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April 3, 2012

Camas levy increase will land on Aug. 7 ballot

Camas voters will have the opportunity to cast their ballots on a proposal to increase the current emergency medical services levy. Last night, the Camas City Council unanimously voted to send the issue to the Aug. 7 ballot. If approved, the six-year levy would raise the current rate from 35 cents per $1,000 of assessed value to 46 cents. Starting in 2013, the owner of a $300,000 home would pay $138 per year — a $33 increase. The proposed increase is an effort to stabilize the emergency medical services funding stream. In recent years the EMS fund’s revenues have dropped, primarily due to a decrease in assessed property values. At the end of 2011 the fund had a shortfall of $55,000, an amount that had to be covered by the city’s general operations fund. According to Camas city officials’ calculations, at 46 cents the levy would put the EMS fund in the black by $237,130 by 2018. But keeping the rate at its current level would build a deficit of $2.9 million by 2018.

April 2, 2012

Camas officials propose EMS levy rate hike

In an effort to help bring some long-term stability to a struggling emergency medical services fund, Camas city officials want to place a proposal for an EMS levy rate increase on the Aug. 7 ballot. During a recent Camas City Council meeting, Camas Fire Chief Nick Swinhart said the recommendation is to boost the rate from 35 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value to 46 cents.

March 27, 2012

Camas prepares to begin search for new city administrator

In preparation for the onset of the search for a new city administrator, Camas officials are proposing a 4 percent increase to the position's annual pay scale. On Monday, the City Council will vote on a resolution that would boost the salary to a range that starts at $9,464 and tops out at $11,300. The current scale is $9,088 to $10,852. City Administrator Lloyd Halverson, who announced in January his plans to retire from full-time work in September after 23 years on the job, said he supports the adjustment. "I think it is in the city's best interest to be sure that we are competitive in the pay we offer in this decision," he said during a recent City Council meeting.

March 27, 2012
Firefighters make final preparations for the controlled burn of the former Riverside Bowl building in Camas along Northeast Third Avenue. The facility was originally built in 1947, and when it was destroyed on Saturday it was one of the largest practice burns in Camas history with smoke visible from several miles away. Personnel from the Camas and Washougal fire departments and East County Fire and Rescue participated in the training exercise. The fire was still smoldering Monday morning, 48 hours after it began.

Camas landmark goes up in flames

Firefighters make final preparations for the controlled burn of the former Riverside Bowl building in Camas along Northeast Third Avenue.

March 20, 2012
Washougal School Board members receive instruction on their new iPad2 devices from technology director Lester Brown, right. It is anticipated that the board will transition to completely paperless meetings within the next two months.

Washougal School Board to go paperless

Instead of sifting through approximately 70 pages of documents during meetings, Washougal School Board members will be able to access needed information in seconds. The district recently purchased five iPad2 devices for all five school board members at a cost of $3,833. It will cost the district approximately $530 more the first year than the traditional paper method, but will save $2,771 the next year, and the same amount the following year. The factors in the decision to purchase the iPads were to become more efficient and earth-friendly, to integrate technology into board meetings, and to save staff time.