Independence City Manager Kenna West gets contract for new salary of $160,000 annually
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, March 15, 2024
The Independence City Council on Tuesday approved an annual salary of $160,000 for City Manager Kenna West, with an additional $670 per month for a car allowance. West was named to the position in May 2022.
The vote was unanimous.
The contract includes all the benefits afforded previous city managers, plus an agreement to pay $2,000 yearly for maintaining West’s membership in the Oregon State Bar. The organization oversees and regulates law practice in the state.
In making the decision to increase West’s salary, Independence surveyed other Oregon cities, to determine the levels of pay for other city managers.
In nearby Monmouth, for example, the current ad for a city manager – the city has an interim top administrator until a permanent city manager is appointed – offers the job at a negotiated amount between $140,000 to $170,000 a year. ▪
Monmouth Independence Climate Group announces the "Imagine Our Future" event and invites submissions
By Stephen Howard
for Trammart News Service, March 15, 2024
Earth Day this year will celebrate works from local participants in the "Imagine Our Future" showcase by the Monmouth-Independence Climate Group, now receiving submissions for its second year of the event. "We’re inviting everyone in our community to share their vision of a positive, sustainable future with each other through creative writing or visual art," said Stephen Howard, one of the primary organizers. "Too often the words 'sustainability' and 'the future' prompt images of despair or sacrifice," or both. "We would like to help our community change the narrative about our future."
Submissions for the event are open until the end of March with Earth Day launch on April 22 of the submitted works. The site for the showcase is at the link, including a link to last year’s submissions:
https://mitown-climate.org/imagine-our-future
Howard explains the genesis of the showcase, his involvement and the group itself.
The Imagine Our Future project started in a quiet period between our group’s education and
advocacy efforts. It is easy to slide into doubt and despair about what the future might hold in
store for us if we don’t address climate change quickly enough. Those fears can turn people
away from facing the problem instead of towards it.
In the spring of 2022, I came across an art and literary movement called solarpunk which aimed
to envision what the world might look like if we got things right: if we addressed climate
change well and took care of each other while doing it. I suggested we might try doing
something like that on the local level, and the Imagine Our Future showcase was born.
We reached out to local art groups, writers, and educators — both to let them know about the
project, and to see what the creative people in our community might need to participate in our
project. As a programmer and a writer I helped take the idea for the project and the feedback
from the community and built the showcase website and submission process.
TN: You have invited anyone in the community to envision the future through visual art or
the written word. Do drawings from children qualify as entries? And, if so, what would
you like to tell youth about how to look at climate change to get ideas?
We absolutely want drawings from children to be part of the showcase. Kids should know that
climate change can feel like an overwhelming problem to adults too; but we don’t have to fix it
all at once. They should know that we already have most of the tools we need to fix things right
now, and we can still have a fun, promising future.
For ideas, we have a handful of different starter ideas on the showcase website, and lots of
short summaries on different kinds of climate solutions they can include in their art.
TN: When you received submissions last year, did any surprise you in terms of views on
sustainability -- was there some writing among them, for example, you had never thought
about yourself?
I really appreciated how many of the submitted pieces took time to show how we were caring
for each other in the future. When working on climate solutions it’s very easy to spend a lot of
time on the technical and political parts of the process. Those are important, but it’s good to be
reminded that this will only be sustainable if we make sure everyone has what they need, both
materially and socially.
TN: Climate change often is regarded as a future event but even with our current weather
you frequently hear people say the extreme rains or recent snow is a a result of "climate
change." So it is here already?
This is one of the hardest parts of communicating about the climate crisis. It progresses at a
pace that is hard to notice day to day, but is easy to identify looking back over time. The
increased frequency and intensity of weather events and natural disasters are the clearest
indicators to the public that climate change has arrived. But it is important to remember that
every bit of future warming we can prevent makes a difference in how much more extreme
these events can be in the future.
TN: The "Imagine Our Future" showcase seems like a good way to provide outreach for
this issue. Are there any other efforts by the climate group that people should know
about but haven't received much visibility?
About three years ago we worked with both cities to pass climate resolutions that recognized
the crisis and pledged to take local steps to address climate change. We hosted a home
energy efficiency forum at the Monmouth Library last year. A couple of our members write
climate related pieces in the Corvallis Gazette-Times and the Polk Itemizer-Observer. We are
also actively working on drafting a community climate action plan that we hope can be a
resource for the cities, the school district, businesses, and families.
TN: What are one or two actions you might recommend that people can do right away, in
their daily lives, to address climate change?
On our website, the resource guide for families and individuals starts, “Step One: It's ok to talk
about climate.” If you are concerned about climate change, you should let the people in your
life know it. Solutions only happen if people are thinking about the problem in the first place.
The important thing about taking personal climate action is that it be something you can
embrace as a new part of your life. For some people that might be learning a few vegetarian
dishes to add to their diet. Others might try taking the trolley or walking to work. Others might
be looking at the more affordable new electric vehicles that are starting to hit the market. The
best climate actions are the ones you can sustain and feel good about.
TN: How long has your group been engaged in this effort? I understand representatives of
both Monmouth and Independence are involved -- is it an M-I project or does it now
extend across Polk County?
The Monmouth-Independence Climate Group has been meeting since 2019. We have
members from both cities. A few folks from Dallas have attended some of our monthly
meetings, but until we have some dedicated members from there our focus is on the MI
community specifically. It’s important to us that any expansion of our efforts be led by people
who live where the changes are happening.
TN: If someone would like to become involved in your group, how would they do so?
People are welcome to reach out to us via the contact form on our website. We have both a
general mailing list for people who want to know what we’re up to, and a monthly online
meeting for people who would like to be more involved. They can also let us know if they have
public locations to put up posters for the Imagine Our Future showcase.▪
By Stephen Howard
for Trammart News Service, March 15, 2024
Earth Day this year will celebrate works from local participants in the "Imagine Our Future" showcase by the Monmouth-Independence Climate Group, now receiving submissions for its second year of the event. "We’re inviting everyone in our community to share their vision of a positive, sustainable future with each other through creative writing or visual art," said Stephen Howard, one of the primary organizers. "Too often the words 'sustainability' and 'the future' prompt images of despair or sacrifice," or both. "We would like to help our community change the narrative about our future."
Submissions for the event are open until the end of March with Earth Day launch on April 22 of the submitted works. The site for the showcase is at the link, including a link to last year’s submissions:
https://mitown-climate.org/imagine-our-future
Howard explains the genesis of the showcase, his involvement and the group itself.
The Imagine Our Future project started in a quiet period between our group’s education and
advocacy efforts. It is easy to slide into doubt and despair about what the future might hold in
store for us if we don’t address climate change quickly enough. Those fears can turn people
away from facing the problem instead of towards it.
In the spring of 2022, I came across an art and literary movement called solarpunk which aimed
to envision what the world might look like if we got things right: if we addressed climate
change well and took care of each other while doing it. I suggested we might try doing
something like that on the local level, and the Imagine Our Future showcase was born.
We reached out to local art groups, writers, and educators — both to let them know about the
project, and to see what the creative people in our community might need to participate in our
project. As a programmer and a writer I helped take the idea for the project and the feedback
from the community and built the showcase website and submission process.
TN: You have invited anyone in the community to envision the future through visual art or
the written word. Do drawings from children qualify as entries? And, if so, what would
you like to tell youth about how to look at climate change to get ideas?
We absolutely want drawings from children to be part of the showcase. Kids should know that
climate change can feel like an overwhelming problem to adults too; but we don’t have to fix it
all at once. They should know that we already have most of the tools we need to fix things right
now, and we can still have a fun, promising future.
For ideas, we have a handful of different starter ideas on the showcase website, and lots of
short summaries on different kinds of climate solutions they can include in their art.
TN: When you received submissions last year, did any surprise you in terms of views on
sustainability -- was there some writing among them, for example, you had never thought
about yourself?
I really appreciated how many of the submitted pieces took time to show how we were caring
for each other in the future. When working on climate solutions it’s very easy to spend a lot of
time on the technical and political parts of the process. Those are important, but it’s good to be
reminded that this will only be sustainable if we make sure everyone has what they need, both
materially and socially.
TN: Climate change often is regarded as a future event but even with our current weather
you frequently hear people say the extreme rains or recent snow is a a result of "climate
change." So it is here already?
This is one of the hardest parts of communicating about the climate crisis. It progresses at a
pace that is hard to notice day to day, but is easy to identify looking back over time. The
increased frequency and intensity of weather events and natural disasters are the clearest
indicators to the public that climate change has arrived. But it is important to remember that
every bit of future warming we can prevent makes a difference in how much more extreme
these events can be in the future.
TN: The "Imagine Our Future" showcase seems like a good way to provide outreach for
this issue. Are there any other efforts by the climate group that people should know
about but haven't received much visibility?
About three years ago we worked with both cities to pass climate resolutions that recognized
the crisis and pledged to take local steps to address climate change. We hosted a home
energy efficiency forum at the Monmouth Library last year. A couple of our members write
climate related pieces in the Corvallis Gazette-Times and the Polk Itemizer-Observer. We are
also actively working on drafting a community climate action plan that we hope can be a
resource for the cities, the school district, businesses, and families.
TN: What are one or two actions you might recommend that people can do right away, in
their daily lives, to address climate change?
On our website, the resource guide for families and individuals starts, “Step One: It's ok to talk
about climate.” If you are concerned about climate change, you should let the people in your
life know it. Solutions only happen if people are thinking about the problem in the first place.
The important thing about taking personal climate action is that it be something you can
embrace as a new part of your life. For some people that might be learning a few vegetarian
dishes to add to their diet. Others might try taking the trolley or walking to work. Others might
be looking at the more affordable new electric vehicles that are starting to hit the market. The
best climate actions are the ones you can sustain and feel good about.
TN: How long has your group been engaged in this effort? I understand representatives of
both Monmouth and Independence are involved -- is it an M-I project or does it now
extend across Polk County?
The Monmouth-Independence Climate Group has been meeting since 2019. We have
members from both cities. A few folks from Dallas have attended some of our monthly
meetings, but until we have some dedicated members from there our focus is on the MI
community specifically. It’s important to us that any expansion of our efforts be led by people
who live where the changes are happening.
TN: If someone would like to become involved in your group, how would they do so?
People are welcome to reach out to us via the contact form on our website. We have both a
general mailing list for people who want to know what we’re up to, and a monthly online
meeting for people who would like to be more involved. They can also let us know if they have
public locations to put up posters for the Imagine Our Future showcase.▪
City Debt. First in a series that takes a look at the financial crisis of Independence
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, March 15, 2024
Is Independence broke?
This question began circulating after a recent city council meeting, following approval of fees for housing construction that caused multiple developers to say they will no longer work in Independence – citing new more-than-$50,000-per home costs to build.
If so, Independence is facing a serious money crisis, according to several of those associated with the city. An analysis by Trammart News confirms that finding – two indicators of municipal fiscal distress support it.
The per capita debt now exceeds $4,000 per person; Independence’s tax revenue barely pays for the police force.
The city manager, Kenna West, and communications coordinator, Emmanuel Goicochea, haven’t responded to numerous email inquiries about the debt by Trammart News. However, two city councilors – Shannon Corr and Dawn Roden – have publicly expressed worry over city finances.
City Councilor Corr observed that “we already are in a hole – already in a deep, deep hole.” Corr made those comments as building fees were being debated. Councilor Roden asked about the possibility of declaring municipal bankruptcy. If builders flee, “this isn’t going to work. It is not going to pencil out,” Roden said, referring to the recently adopted hikes, called system development charges.
The tipping point appears to be a plan for a new water treatment facility, which will require millions of dollars for acquisition of land south of town and millions more for construction and technology. Current estimates put the price at $44 million. A $10 million loan for the design recently won approval by the city council.
The loan, when added to the city's present nearly $37 million debt, appears to show two troubling signs for Independence.
Towns fall short in a “financial strength test” when they exceed a debt of $3,500-to-$3,600 per person, which is calculated by dividing the amount of city debt by the number of residents. Another measure of strength is the ability of a city to pay for municipal services with tax dollars.
The first test was shared by financial authority Robert Barron. Before the pandemic, he spoke at a Salem City Club presentation, prior to departing from his Salem position as finance director for a regional job.
The second test of strength is a generally accepted one: How well do tax revenues fund city operations? The city's property tax revenue isn’t even able to entirely cover the police budget, Mayor John McArdle affirmed in his annual “State of the City” address recently.
The circumstances appear to have prompted Councilor Roden to ask about the plausibility of bankruptcy at a recent city council meeting – if the city filed bankruptcy on its outstanding debt, would that mean the money needed for the water-treatment facilities could be made available without placing such a heavy monetary burden on builders?
“You simply are taking local control away from you and putting it in the hands of a federal judge,” warned Steve Donovan, the water-engineering consultant on the project.
The debt was an issue raised a seven years ago, after the city’s auditor at the time, Kamala Austin of Merina & Co., presented the results of the municipal audit. Austin cited it as an area of concern.
After that occurred, Trammart News approached State Rep. Paul Evans to determine if bankruptcy could provide a potential option for local governments in Oregon. With very rare exceptions, the answer is no, Evans verified.
Although many in city management across the state have attributed the financial stress on cities to the limits on taxation – specifically the constraints of Measures 5 and 50 – Independence appears to be in more severe difficulty than Monmouth, its neighboring town.
Months ago, a longtime resident of Monmouth who works in both cities explained that the money-managing approach taken by the two towns is strikingly different. For example, Monmouth voters passed bonds to finance its city hall and police station – dollars that come from property-tax billing and not city coffers.
Independence, in contrast, took out loans for its city hall and police department, and added an event section, transforming the building into a “civic center. “ Another loan was taken out by Independence when the city opted to relocate the Heritage Museum to a building downtown.
The total cost to both cities appears to be about the same, substantially exceeding $10 million. But Monmouth relies on tax rolls to make those payments. Independence allocates the money from city funds.
(Next in series on Independence debt: Why funds for park improvement proved controversial) ▪
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, March 15, 2024
Is Independence broke?
This question began circulating after a recent city council meeting, following approval of fees for housing construction that caused multiple developers to say they will no longer work in Independence – citing new more-than-$50,000-per home costs to build.
If so, Independence is facing a serious money crisis, according to several of those associated with the city. An analysis by Trammart News confirms that finding – two indicators of municipal fiscal distress support it.
The per capita debt now exceeds $4,000 per person; Independence’s tax revenue barely pays for the police force.
The city manager, Kenna West, and communications coordinator, Emmanuel Goicochea, haven’t responded to numerous email inquiries about the debt by Trammart News. However, two city councilors – Shannon Corr and Dawn Roden – have publicly expressed worry over city finances.
City Councilor Corr observed that “we already are in a hole – already in a deep, deep hole.” Corr made those comments as building fees were being debated. Councilor Roden asked about the possibility of declaring municipal bankruptcy. If builders flee, “this isn’t going to work. It is not going to pencil out,” Roden said, referring to the recently adopted hikes, called system development charges.
The tipping point appears to be a plan for a new water treatment facility, which will require millions of dollars for acquisition of land south of town and millions more for construction and technology. Current estimates put the price at $44 million. A $10 million loan for the design recently won approval by the city council.
The loan, when added to the city's present nearly $37 million debt, appears to show two troubling signs for Independence.
Towns fall short in a “financial strength test” when they exceed a debt of $3,500-to-$3,600 per person, which is calculated by dividing the amount of city debt by the number of residents. Another measure of strength is the ability of a city to pay for municipal services with tax dollars.
The first test was shared by financial authority Robert Barron. Before the pandemic, he spoke at a Salem City Club presentation, prior to departing from his Salem position as finance director for a regional job.
The second test of strength is a generally accepted one: How well do tax revenues fund city operations? The city's property tax revenue isn’t even able to entirely cover the police budget, Mayor John McArdle affirmed in his annual “State of the City” address recently.
The circumstances appear to have prompted Councilor Roden to ask about the plausibility of bankruptcy at a recent city council meeting – if the city filed bankruptcy on its outstanding debt, would that mean the money needed for the water-treatment facilities could be made available without placing such a heavy monetary burden on builders?
“You simply are taking local control away from you and putting it in the hands of a federal judge,” warned Steve Donovan, the water-engineering consultant on the project.
The debt was an issue raised a seven years ago, after the city’s auditor at the time, Kamala Austin of Merina & Co., presented the results of the municipal audit. Austin cited it as an area of concern.
After that occurred, Trammart News approached State Rep. Paul Evans to determine if bankruptcy could provide a potential option for local governments in Oregon. With very rare exceptions, the answer is no, Evans verified.
Although many in city management across the state have attributed the financial stress on cities to the limits on taxation – specifically the constraints of Measures 5 and 50 – Independence appears to be in more severe difficulty than Monmouth, its neighboring town.
Months ago, a longtime resident of Monmouth who works in both cities explained that the money-managing approach taken by the two towns is strikingly different. For example, Monmouth voters passed bonds to finance its city hall and police station – dollars that come from property-tax billing and not city coffers.
Independence, in contrast, took out loans for its city hall and police department, and added an event section, transforming the building into a “civic center. “ Another loan was taken out by Independence when the city opted to relocate the Heritage Museum to a building downtown.
The total cost to both cities appears to be about the same, substantially exceeding $10 million. But Monmouth relies on tax rolls to make those payments. Independence allocates the money from city funds.
(Next in series on Independence debt: Why funds for park improvement proved controversial) ▪
RSS Feed