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cappoose passes its way to another home playoff game. Page A13.
The Chronicle
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Voters reject jail levy; summit meeting planned Voters sent a clear message on Nov. 5 that the proposed Columbia County jail levy isn’t going to be the county’s solution for keeping the jail open. Of the 12,201 votes cast – about 43 percent of the 28,574 eligible voters – more than 58 percent lined up against the levy and 42 percent were in favor. The ballots cast were 7,110 opposed and 5,085, a difference of 2,025 votes. “On one hand, we are disappointed tonight in the results of the election, on the other hand, the voters have clearly made their collective will Sheriff Dickerson known,” said Columbia County Sheriff Jeff Dickerson. The levy was proposed by the county commissioners earlier in the year as continued funding shortages at the jail, lower revenues from bed rentals and rising costs put the jail at risk of closing. Dickerson has previously stated without additional funding sources, the jail is likely to close by the end of the fiscal year, which comes on June 30, 2014. “I wasn’t surprised by the results, but I was disappointed,” said Columbia County Commissioner Tony Hyde. “I think people are tepid when it comes to new taxes. They just got their [property] tax statements and their values went up. It’s good their values are going up but it also means their taxes went up.” Hyde also noted that while he doesn’t favor new taxes, he supported the proposed levy because it was a short term fix. See LEVY, Page A4
$1.00 Vol. 131, No. 46 16 Pages
www.thechronicleonline.com
City manager steps down amid unknown complaints BY SHARI PHIEL The Chronicle
SCAPPOOSE — City Manager Jon Hanken accepted a proposal to resign with a one-year severance package on Friday, Nov. 8, just hours before a special Scappoose City Council was scheduled to be held to discuss the council’s grievances with the city manager. Hanken was approached earlier in the week by Mayor Scott Burge with the resignation proposal, offered as a way to avoid being terminated, a path many on the council seemed to be moving toward. “I’ve been requested by three council members to have a special meeting,” said Mayor Scott Burge, who admitted it was unusual to hold a council meeting on a
Friday night. Burge said the councilors requesting the meeting asked for it in response to a news story that appeared on a local Portland TV station regarding an investigation that resulted in disciplinary action against Police Chief Doug Greisen undertaken by Hanken after complaints from two police officers were filed earlier this year. “I received an email from one of the council members that said the article was making the city look bad and we have to end the separation, like it was Jon’s fault,” said Burge. Hanken’s resignation was accepted with a 4-to-1 vote, with only Mayor Scott Burge being the dissenting vote. Councilor Jeff Erickson was not in attendance at
BY SHARI PHIEL/The Chronicle
The Scappoose City Council accepted City Manager Jon Hanken’s resignation at a Nov. 8 special meeting. See MANAGER, Page A6
With Honors
INSIDE Classified Ads . . . . . . . A9 Legal Notices . . . . . A9-11 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . . A6 Opinions . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 Out & About . . . . . . . . A7 Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2 Sports . . . . . . . . . . A13-16 TV Guide . . . . . . . . . . . A8 Weather . . . . . . . . . . . A14
TODAY’S WEATHER Cloudy, Chance Highs to 53 of Rain Lows to 41 Page A14
SHARI PHIEL/The Chronicle
Veterans, friends, family members and others from the community look on as soldiers from the Oregon National Guard raise the American flag in front of the Blue Star Memorial at McCormick Park to honor those who served in the military on Veterans Day.
Food stamp cuts hitting locals, food banks Beginning on Nov. 1, those receiving assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) saw a decrease to their monthly benefits. The cuts are due to the expiration of temporary funding provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment act. Under ARRA, benefits were raised beginning in April 2009 to help recipients during the recession. It provided a temporary increase in SNAP funding as part of a “stimulus package” to encourage economic activity during the recession. Through ARRA, SNAP participants received more food benefits during the recession and the early phases of the recovery. However, ARRA funds came to an end in October. This change is not related to the recent shutdown of the federal government. In Columbia County, about 3,900 households received assistance each month through SNAP, or about
8,160 people. That number rose to just under 4,100 for the month of September. Many of those receiving SNAP benefits are seniors and veterans. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a national research and analysis group, more than 900,000 veterans nationwide receive SNAP benefits, with more than 37,000 of those being in Oregon. “Veterans who participate in SNAP tend to be young, but their ages range widely: 57 percent of the veterans in our analysis are under age 30, while 9 percent are aged 60 or older. They served during many conflicts, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Vietnam, and in some cases, Korea and World War II, as well as in peacetime,” reports the center. The average month benefit paid to SNAP recipients is about $235 per household, which breaks to down to around $1.40 per meal per person.
While the number of households receiving assistance seems to be on the rise, individuals are receiving less each month sending some to local food banks. Columbia Pacific Food Bank’s Monique Oliver said it may only be a couple of weeks since the cuts began but demand at the food bank
is already apparent. “Our numbers have been considerably higher this week. They are at least a third to a half again higher than we have seen it,” said Oliver. “And we’re only at the beginning of the month.” The benefits paid to households are paid 100 percent by the federal government, and
the cost of administering the program is paid 50 percent by the federal government and 50 percent by the state. It didn’t take long for the SNAP cuts to impact agencies like Columbia Pacific Food Bank. See FOOD, Page A4
Port considers expansion, rezoning application BY SHARI PHIEL The Chronicle
Note: In the Oct. 30 issue of The Chronicle, we erroneously reported an application from Global Partners to the Port of St. Helens seeks to increase rail traffic from 17 to 34 trains per day. The ap-
plication seeks to increase the cap from 17 trains per month to 34 trains per month. This is shaping up to be a busy and important week for the Port of St. Helens. The port commission will be reviewing an application from Global Partners to expand its operations during
its regular meeting at 8:30 a.m., on Wednesday, Nov. 13. The meeting location has been changed from the port office to the Columbia City Community Hall. Less than two hours later, the Columbia County Commissioners will deliberate the Port’s application to rezone See PORT, Page A4