 2022.
“The dividends will be distributed in October to policy holders based on their premium for policies who’s term ended in 2022.”
Craig Zolezzi, the owner of Zolezzi Insurance says that’s not the only good news for employers.
“SAIF just announced that the pure premium rate for 2024 will decrease by 6.7% which is good for employers.”
The total amount of the dividend is about $135-million statewide with $12.3 million going to employers in Lane County.
Annular Eclipse
With cloud cover expected in the morning it may be difficult to catch a glimpse of the annular eclipse that is expected to pass over Oregon. The passing of the moon between the earth and the sun is rare and not expected again until 2046. It will be most visible in Oregon beginning at 9:15 and will be completed by 9:24 am. But with skies forecast to be mostly cloudy with a slight chance of rain, it is possible that it will be blocked from view, however, if you do get the chance to view it, even partially, it is recommended that you use the appropriate type of glasses or you can go old school by placing a box over your head with a pin hole and a sheet of white paper taped to the inside of the box.
