First Update:  04-25-2018 ~ Jefferson County rejected the SAPO initiative 
​Second Update:  04-26-2018 ~ Linn County Certified the SAPO initiative
​Third Update:  04-27-2018 ~ Deschutes, & Lake Counties Certified the SAPO initiative
​Fourth Update: 04-27-2018 ~ Grant County Certified the SAPO initiative 

Thirty-two counties have or are in the process of enacting the Second Amendment Preservation Ordinance.   Some by a referral of their county commissioners, but most are using the initiative process to bypass the local authorities and go directly to the voters.  
 
Here is the list:
There are 32 active Second Amendment counties
 ​Status:  
One county has a “Right to Bear Arms” charter amendment
          Josephine County
 
Four Counties have a Second Amendment Preservation Ordinance:
          Wallowa County
          Wheeler County   
          Coos County       
          Curry County
 
One County has submitted signatures:
          Columbia County
 
One County the BOC will refer the SAPO to the ballot:
          Douglas
 
Nine Counties had Chief Petitioners file a SAPO Initiative:
          Baker, Deschutes, Grant, Harney, Jefferson, Klamath, Lake, Linn, & Umatilla
          Seven counties Certified the SAPO initiative:
                   Baker, Deschutes, Grant, Klamath, Lake, Linn, Umatilla
​           Two counties rejected the SAPO Initiative:
                   Harney, Jefferson
 ​​

Sixteen Counties expect to file soon:
Benton, Clackamas, Clatsop, Crook, Gilliam, Jackson, Lane, Lincoln, Malheur, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Union, Wasco, Washington, Yamhill

Dear Mr. Sweet, Mr. Horton an Ms. Cribbins:


Each of you have solicited questions from voters.  You must be aware that fact and fiction are being spread throughout the area.  Would you respond to the following questions, as appropriate.  I'll take my answers at the time of the candidates forum this evening - please?  If my health prevents me from attending the forum, perhaps other candidates will ask my questions.  Thank you.


Mr. Sweet, it appears that the Bunn family, individually and as principals of the business entity Rubicon Property Management of Medford and their Rubicon PAC, have donated at least $3,500 to your campaign - significantly more than any other campaign contributor.  In your opinion, why the large donation and what does the Bunn family expect from you now or in the future?


Mr. Horton, I'm among those few who believe that Coos County Commissioners may be underpaid.  It appears that Ms. Cribbins apparently finds it necessary to write off as a campaign expense the expenditure of donated campaign funds for "Public Office Holder Expense" about $50 monthly since last June through December and in April 2018.  You have promised to donate half your commissioner salary to the county.  Why would you pay us, your constituents, to serve as a commissioner.  How would you structure that promise to be legally enforceable?


Ms. Cribbins, the Coquille Tribe, as an entity, as its Chief, as individual principals of Tribe owned business CEDCO, have donated at least $3,500 to your campaign - significantly more than any other contributor.  In your opinion, what does the tribe expect from you?


Thank you for informing the voters with fact.


Fred Kirby

Link to the John Sweet PAC:  https://secure.sos.state.or.us/orestar/cneSearch.do?cneSearchButtonName=search&cneSearchFilerCommitteeId=15684​

Link to Melissa Cribbins PAC:  secure.sos.state.or.us/orestar/sooDetail.do?sooRsn=83977

Ballots are Coming . . .Ballots for the 2018 Primary Election are now in the mail, and here are answers to 10 of the most frequently asked questions from Oregonians about the election.

1. If you believe you are registered to vote but have not received your ballot by May 4, call your local elections office.

2. You can track your ballot at oregonvotes.gov/myvote.

3. Ballots are due on May 15 by 8pm. Postmarks do not count (and you only need to use one stamp).

4. Ballots can be returned by mail, at a drop box, or to your county election office. Find drop box locations at oregonvotes.gov/dropbox.

5. Every registered voter will receive a ballot for the May 15 election. Voters not affiliated with a political party, and those affiliated with a minor party (Constitution, Green, Libertarian, Progressive, Working Families) will be able to vote on non-partisan contests like judges, state Bureau of Labor & Industries Commissioner, and local offices. Voters affiliated with the Democratic, Independent, or Republican parties will be able to vote on the above non-partisan contests as well as select the party nominee for partisan offices like US Congress, Governor, and state legislature.

6. If you registered to vote or changed your registration after April 1, you will likely receive two different ballot mailings. That is okay! It takes days to print and prepare over 2.6 million ballots, and your change may have come in after the process started. Return the second ballot which will be for your updated registration. Don’t worry, we know who was sent more than one ballot, and we’ll make sure only one is counted. If you return them both, we will only count the one for your current registration.

7. You can now register to vote when you are 16 years of age, but you will not be able to vote until you are 18.

8. The election process is open to the public. Anyone can come into their county elections office and observe the process of testing the equipment, verifying signatures, opening the ballot envelopes, counting the ballots, and witnessing a recount, if there is one. Contact your county elections office for details.

9. A security feature of vote by mail is that we compare the signature on every ballot envelope to the signature in the voter registration file. If signatures match, the ballot is counted. If the signatures doesn’t match, the ballot will not be counted and the voter will be notified.

10. Specific instructions will be provided for nonmatching signatures. The instructions must be followed to have your ballot counted.

I want to reiterate the importance of voting in every election. Thank you in advance for fulfilling this important civic duty.

The word “county” is from the Middle English word conte, meaning the office of a count. However, a county within the United States, defined by Merriam-Webster’s dictionary as “the largest territorial division for local government within a state,” is based on the Anglo-Saxon shire, which corresponds to the modern county. Counties were brought to the United States by the English colonists and were established in the central and western parts of the United States by the pioneers as they moved westward.

Early county governments in Oregon were very limited in the services they provided. Their primary responsibilities were forest and farm-to-market roads, law enforcement, courts, care for the needy and tax collections. In response to demands of a growing population and a more complex society, today’s counties provide a wide range of important public services, including, public health, mental health, community corrections, juvenile services, criminal prosecution, hospitals, nursing homes, airports, parks, libraries, land-use planning, building regulations, refuse disposal, elections, air pollution control, veterans services, economic development, urban renewal, public housing, vector control, county fairs, museums, dog control, civil defense and senior services.

Originally, counties functioned almost exclusively as agents of the state government. Their every activity had to be either authorized or mandated by state law. However, in 1958, an amendment to the Oregon Constitution authorized counties to adopt “home rule” charters, and a 1973 state law granted all counties power to exercise broad “home rule” authority. As a result, the national Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations has identified county government in Oregon as having the highest degree of local discretionary authority of any state in the nation.
Nine counties have adopted “home rule” charters, wherein voters have the power to adopt and amend their own county government organization. Lane and Washington were the first to adopt “home rule” in 1962, followed by Hood River (1964), Multnomah (1967), Benton (1972), Jackson (1978), Josephine (1980), Clatsop (1988) and Umatilla (1993).

Twenty-eight of Oregon’s 36 counties, including the nine with charters, are governed by a board of commissioners comprised of three to five elected members. The remaining eight less populated counties are governed by a “county court” consisting of a county judge and two commissioners.

February 28, 2018
Opinion Piece By Steve Scheer
 
Citizens of Coos County, I have been asked what I intend to do about the current state of the County, should I be elected to office.  
 
Well, the answer to that question is nothing!  I’ll guess that’s probably the last thing you expected to hear, but I’d be lying to you if I didn’t say it.
 
Folks, I’m not a politician nor the Pied Piper.  As a single individual I can propose, but nothing will happen without your involvement.  I’m merely a common citizen like yourself who through my own involvement in County Government (Budget Committee, Planning Commission, and Noxious Weed Board) have come to believe that the concerns of we the Citizens of Coos County are not being heard by the current Board of Commissioners (BOC).  I’ve placed myself in a position through this campaign and these opines to educate you to what is going on in your County Government.  Some of you out there I’m sure are aware of at least some of what is going on, but like myself before I got involved most of you are probably sorely undereducated on this topic.  The purpose is to try and make you aware so that when you cast you ballot on May 15, 2018, you have the best information at hand in order to make the decision that represents your present and future welfare.
 
If you want change then it boils down to you!  You need to educate yourself, then support the candidate that your informed decision dictates, but most importantly no matter the result you must exercise your 1st amendment rights afterwards.  The surest way to get the attention of your elected officials is to make your voice heard over and over and over again.  This requires you to attend meetings, educate yourself on the issues and clamor that you be heard and taken seriously.  There is one caveat, you have the right to be assertive and persistent, but always be respectful.  Remember that there is always more than one side to an issue and we won’t always prevail.  The goal is to move the narrative and direction of how you want your County Government to operate, it doesn’t have to always be via a straight line.
 
It’s fundamentally necessary that any government official have only one master and that is the citizens they represent.   I believe in that concept so strongly I’ve neither asked nor will accept, campaign money from you or anyone else.  However I’m a realist and know that my opponent will spend vastly more money than I.  That’s why the outcome comes down to you.
 
Instead I’ve decided to focus on the issues rather than fluff, substance rather than conjecture, and the cold hard truth rather than a ‘pie in the sky’ promise that makes you feel that everything will be ok if you’ll just support me.  I can’t do that it’s not in my DNA, the truth as most of you know from just living life can be cold and hard, but we can face it together.  Whatever the outcome if we come together to support a common goal then we’ll become stronger, and at least change the direction and set in motion a process that those who follow us can build upon.  
 
This election is not only about fixing the present, but securing the future for those generations not yet able to vote.  Seldom in life do any of us have a chance to make a difference in the community that we live.  Most of the time that is left to some wealthy individual who donates money for the construction of some edifice that usually ends up bearing the family name.  However, you the ordinary forgotten citizens of Coos County, stand at this critical crossroads in time.  Your present and future actions give you the opportunity to leave a more important and lasting mark as any memorial could.  What you have a chance to do will last for generations, and will be spoken of over and over by those whose gift you had the foresight to create.  It will be something that will never fade, rust or deteriorate with time but perpetually shine as a tribute to your vison, deeds and sacrifice.
 
The road that we’ll have to travel, will be rough and full of obstacles along the way.  To take back what was once yours is never easy.  Inertia has set in and it will take time to correct the situation.  This is what you can expect in the present and near future.
 
Are you up to the task?  I believe you are.  I feel I know the type of people you are.  I have a friend who I think is one of the most brilliant people I know.  As a fabricator and welder he’s one of the best.  To hear him talk though you wouldn’t know it.  He is one of least self-assuming people that I’ve ever met, but always willing to help his family and friends in little ways that go mostly unnoticed.  He is the type of person that in event of a natural disaster you would look to repair the damaged infrastructure, and he would.  He is really you the ordinary, underappreciated and overlooked citizens of Coos County.  Without you things don’t get done.  Never forget that.
 
That is the citizen of Coos County I know and believe in.  There is nothing you can’t accomplish because you are a resourceful people full of hope, courage, skills and dedication to bring forth a better life for yourselves and family.  Don’t sell yourselves short, your destiny is now before you, all you have to do is embrace it.

March 14, 2018
Opinion Piece By Steve Scheer
 
Citizens of Coos I’d like to share with you some of my thoughts concerning what I’ll call missed opportunities and dumb ideas by your County government and their possible ramifications.
 
The first item is the instituting a $5 per vehicle recycling fee at the Beaver hill Disposal Site.  This fee is fixed unlike regular garage which is calculated by the volume you dispose of.  Here again this was never brought before the budget committee last year so we had no chance to critique its significance on either the budget or its long term consequences.  I’m afraid that this policy will lead to additional dumping along county roads or its inclusion into regular garbage or both.  The first action will result in increased roadside cleanup and disposal costs at Beaver Hill without generating any revenue to show for it.  The second action could result in little or no increase in fees and subsequent loss of recycling revenue to the County.  It also imposes an additional burden on those citizens on fixed incomes.  The 2017-2018 budget shows the Solid Waste department with a $1,400,000 beginning balance and a $300,000 Waste Disposal Reserve.    Solid Waste receives no money from the General fund.  This therefore falls into the category of a dumb idea. 
 
The second item is the North Bend Annex.  The budget committee toured this facility 2 summers ago, the upshot being that they county wanted to dump this asset for little to nothing to anyone willing to take it off their hands once Coos Health and Wellness and State courts vacated.  During the tour I noticed and confirmed through our guide that there are 10-12 holding cells in the lower level of the East section.  This section could have been remodeled and brought back into service as a Sheriffs satellite station.  People arrested in the cities of Lakeside, North Bend and Coos Bay could have been processed there and if the County Jail was full then released from there instead of Coquille.   If the suspect needed to be transfer to the County Jail they could be housed at the annex until a van was scheduled to make the trip.  The van could also have brought back released prisoners to those cities alleviating Coquilles jail dumping problem.   This would have benefited Coquille who saw a large uptick in crime associated with those released suspects now trying to find a way back to their originating city.  The Cities mentioned would have also benefited by not having to pay the costs associated with transferring the suspects to Coquille, not to mention the removal of officers from their patrol duties within their cities while they were transporting suspects 40 plus miles round trip.  In addition a marketing study could tell us if it would pay to update the entire annex, with an eye towards creating another profit center for the County.  One idea could be retail space on the ground floor with residential housing for low income veterans on the upper floor.  Any profits could offset the Sheriff satellite station.  This therefore falls into the category of a missed opportunity.  
 
The third item is the Whiskey Run Bike trail.  This was announced with great fanfare over the summer, and there have been glowing reports about the interest it has generated from within the State and West Coast.  Last summer as part of the Forestry Departments tour we walked about a mile of this 9 mile trail, which is expect to be eventually about 30 miles long.  The most lasting impression I had of that walk, was how dark it was under the heavy forest canopy, and that there existed in my opinion several areas where the safety of the riders could be subject to criminal activity.  My understanding is that the County has no plans to address this issue.  Remember this part of the overall trail resides on Coos County Forest property.  If any criminal act occurred there the County could find itself facing legal action.   A possible solution would be to create a Riley Ranch style park near the trail.  This could generate cash flow to the County, but also like Riley Ranch, permanent caretakers’ and Sheriffs presence could be established there with regular patrols of the area to mitigate the possibility of harm to the public and corresponding risk assessment that all our County Parks must address for our insurance carrier.  This therefore falls into the categories of a poorly thought out idea and a missed opportunity.
 
The fourth item is the BLM Bastendorf beach park.  It’s my understanding that the County recently had the opportunity to purchase this oceanfront park from BLM for $1.  For whatever reason our current Board of Commissioners (BOC) failed to follow through.  How often do you get a chance to secure a prime piece of oceanfront property that when combined with the Counties bluff located Bastendorf Beach park create a unique park site found nowhere within a hundred miles of its location.  As at Whiskey Run a caretaker presence with regular Sheriffs’ patrols within the park area should be able to alleviate problems associated with illegal camping and disturbances.   I broached this subject to one member of the BOC during a County park tour 2 summers ago, and was told that it was undevelopable because it didn’t have sewer.  I told him that our bluff park already was connected to sewer and all it would require at the beach park would be to gravity feed to a collection station and then pumped uphill to the bluff park where it could be gravity fed to the existing sewer service there.   That BOC member wasn’t interested.  This therefor falls into the category of a missed opportunity.
 
Folks, the County can’t wait to hit the jackpot on some lawsuit, or hope that timber receipts rise to their old record highs.  In order for the County to get out of its fiscal mess it going to have to be innovative and seek financial opportunities wherever it can find them.  The county needs to do this on its own.  It needs to control its own destiny.

March 21, 2018
Opinion Piece By Steve Scheer​
 
Citizens of Coos County, Budget Committee public hearing time has rolled around again.  This week I’ll share with you my observations covering the first two days.
 
There has been a lot of hyperbole going around about the proposed budget and what it means.  In reality it’s the same old budget crises as in past years, just incrementally worse.  However the Board of Commissioners (BOC) is again trying to spin it as something they have no control over.  
 
The budget message stated that last year’s budget was balanced from the Forest Reserve Fund, but is now empty.  By law the BOC must deliver a balanced budget to the Budget Committee.  The projected $2.3 million shortfall was balanced through a drawdown of the Forestry Five Year Rolling Average of Revenue Received in that amount.  This action if approved will reduce future yearly payments to the general fund.
 
I listened over those two days as department after department stated that they could survive the 10% budget cut request, but only for a year.  This essentially was by a ‘wing and a prayer’ approach.  Example after example showed how critical infrastructure whose life expectancy was running out, needed replacing.  If money is not budgeted for those contingencies then catastrophe results could be expected if their failure occurred.  The most notable of these were within the County Clerk and Information Technology departments.
 
The Sheriff is even subject to a 10% reduction even though as I explained in the January 3, 2018 Sentinel issue, the BOC memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Bandon Dunes doesn’t allow the Sheriff’s budget to fall below the 2016-2017 operating budget level.  The 2017-2018 Sheriff’s budget is 15.61% higher than the 2016-2017 level due mainly to a $1+ million increase in Capital outlays with the rest due to increases in personnel and material & services.  Therefore the question to be asked is what the definition of operating level is.  I guess that’s one for the lawyers to decide.  In any case a 10% reduction from 2017-2018 levels would be $1,129,300.  That’s half the projected $2.3 million shortfall.  Without a Sheriff’s reduction of 10%, a drawdown of the Forest Rolling Average Fund will have to occur.
 
The more interesting development is that despite an impassioned defense of their budget by the Assessor and his Deputy, the BOC didn’t heed the detailed examination of their narrative which included innovative budget cut considerations.  The BOC doesn’t allow individual departments to innovate, but forces them instead to conform to their approach.
 
The Assessor proposed that two employees who are willing to voluntarily forego full health insurance because their spouse also have coverage, be allowed to do so.  This would result in $24,600 savings.  The Assessor has 15 employees, if the same ratio held over the approximate 150 general fund employees this could generate a savings of $246,000 per year.  This is not an uncommon practice in private industry.  I once participated for over 10 years in one such plan.  I even received a small stipend for doing so.  The county could say offer $75 per month for someone to enter the program.   This would reduce the savings to $224,000, but still significant, and the employee(s) could opt out if their spousal insurance coverage changed.
 
It also came out during the hearings that there have been pay increases for Department heads and numerous classification changes during the past Fiscal Year.  Remember in last week’s issue what I said about the BOC request for salary increases for themselves and Department heads?  It appears that they are indeed creating a problem with salaries within the county in order to justify salary increases for themselves.  A reasonable person would asked why under such miserable budgetary conditions the BOC would be allowing these actions to occur.  The only logical conclusion that can be drawn is that they don’t care.  Money to them grows on trees (pun intended), but their fiduciary responsibility to you the taxpayers doesn’t. 
 
I asked three years ago why the county doesn’t outsource its payroll?  They said they wouldn’t save any money by doing so.  This is a function best left to professionals, especially with all the mandated federal and state tax and HR changes that occur each year.  They take care of all that updating for you, freeing staff time.   I once worked for a company whose payroll division was the largest payroll processor in the county.  With millions of clients it’s hard to accept that the county couldn’t save money by outsourcing that work.
 
Accountability has to stop somewhere.  The BOC doesn’t think it rests with them, as one member stated ‘we don’t have a crystal ball’.  Well folks they have the next best thing, but don’t choose to implement it.
 
During the 2015-2016 hearings I asked the budget officer if she would prepare a 3 year budget projection going forward.  The projection showed deepening budget shortfalls over that period, which included this year.  This tool was not carried forward by the new budget officer the past two years.  The only logical explanation is, it gives the BOC ‘plausible deniability’.
 
All good entities have a budget projection document that forecasts over say a 5 year period where each department and aggregately where the entity is headed.  This strategic document is updated annually and compared to current budgets to determine how well the forecasting model performed.  However it most valuable function is identifying revenue and expenditure trends.  In addition it’s a way for departments to keep the executive team informed of which capital improvements may need to be replaced or updated.  These items obsolescence can then be planned and budgeted for in an orderly fashion.
 
Finally, two recurring theme presented themselves over the first two days.  The first is those departments making presentations, felt a strong sense of responsibility to keep the County Government running efficiently.  They also were willing to assist the BOC in carving out a 10% reduction.  They were good team players.  The second was that the BOC doesn’t reciprocate their loyalty.  It’s the BOC failure to adequately forecast its budget which places those departments in their current straits.

March 28, 2018
Opinion Piece By Steve Scheer
 
Citizens of Coos County, week two of the Budget Committee public hearings has ended.  This week I’ll share my observations covering days 3&4.
 
The Board of Commissioners (BOC) had decided on the first day of budget hearings to require all departments to submit a budget with a 10% cut.  Applied across the entire budget it would have eliminated the $2.3 Million shortfall.
 
As stated in last week OpEd, those departments presenting then were able to do so, and still carry out their primary functions.  This week was different.  
 
The first day covered law enforcement including the Sheriff, District Attorney, Animal Control, LNG and Dispatch.  The upshot is that with a 10% cut, law enforcement in Coos County as we now know it, would cease to exist.  The highlights include elimination of 5 position in the Criminal Division.  The Jail would have to close the 49 bed pod just opened, and under one scenario have to eliminate the entire 98 beds, leaving 8 holding cells, requiring the County to contract with other entities to provide beds.  Dunes and Marine would be similarly impacted.
 
The District Attorney would have to reclassify misdemeanors as violations.  For example thief in the 3rd degree (less than $100), disorderly conduct in the 2nd degree (refusing to leave a place of business) would not be prosecuted.
 
The BOC of course acted as if they were traumatized at the news, and immediately ceased consideration of any such draconian cuts.  Their reaction was indeed theatrical to anyone in the room who’s followed the budgeting process the last 4 years.  The consequences of a 10% cut was not a surprise.
 
The second day covered Coos Health and Wellness (CHW), Juvenile, Forestry, and Road Department (Note: I was absent for the Road Department presentation).
 
CHW is the Counties growth department.  They have grown to 103 employees.  Increased their revenue side by $1.5 million dollars, and have a budget matching the County’s General Fund in dollars.  They just moved into a new multimillion dollar building in Empire.
 
Juvenile is working under the same limitations as the other law enforcement agencies, and was also given a pass.
 
Forestry did tweak the overharvest schedule from 5 years to 3-4 years, but since they have no written plan, it’s hard to take them seriously.  The BOC did propose a formula for splitting the overall harvest revenue between the 5 year rolling average and a reserve fund they’ve created to handle the overharvest funds.  The reserve is supposed to be dedicated to buying additional timber land, but is not binding on the current or future BOC’s.  Remember last week I informed you that the 2017-2018 budget was balanced from the Forestry reserve fund.  Therefore when the budget meets reality, nothing is off limits.
 
In addition two items appeared from the Sheriff outside of the 2018-2019 budget plan.  These I would classify as capital improvement projects.  
 
The first is a new estimated $1.5 million outlay to update the currently antiquated County communication system.  The system is unreliable, and doesn’t provide 100% County Wide coverage.  The proposal creates a quasi-partnership with Coos Forest Protective to provide a shared infrastructure that all agencies including rural fire could use.
 
The second is a Dispatch software upgrade.  The current vendor has hiked the software licensing fees in some cases 1000% (that’s not a typo).  The increases are to pay for a future software upgrade that may be available in 3 years.  The current software limitations, and because there is no assurance the price increase will result in an upgrade, the Sheriff is proposing migration to a new more stable vendor.  The estimated cost is $300,000.
 
To be fair, the Sheriff has been sounding alarm bells for at least 3 years that the County communication system was approaching its life expectancy.
 
The first four days had in my opinion the feel of a staged event.  BOC members requesting 10% cuts of departments, knowing beforehand it wouldn’t be possible.  Then taking line in the sand stands that this department or that will be saved, because the need is so great.  Folks this is grandstanding, this budget is the 6th this BOC has worked on together.  They should know the effect any change they make will be.
 
The budget will be balanced, it has to be by law.  Every year the BOC reveals on the last day once all the cost cutting has been done, additional sources of revenue only they know about.  In addition two departments haven’t been heard from yet because they’re non-general fund departments.
 
The first is Waste Disposal.  As stated previously they have a $1.4 beginning balance from last July, and a $300,000 Reserve.  Money has been appropriated from this department in the past to offset budget shortfalls.
 
The second is the Parks Department.  The BOC has transferred $140,000 and $155,800 the last two years to the general fund.  Actually those monies should have been returned to the Forestry Reserve fund since the construction of the Riley Ranch dune Access Bridge was funded from it.  Though it doesn’t really matter, since the BOC raided the Forestry Reserve fund last year anyway.
 
The BOC is also considering returning entire departments to the State.  Those mentioned prominently are Elections and the Assessor.  This is not a good idea.  We the taxpayers of Coos County will still be on the hook to the State for its cost, but without citizen oversight.  Once again the BOC would be abdicating its budgetary responsibility.
 
If additional money is still needed the BOC will just reduce the original $2.3 million contribution from the 5 year rolling average fund, by those cost savings generated, transfers from other departments, other revenue they’ve been hiding and call the budget balanced.
 
Since there is no long-range budget forecast model, next year will find them incrementally worst.  Unfortunately the 5 year rolling average will be lower due to this year’s drawdown, and the Forestry reserve fund may not contain any funding yet.  Remember all timber sales allow the buyers up to three years to harvest, though they must make yearly progress payments.  Doesn’t matter, it probably won’t be enough, but who cares, remember the BOC has stated they don’t have a ‘crystal ball’.

Cascade Policy Institute recently commissioned economist Eric Fruits, Ph.D. to do a comparative analysis of nine Western states with large Common School Trust Land portfolios to determine under what circumstances it might make sense for states to sell these lands and invest the net proceeds into stocks, bonds, and other financial instruments.

Management of Oregon’s 1.5 million acre portfolio of Common School Trust Lands has long been a contentious issue. Twenty-five years ago, Oregon Attorney General Charles S. Crookham issued an opinion clarifying that Common School Trust Lands must be managed primarily for revenue maximization.

But environmental groups have repeatedly lobbied and litigated to eliminate revenue generation from the Trust Lands, claiming that commodity production is an outdated concept. They finally succeeded during 2013-15, when Oregon’s Trust Land portfolio lost $360,000/year in net operating income. Those losses had to be paid for by Oregon public school students.

In his report, A Proposal to Generate Adequate Returns from Common School Trust Lands, Dr. Fruits concluded that revenue generated for schools by the Oregon Common School Trust Lands likely would go up by 600% if the lands were sold and the net income were invested in the existing Common School Fund.

Submitted by Avery Horton <averyhorton@gmail.com>
Reply|Fri 4/6, 12:54 PM

VOTE FOR AVERY HORTON – REDUCE YOUR TAXES


How did you feel when the commissioners voted to raise their salaries? If elected, I will put my money where my mouth is - I will do the job for half the salary. I am passionate about disaster preparedness, so I will donate every other paycheck to the Emergency Management Department in the Sheriff's Office to be used to help Coos County citizens become better prepared.


When Coos County voters decided against the transient lodging tax, my opponent basically called them stupid:


"The voters didn't know enough about it or the specifics so it's two legs of the same stool," Cribbins said. The World, Nov 3, 2015.


How much longer are you willing to tolerate an arrogant tyrant as your county commissioner?


My focus will be in 3 areas:
​

1. Eliminate waste;
2. Reduce bottlenecks;
3. Get rid of the deadwood.

Let me tell you how I will vote on matters:


Is it unconstitutional? YES – vote against.


Is it an unnecessary increase in taxes? YES – vote against.


Is it an unnecessary restriction of the citizens' freedom? YES – vote against.


Does it go against commonsense? YES – vote against.

I know how the game is played. I worked for Coos County. Departments make sure they spend all of their money so they can ask for more. NOT ON MY WATCH!!


Many citizens do not trust their government nor their elected officials and for good reason. There has been a continuing violation of trust. Our local, state and federal elected officials have lied, withheld information, broken their promises, engaged in wasteful practices, wasteful purchases and inequitable distributions not to mention favoritism. It is time to stop this behavior on the part of our elected officials. I have been on the receiving end, so I know how it feels.


If there are no consequences for poor performance, then performance does not improve. Under my watch, there will be consequences.


How do you feel when you call the county and get told, “They're in a meeting”? It seems like they are always in a meeting. Have you ever heard, “They are busy working”? Under my watch, time wasting meetings will cease to exist.


Most public meetings are held during the 8 – 5 work day, and for good reason. It would be added expense to have County Counsel and the Recorder work past 5 PM. To give the citizens a chance to be heard, I will try to hold at least one “old fashioned” town hall meeting each month at 7 PM in various locations around the county. These meetings will be informal. Citizens will be allowed to talk for longer than 3 minutes. Citizens will be allowed to applaud. In other words, citizens will be given the chance to be heard and treated with dignity and respect. How does that make you feel?

Our current county commissioners have had years to get the job done but have failed to produce desirable results. They are not going to change. Expecting different results from the same people is insanity. I, for one, do not believe my fellow Coos County citizens, voters and taxpayers are insane. Please prove me right. Vote for Avery Horton, County Commissioner #3!!

--
Avery T. Horton, Jr.
520.603.8107

Coos County Property Re-appraisal

The Coos County Assessor’s Office is pleased to announce the continuation of reappraisal of all Coos County properties for 2018.

Beginning in April, our Appraisal staff will start reappraisals in the area east of Coos Bay and continue working to the west through the cities of CB/NB to the Charleston area. The process is expected to last through the end of August. Annually, a different portion of the county will be visited, with the entire county slated for re-appraisal within the next several years. Each year in March or April, the area to be reappraised will be announced in local papers and broadcast media.

At your property, a visual inspection will be made from the street. If the property is not visible from the street or changes are noted, the appraisers will knock on the door to introduce themselves. If you would prefer to be present at the time of the visit, please call or email us now to make arrangements to meet, and give us a daytime contact phone number. If no one is home at the time of the visit, they will complete an exterior inspection of the property and leave a card with our contact phone numbers if you should have any questions.

Reappraisals are done to ensure the accuracy of the inventory in the Assessor’s records and to check that assessment values are indicative of the market. It has been many years since a complete accounting has been done county-wide.

The public’s cooperation and assistance during this process is greatly appreciated.

​If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our office at (541) 396-7900, or Ron at (541) 396-7905, or by email at: rschaar@co.coos.or.us or sjansen@co.coos.or.us. 

One of the purposes of the referendum process is to keep local and state politicians in check.  The state of Oregon has a very liberal policy on rescinding bad laws or taxes that were enacted by city councils and county boards.
 
At the Coos County Board of Commissioners meeting on March 27, 2018, ALL THREE COMMISSIONERS voted to continue the urban renewal tax debt.  There are thirty-two million dollars in potential projects and any debt incurred over the twenty-year life of the plan is the responsibility of the taxpayer.  Since the vote was unanimous, it is hard to tell who is representing the people.
 
The commissioners started reviewing the North Bay URA plan back in August of 2017. During the meetings, Commissioner Main played both sides of the issue sending mixed messages, while Cribbins and Sweet repeatedly implied they were going to do everything possible to find out what the people thought about their plan of extending this public liability.   
 
However, the board scheduled all the meetings during the day when most people are at work. There was no town hall or public forum where the opposition and the supporters could debate the issue in free discourse in front of a live audience.   There was no opportunity for the people to hear both sides of the argument because the commissioners were only concerned with the opinion of the supporters of the agency.  Everyone else had to follow strictly mandated time constrictions, and the commissioners never allowed the opposition to give their power point presentation at any of the meetings.  
 
In fact, all Cribbins and Sweet had to do to find out what the people thought of the issue was to put the question on the ballot, but that would have revealed an ugly truth.  The truth is that most people do not support creating more debt for themselves or their children.  They certainly do not approve of using public money for the benefits of private development.  Cribbins and Sweet lied about their intentions, deceived the people, and denied them their authority to make the final decision.  After all, it is the taxpayer’s money, not the boards.  
 
Fortunate for the voters, they might get two chances to veto the commissioners and override these elected employees, but those opportunities depend on the actions of county voters. 
 
First, it is time to drain the swamp and give Cribbins and Sweet their walking papers. Start looking for new employees, especially when the old employees are guilty of deception.  In the upcoming primary in May, the voters have a couple of choices for candidates in both commissioner positions #2 and #3. 
 
Secondly, people can and should take back their authority by gathering signatures for the referendum petition filed by The Committee to Shut Down the Coos County URA.  A successful ballot measure would put the commissioners back in their place.  Our forebearers wrote the state’s constitution acknowledging the right to the redress of grievances so that the people could train their politicians to obey, which is what Cribbins, Sweet, and Main should have done for the people of Coos County. 
 
There will be a meeting to discuss the history and consequences of urban renewal and tax-increment financing at 7 pm on Friday, April 13, 2018, at the North Bend Library on Sherman Avenue.  Petitions will be available for registered voters to sign.  The campaign also needs volunteers to help circulate the petition. 
 
For anyone who cannot make the meeting, but would like to gather signatures can get copies by sending an email to cooscountywatchdog@gmail.com.  Please put “UR Petition” in the subject line.    There is a petition available to sign at The Sentinel Newspaper in Coquille, and Waterman’s Automotive in Bandon.
 
Otherwise, download a single signature sheet and find out more information at www.CoosCountyWatchdog.com.  
​

Related Posts Establishing the Timeline
Commissioner's URA Vote Triggers Tax Referendum ~ Meeting on Friday the 13th
Coos County Considering Ordinance to Extend UR Tax Debt March 27, 2018
Board of Commissioners Postpones Vote on Coos County Urban Renewal Agency
​Update on The Campaign to Shut Down the Coos County Urban Renewal Agency
Coos County Public Hearing on Extending the Urban Renewal Tax Debt Dec. 13, 2017
The Continuing Saga of the Coos County Urban Renewal Agency
​Coos County Board of Commissioners FINAL VOTE on Extending the URA Debt
Information on the Campaign to Shut Down the Coos County Urban Renewal Agency
Coos County Proposed Ordinance Adopting North Bay UR Plan ~ FOREVER
Coos County Commissioners Hearing on Extending the Debt of the North Bay URA
Cribbins & Sweet Utilize Voter Suppression on Urban Renewal Extension

Oregonians for Fair Elections has put forward a petition for the ballot in 2018. Rep Mike Nearman and Attorney James L. Buchal are the Chief Petitioners.

 The petition requires every voter in Oregon to prove citizenship. We think this is necessary because our laws have so many loopholes in them. There are non-citizens on the voter rolls.


Our website is www.oregoniansforfairelections.com There, any Oregonian can print, sign and mail the single singer petition to require all voters prove citizenship. I also attached our single signer page and the text of the petition language. 
The petition text gives all the ways a person can prove they are a citizen for purposes of this petition.
We also have another URL that goes to the same website: www.ORfive.com .

Here are the reasons we need Petition #5.
Oregon Voter paper application SEL 500 allows a person to register without any ID.

First, I want to remind everyone that it is a federal crime to lie on a registration form. The punishment is 5 years in prison and $125,000 fine.
Even so, Anyone can register to vote using a paper SEL500 registration card. You must attest that you are a citizen. Your word is good enough. You can skip the driver ID, the social security last 4 numbers or any other id. Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) state that if you only provide your name, address, date of birth and signature you will still be registered. We ask the question: How do you know the information is accurate if you don’t ask for proof? 

247.012 "(4)(a) Except as provided in ORS 247.125, if a registration card is legible, accurate and contains, at a minimum, the registrant’s name, residence address, date of birth and signature, the county clerk shall register the person.”

Non-HAVA voters are voters who have not met the federal qualification for ID. They can not vote on a federal race. Oregon has over 10,000 non-HAVA voters (Active and Inactive, Inactive voters can update their registration address as late as election day and still vote). 

Federal Voter Postcard Application allows people all over the world to register in Oregon without any ID.

The federal voter postcard application allows folks around the world to register without producing an ID, let alone proof of citizenship. To register the applicant only need to attest that they are a US Citizen and pick an Oregon residential address for registration (That puts you in a specific precinct for voting purposes). No one will check if you ever lived there. We asked the elections office and they do not check. In Oregon, you can pick any street corner as your residential address. A homeless shelter will work, even if it is out of business. You only need a working mailing address, anywhere in the world, to successfully register and get an Oregon ballot.

Federal Voter Postcard Application (FVAP) says you need some ID. But if you read the instructions it says you can just say you don't have the documents and you will be registered anyway.

“FVAP Application Section 1
"You must provide a State issued ID number. If you do not have a State issued ID number, provide the last four digits of your Social Security Number. If you do not have either of these numbers, you must enter in Section 6: "I do not have a State issued ID or Social Security Number". 

From Anywhere in the world, anyone will get an Oregon ballot as long as they have a working mailing address and say they are a US citizen. Who will put you in jail if you lie about being a US Citizen when you are located outside the US? NO ONE. The worst that happens is you are taken off the voter rolls.
Here are the instructions: https://www.fvap.gov/guide/chapter2/oregon#fpca
Here is the FVAP application: https://www.fvap.gov/uploads/FVAP/Forms/fpca.pdf


New in 2018. DACA and TPS get Driver Licenses, Oregon ID, and permits without verification of their documents or proving legal presence.
Measure 88 was a referendum over a law passed that gave driver cards, permits and licenses to illegal aliens in 2014, but was defeated by 66% of the vote. Still, the DMV administrative rules set up rules to allow DACA and TPS enrollees to get Oregon ID,  Licenses and Permits. 

The Real ID bill was passed in 2017 to meet the federal requirements of the DHS for air travel. This legislative session, HB4111 was submitted to meet funding requirements that surfaced over the implementation of the Real ID bill.

Subsequently, HB4111 was hijacked with an amendment that made the DACA and TPS enrollees rules set by DMV administrative rules part of the Oregon Revised Statutes. This amended bill passed the Legislature through contorted means but ended up passing.

HB4111 stipulated that DACA and TPS enrollees do not have to prove legal presence and that their documentation could NOT be verified by DMV. 

“SECTION 3. (1) Notwithstanding ORS 807.021 and 807.730, a person is not required to
provide proof of legal presence in the United States when applying for a limited term identification card, a limited term driver license or a limited term driver permit…”

“(2) Notwithstanding ORS 807.022, the department may not verify the documents described in this section.”

JURY DUTY RECORDS SHOW THAT NON-CITIZENS ARE GETTING ON OUR VOTER ROLLS
Our records request after the Automatic Voter Registration passed, found there are still non-citizens getting on the voter rolls. They were caught when they self-admitted they were not citizens when they answered jury duty call. This records request shows that some non-citizens are slipping through the cracks and corrupting our voter rolls. 

Oregon needs to make sure all voters are citizens. Please help us gather the 117, 578 signatures before July 2018 to get this on the ballot. It is simple to do. Go to our website: http://www.oregoniansforfairelections.com Print, sign, and mail the single signer sheet. Then share it with your friends and family.

Blessings,
Janice Dysinger
President
Oregonians for Fair Elections
503 757 0670

Please find the attached Election Notice and Sample Totals Report for the May 15, 2018 Primary Election.
Results will only be posted on the Coos County Website starting at 8:00pm on Election Day.
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to call our office.



Sincerely,
Marissa Lakey
Coos County Election Deputy
250 N Baxter St
Coquille, OR 97423
541-396-7610   Fax 541-396-1013

Submitted by Chris Brumbles

Counterfeit Virtue Sweeping the West

  The Radical Far Left has lost their mind… as if that’s something new, but this time they have totally divorced reality. They are not only trying to rid us of history, they are now trying to rid history of the American Revolutionary War. Do these people know nothing about what it is to be American?

  To be American is to be free. To be free, you own property, not the least is your own body. If you own your own body, you have a right to self-defense by any means necessary. American Philosophy says that you are a product of your Creator and are made in his image. Since you are made in the image of your Creator, certain traits were passed to you upon conception; these traits are called Unalienable Rights. These Rights cannot be taken or even given away, but the psychotic Far Left believe that they are Morally Superior to you and that they should be able to steal your private property and take away your Right to self-defense as they aggrandize themselves on their journey to extirpate Liberty once and for all.

  Obviously these clowns know nothing of history and as I’ve said, know nothing of being an American. History shows us that when you disarm populations and embrace Socialism, you die. History shows us that registration of firearms leads to confiscation… and then you die. These Fanatics and their useful idiots want all of this and more. They want to tell you what you can have, when you can have it, make you register it, tell you how to store it, prevent any more from ever being sold. They want to control if, when, and where you can transport your own private property, but most of all…they want all firearms confiscated from the public. Portland’s lunatics may have done Freedom loving Oregonians a favor though this time with their Counterfeit Virtue and Moral Superiority. Their arrogance has now awakened the sleeping Giant and may turn this state Red if we can stay mad until November.

  To the Portland Certifiable Far Left Radical Ameriphobes; switch from Kool-Aid to Tea. It makes you smarter and doesn’t rot your teeth. You may not have our PROPERTY or our RIGHTS. You may not endanger WE THE PEOPLE further in your demented pursuit to enslave us. So, if you want our property, COME AND TAKE THEM.

In Liberty,
Chris Brumbles
Columbia County Coordinator
Oregon Firearms Federation
Founder, OR Irregulars 3%

Commissioner Candidate Steve Scheer 
Name: Steve Scheer
            
Position:
            Coos County Commissioner Position #2
 
Educational Background:
Oregon State University B.S. General Agriculture
Southwestern Oregon Community College A.S. Business Technology
 
Occupation:
Retired / Software Engineer
 
Prior Occupation:
Software Engineer
Environmental Specialist
Public Health Sanitarian
 
Prior Government Experience:
Coos County Budget Committee
Coos County Planning Commission
Coos County Noxious Weed Board
Coos County Noxious Weed Board Cost Share Program
Coos Soil and Water Conservation District
Southwestern Oregon Airport Budget Committee
Port of Coos Bay Budget Committee
 
Candidate Statement:
Citizens of Coos County today we find ourselves at a crossroad and the direction you choose will shape your lives and those of future generations to come.  The County is currently experiencing a fiscal crisis that despite safeguards put in place by prior County Board of Commissioners (BOC) are now being ignored.
 
Spending exceeds revenue to such an extent that the current BOC has approved action that will overharvest our largest asset the County forest, leading to an intergenerational transfer of somewhere between $30-$120 million dollars over the next 40 years.   This will effectively guarantee an increase in taxes on future generations to make up the shortfall.
 
From the lack of an Open Door policy to the forfeiture of your first amendment rights to comment on pertinent business agenda items when they’re considered, your input is discouraged.  In order for the BOC to change and start listening to you the citizens of Coos County you must reclaim your historic role in government. 
 
There is still time to correct the course, but it will take the combined efforts of you the ignored people of Coos County and effective leadership to do so.  I would like to partner with you in accomplishing such a daunting task.
 
I further pledge the following:
Support Second Amendment Rights
Support County Fiscal responsibility
Support open door policy
Support relaxation of public comment rule
Support evening Board of Commissioner Hearings
Support expansion of County Forest
Oppose Coos County Administrator position
Oppose Urban Renewal extension
Oppose Bandon Marsh expansion
Oppose Community Enhancement Plan
Reported in:
www.CoosCountyWatchdog.com ~ Koosnews.com/local news – OpEd’s from The Sentinel newspaper

 04.02.18
 Another anti-gun ballot measure has been filed. As you can see, in this case one of the chief petitioners is not even an Oregon resident.
​
​This measure requires that firearms be locked up and may not be "transferred" without having trigger locks or being in locked containers.  Of course it is no longer even legal to transfer a firearm except to close family members unless the transfer is done through a dealer, so who is liable then?

Section 2 (sub 3  ) would hold you strictly liable for any injury that occurred five years after you transferred a firearm without a trigger lock . We'll update as we  analyze the latest hare-brained push by the mindless Bloomberg stooges.

Date:           April 2, 2018
Subject:        Initiative Petition 2018-044
On April 2, 2018, the Elections Division received Initiative Petition 2018-044, proposed for the November 6, 2018, General Election.
Subject Provided by Chief Petitioners

Oregonians for Safe Gun Storage and Reporting Lost/Stolen Firearms

Chief Petitioners

Henry Wessinger
1000 SW Vista Ave #1105 Portland, OR 97205

Vincenza Passalacqua
1704 19th St. NW #9 Washington, DC 20009

Paul Kemp
8710 SE 137th Avenue Happy Valley, OR 97086

To begin the ballot title drafting process, chief petitioners must submit 1,000 sponsorship signatures. If submitted, the Elections Division will process sponsorship signatures in accordance with the Statistical Sampling Procedures for State Petitions adopted under administrative rule OAR 165-014-0030.
More information, including the text of the petition, is contained in the IRR Database available at http://egov.sos.state.or.us/elec/web_irr_search.search_form. 

The Committee to Shut It Down will be having a meeting on Friday, April 13, 2018, at 7 pm in the North Bend Library on Sherman Street and the reason is due to a recent vote by the Coos County Board of Commissioners. 
 
On March 27, 2018, the Board voted to extend the urban renewal debt and the North Bay Urban Renewal Plan for another twenty years.  The maximum indebtedness is thirty-seven million dollars, and it is the responsibility of the taxpayers to pay it back.  
 
The BOC started this process in September of 2017 where at one meeting over seventy opponents attended, and they spoke out against the UR tax debt or extending the plan.  Many of them demanded that the commissioners put the ordinance on the ballot for the voters to decide. 
 
Unfortunately, ALL THREE COMMISSIONERS ignored the pleas of the public and voted unanimously to support this tax.  They saddled the taxpayers with two more decades of debt by enacting Ordinance 17-08-006L, which amends the plan to the county’s urban renewal agency until the year 2038.  The life expectancy of some of the current board members are shorter than the time it will take the next generation to pay off this debt,
 
In a twist, Commissioner Bob Main, who had been a very vocal longtime opponent of urban renewal decided to vote in favor of the plan and the ordinance.  Many of his supporters were very disappointed by the sudden reversal, but it was not surprising considering his past inconsistencies. 
 
Main used to be the renegade on the board with Cribbins and Sweet towing the line for the local political establishment, but this recent decision puts Main in the muck with the rest of the local swamp creatures.  It seemed to be a recklessly cavalier decision considering the election before last he only kept the commissioner position by 14 votes.  It is unclear where he will receive support in his next bid to retain the office.  
 
He explained himself by stating this, “While I do not like UR’s, I was able to modify the Coos County UR.   Removed was the additional tax levy on all Coos County tax payers ( if the UR was short funds ).  Also, any additional revenue from additional taxable value has to be approved by the county commissioners.  ( Jordan Cove as an example would have to be approved.  I do not see that happening because the county needs those funds for the jail, deputies, etc.)”
 
Fortunately, the voters will have a chance to terminate Bob Main as county commissioner in two years, but for now, Commissioners Cribbins and Sweet are up for reelection.   Both are facing multiple contenders so voters will have plenty of choices in the May primary.  
 
Interested parties can find more info on candidates at the county Elections Office’s website at www.co.coos.or.us/Departments/CountyClerk/Elections.aspx.
 
Insubordination is an intolerable act for elected employees, so several citizens have decided to file a TAX Referendum.  If the group collects enough signatures, the voters will get to make the final decision.  With the required number, plus extras for the ones the elections official might throw out, the committee will need to gather about 1300 signatures.  The campaign is an effort to eliminate, not only the tax but also the entire process of tax-increment financing in Coos County. 
 
Anyone interested in fighting for a lower tax debt should attend the “Shut Down the Coos County URA” meeting on Friday the thirteenth.  There will be petitions available to sign, and organizers will provide more in-depth explanations of how urban renewal and tax-increment financing is driving up taxes and property prices.  
 
For anyone who cannot make the meeting, but would like to circulate the petition and gather signatures can get copies by sending an email to cooscountywatchdog@gmail.com.  Please put “UR Petition” in the subject line.   
 
Download a single signature sheet and find out more information at www.CoosCountyWatchdog.com.