Market Values down, but tax rates up; School bus slides off road; Prepare your pantry for emergencies; and who'll stop the rain?

Values down… tax rates up…

Property tax statements will be mailed out late next week and when they arrive you’ll no doubt notice the market value of your property is probably less than it was last year. Lane County Assessor Annette Spickard says that’s because of the economy. Despite that drop, you’ll also no doubt notice that the bottom line is more, along with the assessed value. That’s due to two reasons. First, the assessed valuation of all property increases by three-percent each year. Second, voters approved special operating and bond levies in several areas throughout the county. In the Siuslaw School District, a five-year special operating levy means an additional 75-cents per thousand dollars of assessed valuation says Spickard. She says, on average, taxpayers will see a tax increase of just under ten percent on this year’s tax statement. The first payments are due November 16th.

Siuslaw School Superintendent Jeff Davis said they “dodged a bullet” yesterday morning when a school bus slid off Rhododendron Drive slightly injuring one student and the driver. Davis said the student suffered a cut inside her mouth from being bounced around and the driver, Chuck Gunther, bumped his head. Gunther told officials that he slid on a heavy concentration of pine needles that were left over from yesterday’s stormy weather. The 16-passenger bus didn’t collide with anything and only sustained minor damage.

Federal guidelines say residents should be prepared to feed themselves for at least a month in the event of a large scale disaster. That means many people need to make adjustments to the way they stock their pantry at home. It’s not that difficult says Jean Busby. She’s a community education outreach coordinator for Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue. Busby will be leading a class this Saturday from two to four pm at the main fire station on how to create a flexible short and long term food plan in the event of emergency. There’s no cost to attend.

The National Weather Service is saying to prepare for some heavy precipitation this weekend. An unusually wet early season storm system will dump as many as five inches of rain on the coast range between late tomorrow and Saturday afternoon. Forecasters say the combination of a lot of warm air, along with heavy concentrations of moisture have created the perfect combination. They don’t expect any major flooding, but they say to be aware of local accumulations.

TAKING A LOOK INTO COAST RADIO SPORTS:

Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli is practicing again, but not in full pads. Masoli injured his right knee in Oregon’s 52-6 victory over Washington State October 3rd. He practiced last week, but did not play against UCLA. The Ducks have this weekend off. It’s too soon to tell if Masoli will be healthy enough for an October 24th matchup against Washington.

The Oregon State Beavers also have this weekend off; they’re also dealing with an injured quarterback. Lyle Moevao (moy-VOW) had rotator cuff surgery in the off-season and has seen limited action so far. Oregon State is exploring the possibility of asking the NCAA to grant another year of eligibility to the fifth-year senior because of a medical hardship. Coach Mike Riley said it would be a – quote – “longshot at best”. OSU attempted the same approach with another player a few years ago to no avail.

Coming up on the schedule today… Sunset League Volleyball is on the court in Glide for the Reedsport Braves.