COLUMBIA COUNTY IRONING OUT METH TAX PLAN

Meth and the crime it causes is bringing people behind a proposed levy in
Columbia County, a survey presented Tuesday showed.

If such a levy were to pass, however, much of it would boost the number of
deputies on the road --- a proposal with a poor track record in Columbia
County. Still, Sheriff Phil Derby said that a survey by polling firm Vogel
and Associates shows about 63 percent of people questioned support a
five-year levy of 39 cents per $1,000 of assessed value that would bring in
more deputies to patrol the county. Such a levy would cost $39 per year for
a $100,000 home.

About 68 percent of those polled put investigating meth houses as a top
priority, the firm found.

"What the public needs and wants is service," Derby said.

Vogel and Associates presented its findings Tuesday afternoon to a group
working on a ballot measure to fight methamphetamine use in Columbia County.

The group is still hammering out what the final ballot measure will look
like and what the money will be used for, Derby said. The latest plan
proposes 10 new deputies, but that number has not been finalized, he said.

Adding deputies would enable the county to add one or two new officers to
the county's Columbia Enforcement Narcotics Team, which specializes in
investigating drug cases, Derby said.

Derby said some at Tuesday's meeting also were vocal about using a portion
of the money for the treatment of drug addiction at the jail --- a possible
way to prevent someone from returning to methamphetamine after his or her
release from jail.

A 39 cent per $1,000 levy would bring in about $1.2 million the first year.
That is much less than the proposed 68 cents per $1,000 sheriff's levy
which failed two years ago. Voters also had rejected sheriff's levies in
1995 and 2002, and an attempt to put one on the ballot through initiative
in 2000 failed to gather enough signatures.

Diane Pohl, the mayor of Clatskanie, said the price and the time is right
for Columbia County voters to support law enforcement, with concerns about
methamphetamine on the front burner. Pohl has been a supporter, though she
was not able to attend Tuesday's meeting.

"With the increased awareness, this may be a solid vote," she said. "I
think even last year, people weren't as aware of it."

"A high percentage of crime is caused by meth," Pohl said. "The first line
of defense is law enforcement."