Hood River County Commissioners continued their progress toward putting at least one, and quite possibly two, tax measures on the ballot in 2019 to deal with the County’s budget woes during their final meeting of the year on Monday.  Commissioners appear to have reached consensus on moving forward with putting a prepared food and beverage tax on the May 2019 ballot, even though the percentage is still to be determined, but likely to be somewhere between three and five percent.  The other possibility is a local option levy, as Commissioners asked for more detailed breakdowns on how those revenues would be distributed among County departments, and will get them at their January 7 worksession.  In other business, the Commission approved a 3.3 percent rate increase for Hood River Garbage, and Friends of Oak Grove Park presented the County with a check for $4,255 that it had fundraised to pay for park maintenance.  The meeting marked the final time Ron Rivers would hold the gavel as Commission Chair after 12 years in the position.  Rivers did not seek re-election earlier this year.  Mike Oates took the oath of office for the position, and will assume the seat in January.  Commissioners Karen Joplin and Bob Benton also took their oaths as they retained their positions during the 2018 election.

The White Salmon City Council will be finishing up its budget work for 2019 at its meeting Wednesday night.  Mayor David Poucher feels good about the budget that has been developed.  Poucher notes sales tax revenues have increased the last two years, and that’s from both residential and tourism growth.  Poucher does add the City’s budgeting approach remains conservative, continuing to estimate revenues low and expenses high.

The Hood River County School District is indicating preliminary data for 2017-18 shows it will have its highest graduation rate in history.  Superintendent Dan Goldman says community financial support through the recently renewed local option levy is a big reason for the continued graduation rate increases, adding the district has also focused on making sure no student falls between the cracks.  Goldman says much of their efforts are focused on reading and language development, engaging students in thinking about their future in a positive light, and emphasizing relationships with families.

Boys Basketball Stevenson 100, Goldendale 75:  Issac Hoidal scored 32 points for the Bulldogs while Jono Blackledge added 21. Columbia 61, Three Rivers Christian 54 South Wasco 65, Mitchell-Spray 49   Girls Basketball Stevenson 40, Goldendale 18:  Katie Rathgeber paced the Bulldogs with 12 points. Columbia 64, Three Rivers Christian 22 South Wasco 54, Mitchell-Spray 22  

Port of Hood River Executive Director Michael McElwee expects Hood River’s Urban Renewal board to give direction on how to proceed with infrastructure needed to prepare the Lot 1 properties on the waterfront for development sometime in the first couple of months of 2019.  In a presentation to the Urban Renewal board last week, McElwee presented a list of necessary infrastructure needs of seven-point-five million dollars, and another four million dollars worth of optional items that would primarily involve recreational improvements.  McElwee notes streets and sewer and water lines are a pre-condition for any kind of development on those parcels.

The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Lisa Farquharson is optimistic that this will be a good holiday season for local retail businesses.  Farquharson says she has seen a lot of foot traffic in downtown The Dalles, and she hopes that translates to a successful season.  Farquharson says this year the Chamber has been using social media to put up albums every day to promote what local businesses are offering for the holidays.

Boys Basketball Hood River Valley 67, Reynolds 60:  Carson Flores scored 25 points and Noah Webster tallied 21 as the Eagles leveled their season record at 3-3. Milwaukie 65, The Dalles 51 Corbett 60, Stevenson 56 St. Paul 80, Dufur 69 Dufur 79, Perrydale 70 Prairie City 62, Horizon Christian 51 Horizon Christian 67, Ione 26 Sherman 52, Hosanna Christian 51 Sherman 65, Butte Valley 35:  The Huskies win the Hosanna Christian tournament. Condon-Wheeler 60, South Wasco 52 Tri-City Prep 52, Lyle-Wishram 49 Lyle-Wishram 61, Liberty Christian 49 Bickleton 61, Klickitat-Glenwood 23 Granger 85, Goldendale 52 Cle Elum-Roslyn 44, Goldendale 34   Girls Basketball Hood River Valley 45, Reynolds 37:  Morgan Baker scored 13 points, Barrett Idhe 11 and Lizzie Weekly 10 as HRV won for the first time this season. The Dalles 49, Parkrose 31:  Kilee Hoylman scored 23 points to lead the Riverhawks. Stevenson 55, Corbett 38 St. Paul 72, Dufur 15 Perrydale 48, Dufur 20 Hosanna Christian 48, Sherman 19 Klamath Union JV 28, Sherman 21 South Wasco 54, Condon-Wheeler 22 Damascus Christian 51, Trout Lake 29 Tri-City Prep 63, Lyle-Wishram 11 Liberty Christian 55, Lyle-Wishram 39 Granger 62, Goldendale23 Cle Elum-Roslyn 56, Goldendale 23   Wrestling Chad Muenzer won his weight class and Ryan Zeller was second in his to help Hood River Valley to a seventh place finish at the Liberty Tournament in Hillsboro.  Muenzer won five matches to win at 138 pounds, while Zeller was 4-1 in finishing second at 132.   Swimming The Dalles boys and girls finished seventh at the Bend Invitational.  Of the 20 Riverhawk swimmers…15 had personal best performances in at least one event.  

Boys Basketball Dufur 56, Columbia 39   Girls Basketball Stevenson 59, Trout Lake 50:  Stevenson’s Katie Rathgeber recorded a triple-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 steals as the Bulldogs outscored the Mustangs 20-10 in the fourth quarter to grab the win.  Kaitlyn Wenz added 12 points and 16 rebounds for Stevenson.  Isabella Dean led Trout Lake with 19 points.

Work continues to determine feasibility of a potential assisted living facility just north of White Salmon.  Columbia Cascade Housing Corporation Executive Director Joel Madsen says they have an option agreement for a seven-acre parcel, and the seller’s goal is to help develop it into an assisted living facility with memory care.  Madsen notes there are no assisted living options in Klickitat County at this time, and part of the goal is to have an element of affordability in the development.  Financial feasibility is the big question surrounding the project.  Madsen says they will be looking to partner with Klickitat County and others.  There is a similar project in existence, the Rock Cove facility in Skamania County, that can be used for guidance in this effort.

Senators Ron Wyden of Oregon and Mike Crapo of Idaho introduced legislation on Thursday to make the Secure Rural Schools program that expired at the end of fiscal year 2018 permanent by creating an endowment fund.  The two senators say the Forest Management for Rural Stability Act would provide stable, increasing and reliable funding for county services.  The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act Wyden co-authored was enacted in 2000 to financially assist counties with public, tax-exempt forestlands.  Critical services at the county level have historically been funded in part with a 25 percent share of timber receipts from federal U.S. Forest Service lands, and a 50 percent share of timber receipts from federal Oregon and California Grant Lands managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.  As those revenues have fallen or fluctuated due to reduced timber harvest and market forces, SRS payments helped bridge the gap.  But in recent years Congress has allowed SRS funding to lapse and decrease, creating uncertainty for counties as they budget for basic services.