The November election is full of important issues and races. Voters will decide who will govern our state for the next four years, who will represent us at the local, state and federal level as well as the outcome of important community issues. You must be registered to vote in order to receive a ballot. If you are not sure if you are a registered voter, call the Washington County Elections Office at (503) 846-5800 and ask. If you have recently moved, you need to notify the Elections Office of your new address because issues like the City of Hillsboro Local Option Tax only appear on the ballot of registered voters living in Hillsboro.

Ballot Measure 34-132 will be on the November ballot. It is a Local Option Tax (L.O.T.) that would provide funding to maintain police and parks maintenance services and to restore fire and emergency medical services to their past levels of service. The voters authorized a tax levy of $1.10 per $1,000 of assessed value in 1998 and 2002, which expires in 2008. This levy would replace the last year of the current levy with $1.72 per $1,000 for five years starting in July 2008. If passed, over 90% of the levy would go to police, fire and emergency medical services. The remaining amount of the levy would be used for parks maintenance services.

Fire Prevention Week has its roots in the great Chicago Fire, which began on October 8, 1871, and lasted 27 hours. In the end, the Great Chicago fire killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures and burned more than 2,000 acres. On the Great Chicago Fire’s 40th Anniversary, the Fire Marshal’s Association of North America sponsored the first National Fire Prevention Day. In 1920, President Woodrow Wilson issued the first National Fire Prevention Day Proclamation, and since 1922, National Fire Prevention Week has been observed on the Sunday-through-Saturday period in which October 8 falls.

Approximately three years ago, the City of Hillsboro initiated a FOG (Fats, Oils and Grease) program to combat the problems of grease build-up in the City’s sewer system. Clean up and removal of the build-up costs the City thousands of dollars in annual maintenance and negatively impacts service to our citizens. Public Works staff initially focused their attention on food service establishments such as stores and restaurants. They began by inspecting the grease traps these businesses use to prevent grease and food from entering the City lines.

Last year, the Glenn and Viola Walters Cultural Arts Center presented its inaugural celebration to support National Arts and Humanities Month. The October event was in conjunction with hundreds of arts organizations and communities across the nation to raise awareness about arts and humanities. It included theater, music, lectures, poetry and was considered the largest celebration of its kind in the state of Oregon.

Approximately three years ago, the City of Hillsboro initiated a FOG (Fats, Oils and Grease) program to combat the problems of grease build-up in the City’s sewer system. Clean up and removal of the build-up costs the City thousands of dollars in annual maintenance and negatively impacts service to our citizens. Public Works staff initially focused their attention on food service establishments such as stores and restaurants. They began by inspecting the grease traps these businesses use to prevent grease and food from entering the City lines. Public Works staff also worked with business managers and owners about other ways to reduce discharge into the system. Simple things like wiping all pots and pans and using garbage cans instead of sinks can make a difference.Grease, oils and food products that enter household drains also build up over time and eventually leads to blockages in the system. The City offers can lids and scrapers to the public to help cut down on grease entering the system. For more information contact Michael Bakkum or Julia Erickson at 503-615-6509.

Washington County Cooperative Library Services (WLLS) has provided funding for public library operations linking together city and community libraries for 30 years. This November, Measure 34-126 will be on the ballot. It is a local option levy to maintain countywide library services. The levy would maintain library services and allow for restoration of selected services at some libraries, namely hours of operation and purchase of books and other materials. It would also maintain central services and outreach programs that serve residents through all WCCLS libraries. This includes outreach to special populations such as homebound, funding for reading programs, early childhood literacy, WILInet catalog/website, delivery of books between libraries and funding for an information systems replacement.

Come autumn, if you are a Hillsboro Water customer, you will likely see a difference in your water bill. The rate structure for water charges is changing on October 1st and the amount of your bill will depend on the amount of water you use.First, the good news: Residential customers will have the lowest water rate in the tri-county area due to a reduction in residential rate charges. The service “base rate” will drop from $9.82/month to $7.53/month and the initial unit rate will also drop from $1.21 per CCF (748 gallons) to $.93 per CCF. The average homeowner will see a decrease in his/her bill and pay $3 or $4 less each month ($6-$8 decrease per bi-monthly bill).