On this day, June 6, 2012, authorities in Oregon confirmed that a 66-foot-long pier, that floated onto a beach near Newport, came from Japan following the tsunami in March 2011.
Also on this day, June 7, 2011, in Oregon City, Oregon, Timothy and Rebecca Wyland were convicted of felony criminal mistreatment for refusing to get medical treatment for their infant daughter Alayna. The Wylands belong to a church that only believes in faith healing, and although their daughter had a growth on one eye that nearly blinded her, they would not take her to a doctor. The state intervened and made sure Alayna did receive medical treatment. The Wylands are sentenced at the end of June, they face up to five years in jail.
Also on this day, June 6, 1967, Oregon Governor Tom McCall signed into law a fix to Oregon's iconic beach access law. A 1966 challenge had exposed a flaw in the 1913 bill which technically protected only the wet sands as public. The Highway Department aimed to fix the loophole during the 1967 legislative session with House Bill 1601.
Hazard pay for County employees, because Covid
The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, Nov. 9, approved immediately investing more than $30.4 million in homelessness services, behavioral health and public safety, using a mid-year surplus to address the community's most pressing issues.
The county says this is in response to community needs exacerbated by the COVID-19 lockdowns and sets aside hazard pay for eligible County employees who continued to serve the public during the lockdowns.
Highlights from the budget include additional shelter beds and street outreach teams, new investments in behavioral health supports, increased capacity for vector control, and additional measures to address criminal justice reform and prevent gun violence.
“A surplus that comes at this size is rare,†Chair Deborah Kafoury said. “A surplus that arrives at such a critical, trying time in our community’s story is even more rare. And with the help of staff who have dedicated their careers to serving our community, we readily identify multiple areas where a surge of funding could help us to meaningfully improve the lives of the people who have been disproportionately harmed by this pandemic.â€
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The surplus was the result of the Board both increasing the business income tax rate in 2020 and extending the tax filing deadline to May 2021, and a stronger than expected economic recovery. Final tax collections — which came in after the Fiscal Year 2021-22 Budget was adopted — were more than $30.4 million above what was forecasted in May 2021.
Typically, the County would incorporate such revenue into its next budget, for FY 2023. But, the county says that because of the magnitude of the issues facing the community, the Board decided to spend it immediately.
“We want to make sure we’re responding to the most urgent needs in our community, specifically those that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic,†said Budget Director Christian Elkin. “We want to center our investments on the County’s role as the safety net government and Local Public and Mental Health Authority.â€
--Bruce Armstrong| Post Date: 2021-11-10 18:28:08 | Last Update: 2021-11-10 18:50:35 |
