Submitted by Chris Brumbles,

What say ye!!

  The government was created by the people for one reason, to protect our Rights. What the government has forgotten, and unfortunately many people have also, is that the government is here to serve us, not the other way around.
 
More and more, we see our employees attempt to rule rather than to serve. Our employees let their ideology drive them instead of righteousness, reason, and morality. We watch as tyranny becomes the norm and cultural Marxism threatens our existence, and our Liberty.
 
Today we see politicians openly brag that they are socialists in a country that was founded on Judeo Christian principles, Natural Rights, as a Republic under the rule of law. Some fools refer to our country as “our democracy”; this has always been to spread confusion. Let there be no doubt, we are not, and have never been a democracy. The word Democracy is not in the constitution or in any state constitutions. You do not pledge allegiance to the democracy for which it stands. Democracy is mob rule, and the transforming of a Republic to an Oligarchy.
 
The end of government is justice, and justice is the absence of the theft of our property and Rights. Justice has been the first casualty in this cultural war started by traitors. Our country has been invaded from within by far left radicals who use political correctness, multiculturalism, censorship, and other forms of Marxist ideology to brainwash the masses, and totally extirpate our country, freedom, and our culture.
 
Our employees ignore our voices and care only about power and the next election as they destroy our children’s future, and lead them to chains. No place is this more evident than here in Oregon, where the legislature has gone completely off the reservation. The majority party pursues the complete fulfillment of the communist manifesto in a single session. They ignore the will of the people with impunity as they turn this state into the next Detroit, while destroying the rule of law, and criminalizing law abiding citizens.
 
If you live in Oregon, you have no justice unless you are a criminal, or illegal invaders; then you are the latest addition to the protected class. If you are a tax eating public employee union, the corrupt left will fill your coffers with plunder so that you may live the kings’ life in retirement and launder a portion to return to them. This cycle is vicious to people who just want to live and let live.
 
Let there be no doubt; there are no limits that the left will avoid in pursuit of their chimerical utopian dream. They enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought, reflection, or common sense.  They have declared war on the people of this great nation and will never stop. Their arrogance will not even allow them to hide it anymore.
 
We will not let the arrogance and tyranny of the left prevail. This great experiment in self-government will continue to exist and live on.  We will not comply with the illegal laws they pass, and we won’t be disarmed and wait for the boxcars. The constitution and Bill of Rights does matter, it is not outdated, and if they hate our country, let them move on. I will not say give me Liberty or give me Death, Liberty is not theirs to give, it is already given me by God and although my death will eventually come, when it does, I will be a Freeman. The only way to take my Liberty is by taking my life. What say ye!!

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

​​Letter to Sheriff John Hanlin
​
  I read an article dated January 31st that was discussing several of the illegal and unconstitutional anti-gun bills that have been presented in the legislature this session.  The article got really disturbing when Sheriff John Hanlin became part of the story. While Hanlin was being interviewed, he admitted that many of these new bills were probably unconstitutional, but he’d, “ leave it to the courts to decide, rather than using the county’s new Second Amendment Preservation Ordinance to refuse enforcement of its provisions.” Hanlin also claimed that the SAPO was meant as a “formal Statement”.

  As the NW coordinator for the Second Amendment Preservation Ordinance and now the Second Amendment Sanctuary Ordinance, please allow me to correct Mr. Hanlin, who obviously doesn’t have a clue as to why so many worked so hard on the SAPO.

  For more than a dozen years, our Natural Born Rights have been under constant attack by would be tyrants. Every gun law is illegal and the government actually has a mandate to leave our RIGHTS alone…it’s called the Bill of Rights. We won’t even mention that these bills would only affect people who have done nothing wrong and are only about control. What Sheriff Hanlin seems to forget is that he swore an Oath to protect and defend the Constitution and the people of his County. A Sheriff is directly elected by the people to protect their RIGHTS against all enemies of Liberty and we don’t let the “courts” decide what is constitutional. The “courts” are not the ultimate arbiter of the constitution, the constitution is and it was written so that the laymen would comprehend it. Everyone from the dog catcher to the President takes the Oath and it is not a ritual. If you enforce a law that you believe to be unconstitutional, you are usurping your authority and are therefore a tyrant.

  To be clear, the Second Amendment Preservation Ordinance was not meant to be a “formal statement”. Yes, it was meant to send a message, but it is also meant to protect the people from overreach. In Federalist 46, Madison gave us a few ways to deal with overreach and one of the peaceful ways was nullification. The SCOTUS has opinioned many times that a law that is not constitutional is void ab initio. I thought Sheriff Hanlin was a Constitutional Sheriff and am very disappointed in his latest. We are now pushing a Second Amendment Sanctuary Ordinance to take the whole thing out of the Sheriffs hands. We will protect our RIGHTS if our elected employees won’t.  

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

  Submitted by Chris Brumbles:

​Columbia County, this past November we passed the Second Amendment Preservation Ordinance to protect our Inherent Natural Born Rights and Salem has doubled down with more usurpations. In response, on January 1st, 2019 I filed a Second Amendment Sanctuary Ordinance that further protects our Rights.

  The county responded to prospective petition 19-1 by rejecting it, saying it was not one subject, that it didn’t have complete text, and that it was administrative in nature. We believe the premises of this rejection to be false and ideologically driven; we have filed a lawsuit and will continue to pursue the protection of your Rights. We will keep you updated. To help turn Oregon Counties into Sanctuary’s for our Rights, please contact Sanctuary Ordinance.com to help.
​
In Liberty,
Chris Brumbles
Columbia County Coordinator
Oregon Firearms Federation
P.S. Your tax money will once again, be used against We The People to defend the counties ridiculous attempt to obstruct and enslave. (Up to you to include this part or not Marty.) 

Submitted by Denny Powell

​​HELLO, MAYOR BENNETTI, CITY COUNCILORS.

I AM SPEAKING TONIGHT BECAUSE OF MY CONCERN FOR THE SAFETY, WELL BEING AND HEALTH OF MY FAMILY, PETS, AND NEIGHBORS.

FIRST I AM GOING TO ASK THE COUNCIL TO DO SOMETHING, THEN I AM GOING TO TELL A STORY.

ON TO IT. I AM ASKING THE COUNCIL TO PLACE ON YOUR AGENDA, SUBJECT, SMART METERS IN THE CITY OF COOS BAY.

I WANT THE COUNCIL TO ORIGINATE AN ORDINANCE, SPECIFYING THE ELECTRIC POWER PROVIDERS TO CITIZENS LIVING IN COOS BAY CAN OPT-OUT HAVING A SMART METER PLACED UPON THEIR RESIDENCE, OR THEIR PROPERTY.  AND THERE WILL BE NO,  OPT-OUT CHARGE, OR FEE OR INCREASE OF RATES BECAUSE OF THE OPT-OUT.

THE ORDINANCE MUST ALSO INCLUDE THAT THE CUSTOMER CAN REQUEST TO HAVE A NON COMPUTERIZED  ANALOG METER PUT BACK IN SERVICE, IF IT HAS BEEN REPLACED WITH A DIGITAL METER OR SMART METER, WITH OUT ANY CHARGES OR FEE OR INCREASE OF BILLING COST.

NOW, WILL THE COUNCIL OF COOS BAY STEP UP, JOIN OTHER COMMUNITIES/CITIES/AND COUNTIES OF THE STATE OF OREGON TO STOP THE NO CHOICE EXTORTION FEE DRIVEN SMART METER ROLLOUT BY THE POWER COMPANIES, SUPPORTED BY THE OREGON PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION.

THE PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION IS NOT DOING THEIR JOB TO PROTECT THE THE CITIZENS OF OREGON. THEY HAVE GIVEN THEIR APPROVAL TO THE POWER COMPANIES ROLL OUT OF SMART METERS. WHILE REFUSING TO ALLOW PUBLIC INPUT OR EVIDENCE. 

AND, DAM, IF YOU DON’T WANT ONE ON YOUR PROPERTY OR RESIDENCE THE COMMISSION GRANTED THE POWER COMPANIES THE AUTHORITY TO PUNISH CUSTOMERS WITH A $36.00 CHARGE PER METER PER MONTH. IT IS ILLEGAL TO CHARGE SOME CUSTOMERS FOR METER READING AND NOT OTHERS. SMART METERS COST MORE TO READ THEIR POWER, NEW METERS, NEW ANTENNA’S, NEW EMPLOYEES, NEW INFRASTRUCTURE ETC. THIS IS PUNITIVE AND EXTORTION.

THE COUNCIL NEEDS TO STEP UP TO PROTECT THEIR CITIZENS FROM, WHAT, YOU SAY, FROM:

FIRE RISK
INCREASE BILLING
CHOICE TO OPT-OUT WITH-OUT A CHARGE
HOME SPYING
CONSTANT HIGH POWER RF (RADIO FREQUENCY) & MICROWAVE PULES
    10,000 TO 190,000 PER METER, PER DAY 24/7
STORY:

I CALLED THE POWER COMPANY SMART METER OPT-OUT PHONE NUMBER LAST WEEK TO OPT OUT 4 METERS

THEY WANTED TO VERIFY, THAT I UNDERSTOOD THERE WILL BE $36.00 PER MONTH PER METER CHARGE. I PROTESTED, BUT TOLD THE PERSON I UNDERSTOOD.

I ALSO TOLD THE PERSON ON THE PHONE I WANTED ONE OF THE METERS, WHICH HAD BEEN CHANGED TO DIGITAL READER, TO BE REMOVED AND THE ANALOG METER PUT BACK IN PLACE.

HE TOLD ME THEY NO LONGER HAVE ANALOG METERS,
   “OH WELL” HAY

ENVISION HERE WITH ME FOR A MOMENT, IN YOUR MINDS EYE, LIVING IN A BUILDING HAVING A CLUSTER 15 SMART METERS, PULSING, EACH ONE 10,000 TO 190.000 RF, MICROWAVE. PULSE PER DAY, 24/7.

YOU WOULD BE LIVING INSIDE A MICROWAVE OVEN.

THIS WHOLE CITY OF COOS BAY IS GOING TO BE INUNDATED WITH MILLIONS AND MILLIONS  OF THE RF MICROWAVE PULSE 24/7 WHERE YOU LIVE, WHERE YOU WORK, WHERE YOU SHOP, AND WHERE YOU SLEEP.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. 

Ref: nosmartmeter.org


Denny Powell
737 N Broadway
Coos Bay OR 97420

Submitted by Chris Brumbles,

What I learned from the 2018 Oregon Midterm

  Well, the midterm elections are over and here in Oregon we came away with some good things, some bad things, and some unexplainable craziness. This year we had a chance to get rid of our sanctuary status as a State, but you guessed it, the perpetually offended insane rioting class in Portlandia voted it down. Surely they would vote to end taxpayer funded murder of babies…nope, you must be able to murder babies and by golly, the taxpayers need to pay for it. Accountability must be avoided.

  Oregonians have been voting No on sales taxes for over 35 years, but in this midterm, they voted to allow the State to tax FOOD. How insane is that; the ten new taxes passed by the Demonrats in the last year, adding up to over a billion dollars is not good enough, they can now tax FOOD. Did I mention that in the last couple of sessions, the Oregon legislature and Crazy Katherine have passed around 6 new business taxes along with a $15.00 an hour minimum wage that will have Oregon looking like Detroit when they all reach full enactment? Good times.

  I have met many good Republicans around the State, but the State leadership for the GOP are a bunch of timid fellas who decided to get behind Knute the knot head Bueller . Bueller is an arrogant know it all who decided to run as a Republican, but to campaign as a Demonrat.  Pro-abortion, pro- special privileges for gays, lesbians and gender pretenders, anti-gun, anti-American, and as far as I can tell, hasn’t one principle in his whole makeup. Glad to see that the GOP at the State level is at least consistent…too afraid to take a stand, but at least perfectly willing to bend over and touch their toes. I read a story the other day that said that the Oregon Governor race has come down to between 3-5 points every year for over 20 years…this year it wasn’t even close. Crazy Corrupt Kate gave Ferris Bueller a day off and didn’t even break a sweat. Hey GOP, its spelled P-R-I-N-C-I-P-L-E-S. You have to stand for something, kicking your base in the berries doesn’t work.
​
  On a good note, Patriots in Oregon put the Second Amendment Preservation Ordinance on the ballot in 10 Counties and it passed in 8 of them. We already had SAPO’s in 5 counties and this is just the beginning. Our next venture is the Second Amendment Sanctuary Ordinance. The SAPO makes it illegal for counties to enforce unconstitutional gun laws written since 2012, and makes the Sheriff the go to guy to determine what laws are unconstitutional. Because people have complained that not all Sheriffs obey their Oath, the SASO will make it illegal for counties to enforce ANY gun laws period. We thank Michael Boldin and the Tenth Amendment Center for writing this law for us and for their guidance. Yes we are prepared for the tyrants and oath breakers to come out calling us extreme or radical, but we will remember to consider the source and that they live in opposite world every day.
 
In Liberty,
Chris Brumbles
Columbia County Coordinator
Oregon Firearms Federation ​

Submitted by Randy Waters,

​​NOW THAT THE ELECTIONS ARE OVER.
What have we gained? We're still in the same boat. Seven counties took control of Oregon and left the other twenty nine counties in the control of seven and without representation!.

Where do we go from here?

It's time to get our act together. It's time we got out from under the thumb of Portland. It's time we demand equal representation throughout our wonderful state. Unfortunately the only way we can do that is to form our own state, The State of Jefferson, out of the rural counties in Oregon. Each county will get one Representative. We will encourage logging and milling our own trees instead of sending them overseas to be milled. We will encourage mining instead of importing the metals and minerals we need. We will encourage farming and ranching to raise the food for our consumption. We will encourage tourism and invite people to move into our new state.

As a new state we will demand to be made whole and equal to the original 13 states by filing under the “Equal Footing Doctrine” which means that the state retains control of all public land that is now being managed by USFS and BLM.
I can't do all of this by myself. I need people to help run information booths, pass out brochures and inform as many people in each of our rural counties as we can. We need support of everyone in our counties in order to accomplish this.

I meet each month on the second Wednesday of the month at Panthers Den Pizza and Deli in Gold Beach at 7:00pm. I also need someone to hold meetings in Brookings, Agness, Port Orford and Langlois. Set your own schedule. I'll help you get started! Come to a meeting or call me at 541-373-0259. My name is Randy Waters and I want to meet YOU!!
--
I'm willing to fight and die for my freedom, Are You???

Once upon a time in Tyrannical Oregon

  Once upon a time, there was a tyrannical town called Salem. Life was pretty good there for self-appointed Queen Kate and her despotic minions. Even under the control of the evil public employees union and the perpetually offended and confused village of Portlandia, the ideologues got everything that they wanted. Portlandia was so confused that they didn’t even know what bathroom to use, but these tax eaters were held above all tax payers in the state.

  These two looney bins joined forces in an effort to control, enslave, and force the good Americans to conform to their nutty ideology against their will. The Ameriphobes in charge cared nothing of history or logic and soon their repeated, failed Marxist policies, had them spending so much of OTHER PEOPLES MONEY that everyone’s grandchildren had a very bleak and indebted future indeed.

  Plunder of the good people’s money did not satisfy the evil would be tyrants, so they began a long train of the plundering of RIGHTS. The people of the state reluctantly went along with the theft of the fruits of their labor, but when the attack of their RIGHTS continued, the people acted. The people got fed up with the tyranny and decided to nullify the illegal laws that were being written. By putting the Second Amendment Preservation Ordinance on their county ballots, they could protect their God given RIGHTs, send a message to the Oligarchs in Salem, and avoid a Civil War.

  10 counties put the SAPO on their ballots with 17 more counties working on it for a future election. If you count the 5 counties that already have this law, nearly the whole state was in on it. You would think that the demented employees working for the people would take a hint, but they just made threats and promised more theft of RIGHTS.

  While the people were working on their SAPO’s, there was another group of people who thought they were morally superior to everyone. These useful idiots tried to put the ultimate evil agenda’s on the ballot, and they called them IP43 and IP44. These two Initiatives infringed every aspect of Liberty, and included confiscation of the peoples privately owned personal property. What the nutty zombies didn’t expect was for the Oregon Firearms Federation to ride in on a white horse with their lawyers blazing and put an end to their evil plot…for now.

  The people of one county called Columbia decided enough was enough. Columbia County showed their contempt for the Autocracy in Salem by putting their SAPO on the ballot first and leading the way for the other nine. They decided to elect a Sheriff that would support the SAPO and their RIGHTS. The only real choice that they had was Lt. Brian Pixley, who was on the record saying he would support the people, the SAPO, and would be the PEOPLES SHERIFF. His main competition tip toed around questions instead of answering them, was fuzzy on the constitution, and there was a question of cronyism in his campaign. Most of the money he was receiving was coming from a fired ex deputy and many questioned the reasoning behind it. What promises were being made that would get a fired ex deputy to spend $13,000.00 on a county election for Sheriff? There was also a concern of possible bullying tactics and dirty politics. The choice for the people was a no brainer, they needed a PEOPLES SHERIFF, not an ex Federal Agent that had trouble understanding the supremacy clause. They needed Brian Pixley.

  Now that Columbia County was about to pass the SAPO, and to elect a PEOPLES SHERIFF to protect their RIGHTS, they had another urgent problem to address. The people found out that their representative didn’t represent them at all. Brad Witt represented only himself and had been living off of the people long enough. Nearly 15 years in office and absolutely nothing accomplished. Now this Oath breaker wanted to steal the RIGHTS of our young adults and veterans, and make age discrimination legal for corporations. It was plain to see that Witt-less had to go.

  Luck would have it that a much better choice was running for Representative in District 31. Brian Stout, a business owner, got tired of all of the regulation and job killing taxes and decided to stand up for the people of Columbia County. With Brian Stout as their Rep, the people would finally have someone in the house that would protect their RIGHTS. With the SAPO, Brian Pixley as the PEOPLES SHERIFF, and Brian Stout in the house, our county will be much safer and a better place to live. Let’s make it so. Please VOTE,…It truly matters.
​
In Liberty,
Chris Brumbles
Deer Island ​

​Dear Rob:   
 
I am a "nimby" but my backyard is the entire City of Bandon.
 
I am opposed to any large pool, public or private, anywhere in the City Limits of Bandon!  Here's why:
 
1.  It will be a huge strain on our already over burdened water system.
 
2.  The pool will not be self-supporting in the long run, becoming a net drain on city finances, and
 
3.  The liabilities it will involve:  if a child is molested at the pool, or if a person is drowned or disabled there and when medical conditions start to appear due to the toxicity of pool chemicals and human waste, the City of Bandon will be sued for damages.   
 
Max Hand
 
PS if you look back at letters to editor in 2012 you will see that I expressed this position then in the most vehement possible terms...more than once! 

Submitted by anonymous:

​WHY? 
 
Most residents of Bandon think a proposed pool site is next to the Youth Center.  
 
They are unaware of what City Council, the Planning Department and Parks  
 
and Recreation are doing under pressure from the pool lobby.  
 
 
On record at their Feb. 5, 2018 City Council meeting, the mayor and members  
 
of the Council state the many reasons why a pool would NOT be a good idea  
  
 in City Park. The 5-1 vote of the Council was “NO POOL in City PARK.” 
 
 
However, on Sept. 13, 2018 City employees from the aforementioned  
 
Departments, and at taxpayer’s expense, participated in an extensive  
 
“feasibility plan” in addition to plotting out sites IN the Park--the  
 
ones near the library and off Eighth Street being most favorable. 
 
 
The big question is “WHY?????”  Why did the City order this plan???  
 
 
As one of the 2/3 of the voters in 2012 who voted against the City having a pool,  
 
I think we deserve some answers. Many questions need to be addressed about  
 
liabilities and how our taxes would be used to support the infrastructure for a  
 
project a huge as this one.  Ten or more acres of cement could be poured over 
 
green areas in the park, streets could be reconfigured and many residents, not 
 
just the ones close to the park, would have their homes and lives impacted. 
 
 
At the Feb. 5 City Council meeting, the mayor and the head of City Council said 
  
if not in the Park they would consider “giving the pool lobby a different piece of 
  
City land.”   
 
 
WHY would this private enterprise be GIVEN a piece of City property in the Park  
 
or otherwise? If some other private enterprise such as a restaurant or a gas  
 
station lobbied heavily for a piece of City land would they be given it? 
 ​

​Most people who don't want a community swimming pool in their backyard, or in the city park, claim that it's okay with them if a self-funded organization builds one.

CC Watchdog seems to have always resisted the very idea.

  Presuming you're engaged in a quest for the truth, I have the honor to point out a few random errors which I hope to see you correct. 

Tons of cement will not be dumped in the city park. The correct term for the construction materials concrete. A 100,000 square foot building would be 316 feet on a side and would cost well over 15 million dollars. Obviously we envision no such project. Your informant is off by more than an order of magnitude. His information may come from a misheard remark or even a misprint, but anyone of ordinary intelligence would realize that the numbers make no sense.

And finally the citizens of Bandon never voted against a pool, but turned down a certain means of funding it, which is why we have had to turn to other sources.

Cordially,
Dan Green

Submitted Anonymously, 
 
The City Council  agenda for Oct. 2, 2018 included item # 8.31  Subject: Pool location in City Park, complete with maps and a recommendation signed by John McLaughlin, City Planning Director.
 
 We and at least three of our neighbors went specifically to hear this presentation and brought prepared three-minute comments that we were led to believe would be heard on the record.   We know many other concerned citizens who went in the hope of understanding what is going on and to ask questions.
 
However, when we arrived  and asked for the sign-up sheet to speak, Mary Schamehorn confronted us demanding to know the, “topic?”  When we said “pool” she stated  it was  NOT on the agenda and there would be no time to speak.  Apparently, the agenda had been changed  when it became known that an angry crowd may show up.
 
What is being hidden from the Citizens of Bandon and why were we denied the right to speak? 
 
City Council often listens to “presentations” by the pool lobby, so why were our opposing views not heard?
 
Why is the City Council bending under pressure from the pool lobby and an anonymous--possibly fictitious--donor?   
 
Why has the City Planning Department, used public facilities, public employees and tax-payer dollars, to have a “feasability study” written about  sites in City Park  in direct violation of  the City Council's five-to-one vote of 2.2.18 decreeing  “no pool in City Park”?   This Planning Dept. plan is giving encouragment to a private enterprise that is assuming it can destroy the Park for the rest of us.  We like City Park the way it is!
 
How can the mayor--with a clearly stated and monetarily supported conflict of interest in favor of the pool lobby--legally have the deciding vote if there is a tie in City Council on this matter?
 
How can the Mayor and City Council legally consider donating City land to the pool lobby, a private enterprise?

Submitted by Fred Kirby,

​Dear Mr. Editor: 
 
Apparently Pembina / Jordan Cove Energy is reporting that the proposed LNG factory will employ 6,000 (different) temporary workers (not all concurrently) and 200 permanent workers – “many” expected to be Coos County job seekers.  That’s enormous growth from JCEP 2005 numbers of less than 1,000 and 50.  Apparently JCEP currently estimates a total of $10 billion (current year) US dollars will be spent to construct the LNG factory and pipeline; that number has grown from less than $2 billion.  The US BLS reports that about 35% of the growth is inflation related.  We Oregonians who are neutral or supporting the LNG project deserve to know the verifiable facts.  Perhaps you will task your investigative journalist to provide answers to the following questions in a soon to be published paper.  Certainly, after 14 years of effort, answers in excruciating detail are immediately available for the public.   
 
01 Why should we believe JCEP numbers?  How did JCEP scientifically arrive at its numbers? 
 
02 Please publish the JCEP graph that shows planned labor build up and decline.  When is the peak? 
 
03 Oregonians have relied on 14 years of JCEP promises.  Which elected Oregon official holds the JCEP written legally enforceable document covering its contractual obligation to employ (first) all local temporary workers seeking employment?  What written legally enforceable promises have been made to local labor unions to employ their members?  Who will determine a “qualified” job seeker?  What are the significant penalties if JCEP does not honor its contractual obligations in this matter? 
 
04 There are probably no experienced LNG factory workers in Coos County who are seeking employment.  Describe the 200 full time positions.  How many positions are expected to be LNG experienced scientists and technicians from elsewhere?  What has JCEP done to train locals for “skilled” permanent jobs? 
 
05 Apparently there will be many months of 24/7 noise from placing thousands of piles followed by years of factory construction.  How will JCEP mitigate years of noise? 
 
06 What prevents Canadian company Pembina from selling the LNG effort to a Chinese, Russian, or other foreign company when FERC approves its application? 
 
07 When did the people of Coos County approve the fees in lieu of taxes concept that is being reported by JCEP as being in place? 
 
08 Some day the LNG factory will be abandoned.  What safeguards protect local taxpayers from paying many tens of millions to demolish? 
 
Fred Kirby 
Coos Bay ​

April 4, 2018 Opinion Piece By Steve Scheer
 
Citizens of Coos you’ve patiently stuck with over the last 4 months as I’ve tried to inform you of what’s going wrong in County Government.  In this week’s issue we’ll look at what’s impeding Coos County from moving forward economically.
 
In my opinion Coos County’s economic development has been stagnant for at least the past 40 years and is due to its lack of a definable identity.  Does it want to be an industrial import/export seaport?  Does it want to be a tourist destination?  Does it want to be a combination of both?  Who knows, but whatever it is, it seems that the former is what is being presented to the rest of the State and ultimately Country.
 
The problem with this approach is that it conflicts with the second option because its presentation is mutually excludable to the other.   We’ve seen through over those 40 years many attempts to lure heavy industry to the area from coal, nickel, rare earth mineral processing and exporting to an electrical power generating plant and now LNG importing/exporting (first proposed as an import terminal in October 2005, and later redefined as an export terminal in May 2010).  None of these attempts have panned out, and the County has essentially lost 40 years of potential development with its corresponding job growth associated with it.
 
Let’s be honest if the Portland Metro area or the Willamette Valley wanted any of those large companies that we’ve courted over the years they’d be located there.  If they don’t want them then it’s usually for environmentally related reasons that they’re rejected.  As we’ve seeing recently, our LNG proposal is coming under attack for those same reasons. The urban centers of the state don’t want that business anywhere within Oregon.
 
As a tourist destination, we’ve had better luck.  Bandon Dunes and its subsidiaries according to 2014 assessor data account for over $610,000 in taxes for Coos County.  The County’s development of Riley Ranch has been successful and is turning a profit.  The new resort being built as you read this at the old Coos Head Pulp Mill site in Barview should be an asset once completed and open for business.
 
However that’s not much to show for over 40 years if you exclude the two tribal developments.  I think this is a result of the Jekyll and Hyde personally that we have as a County, and its projection is not lost on the rest of the country.  Don’t expect others to come running to invest in our area without assurances that their vision for the area matches our own, and has long term stability.   In order to proceed we must change our approach, coming together and decide the type of area we want to live in, and market that vision to the rest of the country.
 
How do we accomplish this?  The realistic approach is to identify what we have here in Coos County that gives us a comparative advantage over the rest of the areas up and down the Coast.  It’s our climate, beaches, parks, history, unique mix of industries, farming, ranching, fishing, ship building, etc. that honors that history and defines who we are.  Our remoteness and isolation which is a determent for large industrial development is an asset in an overstimulated world.    The mix would insulated our economy from the vagaries of the business cycle, also provide a wide range of industries and the associated jobs that are part of each.  This would also give our youth a breadth of professions to choose from.
 
A large industrial mindset will preclude any development along those lines, and lead to a continued stagnation.  We need to think smaller not bigger, 50 diverse companies providing on average 10 jobs each creates 500 jobs, and makes us less vulnerable to economic swings.  If 5 businesses fail we still have 450 jobs, one company of 500 employees who fails leaves us with 500 unemployed people.  An added benefit to this approach is that the smaller communities in the area could share in locating those smaller firms into their areas.
 
It’s also necessary for the County to enter the 21st century and provide ultra-high-speed internet access to the entire County and every business and residence contained within.  We should be considering speeds in the 10 gigabit range as a starter.  It’s my understanding that the fiber optic backbone (main trunk lines) already exist along highways 42 and 101, it’s just a matter of rolling out fiber up the market roads and interconnecting roads and lanes.  This could be an economic stimulus to not only existing businesses, but also a way of attracting both new business, and encouraging entrepreneurial startups swelling up from within.
 
I once worked with one such individual in the days of floppy disks, and was told that he could live anywhere in the country as long as he had access to a commercial airport.  His software could be shipped anywhere overnight and mass reproduced the next day and distributed immediately.  Today with the internet and high speed broadband we don’t even need that.  We’re just a keystroke or a mouse click away from teleconferencing, file sharing, or information exchange to anywhere in the world.
 
However like in your life, you need certain assurances in order to make proper decisions.  Businesses are no different, someone looking for a quite rural idyllic lifestyle, would be attracted to this area.  However, the appearance or threat thereof a large scale industrial site of one sort or another that threatens that way of life, will send those businesses running, and put the area on a blacklist for future consideration.
 
To summarize take advantage of your strengths, fly under the radar of the Willamette Valley and Portland Metro area, after all they can’t compete with what we offer and aren’t interested in smaller companies.  Take advantage of Southwestern Oregon Community College and the job training and skill programs they provide as a down payment on that investment.   Then go out and execute, making course corrections as needed, in a generation you should see the results of your labors.

April 11, 2018 Opinion Piece By Steve Scheer
 
Citizens of Coos County, the final public hearings of the Budget Committee have occurred.  Next week I’ll share with you my observations of the approved budget.
 
However this week there are a couple of items that were shared by the Coos County Board of Commissioners (BOC) with the budget committee that might be of interest and/or concern to you.
 
The first is that the BOC is getting serious about the consolidation of the County Parks system.  All of the parks other than Lakeside, Riley Ranch, Bastendorf, and Laverne are on the chopping block.  These parks are what the BOC has identified as underperforming.  They’re not generating enough money for the County to cover maintenance fees.  Those not precluded by deed restrictions are for sale and they hope to have buyers before the next budget hearings in 2019.  Powers Park has already had preliminary discussions and a work session is scheduled shortly.
 
As stated previously in a Sentinel Opinion piece, the budget committee toured the County parks 2 summers ago, this is the result of that tour.  I’m not aware of any public outreach on the issue, other than maybe the Parks Committee.  If you have a special interest in keeping these outlier parks as part of the County system, intact in part or whole, then now is the time to get involved. Note:  Parks has transferred approximately $750,000 to the General Fund over the last 3 years.
 
The second issue is the disposal of the North Bend Annex.  As again stated in a previous Sentinel Opinion piece the County budget committee also toured this facility about 2 years ago.  The theme of that piece was that the BOC wanted to dump the property for little or nothing.
 
The BOC now that Coos Health and Wellness has relocated to their new facility in Empire has emptied the building of most County offices.  The only remaining tenant is Oregon State Courts.  The BOC stated they have two potential buyers for the building, however that’s not the issue.  Unlike two years ago, the BOC wants the sale to generate enough funds to cover in whole or part a massive reshuffling of County offices.  This will probably necessitate the expenditure of over a million dollars in moving and remodeling costs.
 
The reshuffle goes like this.  First the Sheriff’s Department will relocate into a remodeled space in the current jail.  The architectural plans I saw two years ago revealed a price tag for the jail remodel of about $1 million.  Secondly, the Planning Department will then be moved into the Courthouse basement space which the Sheriff now occupies.  Thirdly, the BOC, County Counsel and Human Resources (HR) would move to the Owen Building now occupied by the Planning Department.  Finally The State Courts now in the North Bend Annex would relocate to the area in the Courthouse now occupied by the BOC, County Counsel and HR.
 
I’m assuming that the costs of all these moves will be borne by the County, as well as the associated remodeling costs required to reconfigure each space for its new occupants.  State Courts could be different depending on how their current contract with the BOC is drawn, or what inducements the BOC will have to agree to in order to facilitate such a move.
 
As to the status of the Watermaster and Veterans Services, that wasn’t mentioned.  However the BOC, County Counsel and HR in the approved 2018-2019 budget is comprised of 9 Full Time Equivalents (FTE), while Planning, Veterans Services, and the Watermaster contain 7.8 FTE’s. 

Therefore it’s likely they will have to be relocated to accommodate the need for space for the additional personnel.
 
In the case of Veterans Services this could be the time to reconfigure their outreach into a format that better suits the needs of the veterans themselves.  It’s my understanding from conversations with the veterans, they would like to be out of the Oregon Coast Community Action building located in Empire, and have the County Veterans Services coexist with the non-profit volunteer group Southwestern Oregon Veterans Outreach (SOVO), now located in the Pony Village Mall.  The synergy would be of benefit to the veterans, as both services could cover for each other.  Veterans have told me they would prefer a Coos Bay / North Bend location, with outreach to the surrounding cities.
 
As to the reshuffling itself, the Sheriff moving to the Jail makes sense, since in an emergency scenario such as an earthquake, his entire command and control structure could be wiped out, by the collapse of the structurally inadequate courthouse.  This would cause unnecessary delays to any recovery effort.
 
As to the relocation of the BOC out of the Courthouse into the Owens building, this seems odd.  It would be cheaper to move them to the Sheriff’s old offices in the basement and leave Planning, Veterans Services and the Watermaster where they are.  The reasoning given for moving Planning instead is that it would consolidate all County permitting at a central location, though Planning is more closely tied to Building Codes and DEQ, who are both located in Coos Bay.
 
More than likely the BOC just wants newer, larger and more assessable office space for themselves.  They would be closer to the large conference room in the Owens Building and wouldn’t have to walk in foul weather to attend meetings there.  There is also dedicated parking on the north side of the building, serviced by a corresponding exterior door leading into the building.  This would allow them private access to and from the facility without being exposed to public contact.
 
For whatever reason, this is what the BOC has as a priority, and is proposing to implement.  Although the County is currently in a fiscal crisis, money still appears to be available even though transparency is not.  As repeated ad nauseam, selling assets (in this case Parks and the North Bend Annex) to finance questionable 7 figure projects when County departments are asked to cut their budgets, defies logic.  As always, you are the final arbiter

April 18, 2018 Opinion Piece By Steve Scheer
 
Citizens of Coos County, as promised last week, we’ll cover my observations of the final (approved) budget for 2018-2019.  The departments presenting that week were Planning, Parks, and Solid Waste.
 
As predicated in the March 28, 2018 Sentinel OpEd, the County Board of Commissioners (BOC), revealed the final day revenue that they had been holding back.  This included a $758,000 BLM check for Secure Rural Schools (SRS).  Actually this amount was later amended to include an additional $149,000, but was later rescinded due to a calculation error on the part of a third party.  This figure was included in the budget approved by the Budget Committee, but will have to be made up by the BOC before they Adopt the final budget.  Likely from either the Forestry 5 year rolling average or the Solid Waste roof fund.
 
In addition $455,800 was transferred from Parks to the General Fund along with $200,000 from Solid Waste.  This left $281, 454 to balance.  This was accomplished by cutting $38,000 more out of individual line items in the Solid Waste budget, with the final $244,454 coming from the Solid Waste roof fund.  This left a surplus of $1,000 that was allocated as $600 to the BOC for an employee party and $400 for new ten-key calculators for the Finance Department.
 
The budget approved was in the amount of $113 million, and represents $1.0799 per thousand valuation.  The BOC stated next year would be difficult due to an expected PERS increase, and an increase in Cost Allocation.  The BOC plans to address this with the hope that Jordan Cove will come on line soon, and from an increase in County forest timber receipts, due to the overharvesting plan taking effect.
 
The Compensation committee next met.  This committee consists of the 3 citizens appointed to the budget committee.  In the interest of full disclosure I did testify before the compensation committee against approval of raises for the BOC.  Their decision was to deny any raises for the BOC by a 2 to 1 vote.  This was an especially difficult decision for the two member who voted no, and I commend them for the fortitude it took to do so.  They both had the publics’ best interest.
 
One item that occurred during the Sheriff’s presentation and was ignored by the BOC has become a focus in the news recently.  That is a public safety levy.  The BOC and Sheriff are to meet later this month in work session to discuss this idea.
 
Let me take a minute to clear up a misconception that I’ve been hearing lately.  That is what goes on at the BOC regular biweekly meetings.  This meeting is not where issues or policy are decided, but where the formal vote occurs.  The real decisions are made in the work sessions held to discuss the items or policy, and occur prior to regular BOC meetings.
 
That said, the Sheriff tried to make two proposals during his budget presentation regarding a public safety levy in support of his department.  The first was in the amount of $2.6 million or $.48 per thousand, the second was for $5.3 million or $.97 per thousand.  This will probably be the starting point for forthcoming discussions.  Work sessions are open to the public, but meeting agendas are not always available before the meeting.

What does all this mean?  This is referred to as a Local Option Levy and is temporary in nature. Ongoing operations are of 1 to 5 years. Capital Projects are the lesser of 10 years or the useful life of the Capital project.  A Local Option Levy also requires the approval of the voters by election.
 
How could this affect you?  Ongoing operations are like drugs, once you approve one, you’re hooked and the only way to continue the service is by approving by vote another levy.  This is what’s going on in Lane County with their jail.  Capital projects are a one time and done.  This method could be used to finance the new County wide communications system and dispatch software upgrades.
 
Are there other considerations?  The first is that the voters in the Coos Bay school district just barely passed a bond that will raise taxes for approximately 33% of the County citizens by $1.60 per thousand.  On a $200,000 property the Sheriff’s levy would be an additional $100-200 per year on top of the $320 per year they’ll begin paying in November.  Will those citizens be prepared to shoulder the additional cost?  Especially those on fixed incomes?
 
Rental housing is already tight and rents are increasing.  Landlords will have to pass the cost on, how will this affect renters already on the edge.  Could this lead to more people becoming homeless?
 
What about the people who’re already homeless trying to accumulate enough money to transition into housing.  Will this make reaching that goal an even more daunting task?
 
One additional thought for your consideration.  The Sheriff as of 2017-2018 was 48% of the General Fund Budget, and 59% excluding the miscellaneous account which contains dedicated funds.  So we to need to ask, how will this money be allocated?  Will it supplement the current Sheriff’s budget?  This action would not relieve the General Fund of any future demands on it.  Would it supplant the current Sheriff’s budget?  This would free up the levy amount from the General Fund, relieving future demands.  However, would the General Fund now freed up by millions of dollars, now become subject to new spending by the BOC?  Finally it could be a hybrid of the two, in which case both scenarios would apply.  Also in play is the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) the BOC has with Bandon Dunes, and how it would be interpreted within the context of the Sheriff’s funding levels not falling below the 2016-2017 budget levels.
 
These are just a few of the complexities facing the BOC and the Sheriff.  However, if the BOC decides to proceed they will have to submit to a vote.  This time the law is on your side, and you will have the final say.
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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’.

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%

Anyone can submit a letter to the editor of the CCW blog, but posting does not mean support.  I like to read Fred's opinion, but I personally do not have a problem with a private company bringing in a liquid nitrogen gas pipeline as long as they pay for it themselves.  However, I do not support the Community Enhancement Plan/scheme, nor do I approve of eminent domain for this project....LNG yes, CEP and land grab NO....Rob T.   

Submitted by Fred Kirby

​Apparently bothered by Mr. Krumper’s letter, and writing from his glass house, Jon Barton labels certain opponents of local LNG as bloviating (speaking much and saying nothing).  Mr. Barton argues against the possible local LNG catastrophic events that haven’t happened.  Remember - it wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.
 
Barton wants only facts from letter writing citizens.  Here are a few.
 
Fourteen years of insults masquerading as LNG debate appears to have irreparably divided this community.  LNG was unwelcome in every west coast North America community being considered for a LNG factory, including Tijuana - except North Bend.​
 
Representative DeFazio warned that terrorists are a threat to ports.  Don Felsinger, when Chairman of mega billion dollar Sempra Energy, warned people not to place a LNG factory near a populated area.  There have been catastrophic LNG factory events on several continents.
 
There will be humungous LNG storage tanks and a very tall flare.  Gordon Schearer, with a lifetime of LNG experience, former leader of Weavers Cove Energy (proposed LNG developer) stated that a LNG tank rupture would be “the world’s largest Roman candle”.  A US LNG storage tank catastrophic event incinerated one square mile of Cleveland.
 
The Coast Guard and local public safety organizations cannot guarantee with 100% certainty that a LNG vessel traveling the channel will not be attacked.  The double hulls of 1100 foot long tanker vessel MV Linburg (now Martime Jewel) were successfully penetrated by terrorists.  A modern configuration RPG fired from a home along the eight mile channel route to North Bend and into the vessel bridge, not double hulls, should lead to vessel destruction.
 
There will be several hundred miles of high pressure, three foot diameter, odorless gas pipelines above and below southern Oregon.  Natural gas piping and pipelines have ruptured and people were incinerated.
 
LNG autoignition temperature is higher than Mr. Krumper claimed to be possible by OTH aircraft engine exhaust.
 
As proposed by LNG proponents (including current and past elected representatives), hundreds of millions of your tax dollars will be managed and distributed by unelected and perhaps unappointed folks.
 
During a devastating Cascadia Subduction event the North Spit will probably be under water.  Thousands of construction workers may not escape to high ground.  Tsunami debris may block the channel for years.  What happens to a trapped LNG vessel?
 
There will be a few low paying permanent security and maintenance type jobs for locals.
 
Fred Kirby
Coos Bay
​

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The Coos Bay Best Bond finally passed today by a very narrow margin of twenty-eight votes. I voted against the measure both times, not because I do not care about the children (as those on the other side accuse us of), but for two reasons.
 
One, our legislators and school administrators have proven time and time again they cannot be trusted to spend the money they have already been given properly.
 
Two, I am tired that as a property owner, I am being forced to pay for the education (or miseducation if you will) of every child in Coos Bay.
 
If education was so important to them, why didn't people who have children in Coos Bay schools volunteer to pay more property taxes?
 
They could have funded this bond themselves and not stolen from the rest of us, but that is not how things work today.  Everyone has their hand in the pocket of the person next to them.
 
Parents who have children in our schools but do not own property will not pay one red cent of this bond. People like me, who own property but do not have children, are forced to subsidize them. Wealthier property owners will not only have to subsidize them but then most likely pay again for private school for their children.
 
Will they receive a kickback because their children are not in public school? Well, of course not.
 
Frankly, I am sick to death of subsidizing others with schooling, welfare, housing, etc. then being accused of being a miser when I complain about being forced to pay their way at the point of a gun because that is what this measure is, a legislative gun.
 
I have no way of avoiding this new tax.  The authorities will add it to my property taxes with or without my consent.  Twenty-eight people have now decided that thousands of others MUST pay, or else. 
 
As the adage goes, "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch." Property owners in Coos Bay have just become the lamb, and I, for one, will not stand for it.
 
Matthew Wilbanks / Coos Bay

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Sent in by Fred Kirby: 

In an effort to gain support of the proposed "best" bond (tax increase) measure and a positive vote, the Coos Bay school board has spent many thousands of our tax dollars for junk mail, electronic media advertising, etc. (see summary of expenditures at the Oregon Secretary of Sate web site).  In a recent The World article, school board spokesperson Martin finds fault with the outspoken courageous few who openly oppose a tax increase; those voters who already voted no in May; will in all likelihood vote no in November; and would probably vote no a third tine.

Please Mr. Martin, in a very few factual and verifiable sentences in response to this letter, convince those struggling to survive; those eagerly awaiting their $20 cost of living social security benefit increase; the older folks of our community; to accept added tax burden and to vote yes.  What are the direct benefits of the proposed "best" bond measure to senior citizens with no ties to the schools?  What, specifically, has the CB school board done to improve education; to keep children in school; while cutting costs to partially offset claimed needed tens of millions of dollars in structural improvements?  Why is any bond / tax increase required if we believe the supporters of the Jordan Cove LNG factory and the Community Enhancement Plan who tell us of the many millions of dollars that will soon be flowing to Coos Bay schools from Jordan Cove annually?  With so much conflicting information, why should we believe and trust the school board?  Why should we sign up for 25 years of compounded increased tax?  Just one of many added state and local taxes to be experienced in coming years.  What are the alternatives to a tax increase (the "best" bond) that the school board considered, rejected, and why?

Fred Kirby
Coos Bay

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