Letters, letters, letters

To the Editor:

I can't believe it. Gordon Petrie, current Sisters City Council president with two years of his term left on council, who was elected to represent the residents of the City of Sisters, and Libby Bottero, a candidate on the November ballot for the Sisters City Council, signed a letter, along with a few others, that was submitted to the Oregon Economic Development Department, requesting the OEDD not consider giving any grant money to the City of Sisters for their sewer system.

This letter was sent against the wishes of and behind the backs of a majority of voters in the City of Sisters and the Sisters City Council.

Something is really wrong here! Mr. Petrie has stated many times that as a citizen, on his own time, he can serve in any capacity on any committee he wishes. If he wishes to undermine council decisions and not represent the majority of voters in Sisters, he needs to resign so that "as a citizen" he can serve on these committees, sneak around and hide his actions from the majority of voters and the city council.

Is this the representation desired by the "majority" of voters in Sisters for the next two to four years?

Disappointed and amazed,

Sheryl Whent

Editor's note: Sheryl Whent is a member of the Sisters City Council.

To the Editor:

Our disbelief turned to anger when we realized that a small group in Sisters is trying to undermine the city's efforts to secure funding to help pay for the sewer.

A handful of Sisters residents sent a discouraging letter to the granting agency because they believe we were "misled" when we voted 2-1 in favor of the sewer that was proposed by HGE. After reading their letter we couldn't believe that anyone who really cared about this community could do something so potentially damaging to our future.

Their letter states "Inaccurate and biased sewer newsletters were sent out to the public by city hall". This dissenting group had every opportunity to give input as to the contents of the newsletter. They chose not to participate and walked out of the discussions.

The sewer was and still is an emotional issue for many of us living in the City of Sisters. But what the Botteros, Emmrichs, Grooms and Petries did by writing that harmful letter to the granting agency goes beyond whether we agree or disagree on the sewer issue.

They are tampering with our basic rights and show total disregard for what the majority of the Sisters residents voted for in the May election.

One of the biggest disappointments is that Gordon Petrie, our city council president, participated in this group's effort to overthrow the sewer vote. Mayor Steve Wilson had pointed out in the past that he didn't think Gordon Petrie could render an unbiased vote on certain issues.

Conspiring to overturn the results of a popular vote is a much more serious matter. It is painfully clear that the Mayor was right and that Gordon does not fairly represent the interests of this community.

Deb and Jerry Kollodge

To the Editor:

This letter is in response to your story of September 2 entitled "Sewer foes request denial of grant."

The Petries, Botteros, Emmrichs and Grooms (authors of the letter sent to the OEDD reported in the above-mentioned story) claim to be attempting to preserve "quality of life" in Sisters, but I feel they have now aggressively interfered with mine.

I see this action as a gross disrespect for the voters' decision and an attempt to impose their will on the citizenry.

While I'm sure the Petries, Botteros, Emmrichs and Grooms are completely within their legal rights to submit the July 28 letter to OEDD, I am personally offended by it.

The reasons given for requesting the OEDD to "consider not funding" the present HGE sewer project have all been openly questioned and considered in many workshops prior to the May election. The sewer focus group and many others put a lot of time and concern into rationally and intelligently looking at the facts regarding a sewer. Libby Bottero, Virginia Groom, and Pam Emmrich all refused to participate in this process when repeatedly invited to do so.

The authors of the current SDC initiative (Ken Emmrich and Libby Bottero) were asked to participate in an educational forum on August 24 so that voters could learn all sides of this issue. Again, both Ken and Libby refused to participate.

I know there will always be controversy. But controversy should lead to dialogue and dialogue should lead to cooperative solutions. The last thing we need is a group of people trying to undermine the educational process necessary for true democracy. I will not trust them until they are willing to come to the table face to face and participate openly and honestly.

I urge all of you to join me in encouraging the Petries, Botteros, Emmrichs and Grooms to act with trust, integrity and professionalism so that we can all get on with the more important business of developing a cohesive and cooperative community.

Dianne Herauf

To the Editor:

In the September 2 Nugget, Melanie Curry made some assertions that show either that she is misinformed, or that she does not understand the information she has.

An example: She mentions the existing Sisters SDC (Systems Development Charge) for water, and states that "It is the second highest SDC in Oregon."

This is misleading. Our water SDC is higher than some others, but the ARLU survey she claims to be quoting shows that our total SDC is among the lowest in Oregon. Here are some of the total SDC figures from the survey: $2,867 (Sisters); $4,000 (Madras); $4,518 (Bend); $6,965 (Tualatin); $8,192 (Ashland); $8,655 (Wilsonville).

Another: She believes we should let the city council develop a plan for SDCs "as time and budget allow," rather than place a requirement for such a plan in the city charter. The truth is that the city council has been dragging its feet on this issue for years, and has refused citizen requests to address the problem.

It is obvious that city hall, which wishes to promote growth, has shown little intention of acting. It is equally obvious that the "fall guy" in this scenario will be the taxpaying residents of Sisters. New developments that are already planned for Sisters will have a large impact on infrastructure and services that the city provides. We pay for many of those services with our taxes!

SDCs are a tool given to us by the Oregon Legislature to help us ensure that growth pays at least part of its own cost. SDCs do not stop or even hinder growth, but they do distribute some of its hidden expenses fairly. It is up to us, in November, to take matters into our own hands and force the city council to deal with the issue.

Joseph Bottero

To the Editor:

I've appreciated your articles examining the pro and cons of charging the maximum for System Development Charges (SDCs), but it seems little has been mentioned about the negative effect these would have on all of our property taxes.

Developers do not absorb these SDCs, they merely add the cost to the project. The consumer pays for it and that establishes market value. Your property taxes are directly influenced by current sales (market value) in your neighborhood. If your neighbor paid $25,000-$30,000 more for SDCs on top of the cost of land and its improvements, guess what your taxes will do?

It doesn't matter if your lot only has a 1950 mobile home on it; your land value will be reappraised because your neighbor paid more for his property. It is illegal to discriminate and charge SDCs only to developers and not to everyone else within the city limits.

So, if you want to add on to your garage or add a new bedroom or remodel your house, you will be paying the maximum allowed by law for SDCs. This is no free lunch. While it may sound good to have "developers" paving your streets, buying you nice parks, funding water projects and the sewer, the reality is we will all be paying higher taxes and it will just encourage urban sprawl, making it less economically practical to build within the city limits.

Sincerely,

Ed Beacham

To the Editor:

Now that Nugget readers have read the rhetoric from Greg (Brown) and Howard (Paine) they should have the facts:

Deschutes County population was over 102,000 in 1997 and is expected to grow at a rate of 5.2 percent this year - remaining the fastest-growing county in the state for the next several years.

The proposed sheriff's budget is $12.9 million but includes $2.25 million of beginning net working capital. In Douglas County the sheriff has an expenditure budget and uses net capital from the county budget to make payroll, etc.

This has been explained to Howard several times.

Deschutes County actually has 290 jail beds including the "M easure 11 beds" - 260 beds if you take out the regional beds and only has 38 certified correction officers for those beds.

Douglas County does have 225 beds including 20 new "Measure 11 beds," and has 55 certified correction officers.

Greg Brown, Deschutes County Sheriff

To the Editor:

Greg Brown, it's not you I dislike. It's the system you work in.

My dislike starts with a governor who will not refund my kicker money. And a legislature that is going along with him. If I tried to steal that much money and you found out about it, you would have me in jail. But the Salem team is stealing with impunity.

Closer to home, our board of commissioners decided to de-fund the libraries without ever asking me if I agree. They're sure the public outcry will be so great and emotions so high that the public will form a library district to pay for their trickery.

This is a brand new tax, which will never go away. It's not like some bond issue, which has an expiration date. This new tax is forever. Also, along comes a new master librarian who decides to ask for the maximum funding he thinks the public will tolerate. Even he admits that keeping the libraries open on Sunday is "futuristic." And now the libraries are closed until election time.

I wish the public had the courage to refuse to fund at the requested level ... to play a little guts politics like you guys do with us. I have never heard of any city not having a usable library system. I know our commissioners will open them after election day with some money they found just like the money they found for the sheriff.

You may say that I'm cynical. I say that you in government have made me this way. Our mandate to you in trying to keep property taxes manageable is to cut your expenses.

But our government is finding the most devious ways to defeat our attempts.

The combination of your request for money and the library levy will raise my property taxes an additional $300 per year and frankly I don't think the combination is worth it.

Tom Lippert

To the Editor:

I am writing to encourage all of you to vote "yes" for our county library system and return your ballot before September 15.

It has been very hard to explain to our son that we can't go to the library today because the library is closed. It has been very hard to plan my first unit of study for my fourth grade class at Sisters Elementary School.

I have my students read Indian legends and I enhance my classroom library of legends with books from the public library. Unfortunately, I can't do these things because the library is closed.

My son's preschool teacher was sad that she couldn't have books available for her preschoolers to look at the first day of school because the library is closed. Our public library is so very important to many people and organizations. I know that after September 15 our library will open again because we will have returned our ballots with a big "yes" filled in for our library.

Please return your ballots as soon as possible.

Diane Jacobsen

To the Editor:

Rather than "preach to the choir" (the choir, in this case, being those who voted for the library measure in the last election), we address these few sentences to those who didn't vote at all, for one reason or another.

Every community has certain basic elements that it simply cannot do without. These would include some form of city government, churches, banks, schools, gas stations, grocery stores, hardware stores, parks and libraries, to mention just a few.

It is impossible to conceive of a community without these basic elements. Therefore, a community without a library strains the imagination. But it actually could happen if you don't vote. A majority of those who voted in the last election approved the library district and its funding, but because too few people went to the polls, their majority vote didn't count.

Now we have another chance. Your vote is needed so that we don't find ourselves living in a strange, misshapen community that contains all of the essential elements for a good community except a library. Your vote will make sure that this doesn't happen!

Jack and Charlotte Milam

To the Editor:

Evidently the Forest Service thinks that fish habitat is more important than the safety of our children. Twice I have seen children caught on the end of a log in front of Tract O, Lot 5, pinned there by the current, unable to get out on their own and screaming for help.

Last Saturday, it was a boy who slipped while wading across the river and was pinned against the log. This year a girl about 11 years old coming down the river in an inner tube was caught on the log.

About 10 feet of the end of the log has water running over it, very dangerous for rescuer and victim alike. It took two men to pull her out.

The river is shallow enough above the log to wade across, but it is very swift. There are some little rapids, just downstream from the log which children naturally avoid. The log and the rapids just below each stretch half way across the river from either side.

On the weekends many children from the forest camps across from Tract O play joyfully in the river.

The log was deliberately put in the river by the Forest Service for fish habitat. I wrote to the district ranger last year about the boy but she did nothing. Even the "Wild and Scenic Management Plan" says that "instream wood manipulation in the upper river is limited to minor manipulation of imminent hazards upstream of Gorge Campground."

The log could be pulled close to the bank making it safer for the children and still be fish habitat, a minor manipulation, I should think, of a hazard (put in by the Forest Service itself).

I hope something is done about this before I feel obliged to try to save a child and slip into the river on the wrong side of the log myself.

Mary Kate Spencer

To the Editor:

Many of us living in Camp Sherman applaud the fine police coverage offered by Jefferson County.

We particularly appreciate the speed limits which are enforced for everybody's safety. The 35-mph speed zone in the residential area of Road 1419 helps protect our children, bicyclists, pedestrians, vehicle drivers and their passengers.

I realize that motor vehicle drivers are sometimes in a hurry and exceed the speed limit. For some people going over the posted speed is "normal" - everybody does it and five to ten miles over the speed limit is okay (you won't be ticketed).

However, please try to recognize that we try to maintain a safe environment for folks living and visiting Camp Sherman.

Thank you,

Conrad Weiler

To the Editor:

I'd like to see a resumé on Monica Lewinsky. She could become a role model for 16-year-old girls everywhere. Five years to the Oval Office is quite a leap.

What is her schooling? What were her duties at the Pentagon? Why did Revlon fire her? Ad infinitum.

Glory Daggett