December 6^th was an interesting commissioners meeting. Thelma Bonar and myself went before the three county commissioners in hopes that the commissioners would enforce the Depletion Fee Ordinance. It has been ten years since the voters of Columbia County voted on, and passed this ordinance. The ordinance on the ballot clearly stated, Submitted to the voters by the County Commissioners 5-32 Increase on Depletion Fee on Natural Resources by 5 cents. It has been years of heated arguments between the county commissioners, Ms. Bonar, and myself over the enforcement of this ordinance.
The county commissioners use the argument that the commissioners/county and the voters did not intend for the ordinance to be enforced the way it was written. The county/voters' did not intend for the depletion fee to be enforced on all naturally mined materials, mined within or brought in to the county, as the ordinance clearly states. They are talking about eliminating aggregate brought in the county, certain naturally mined materials such as gypsum, dredge spoils, clay and coal.
Right now the county has the ability to easily enforce this ordinance with their code enforcement officer Robert Crane. Officer Crane has tried time after time to collect depletion fees owed to the county, and has had to refund monies collected back to the individuals who falls under this ordinance by orders of the County Commissioners.
As I have reported from time to time the county's negligence to enforce this ordinance has cost our County Road Department estimated to be well over $250,000.00 a year on aggregate/rock collections only.
With the new proposed coal plant coming into Port Westward, they too would fall under the depletion fee ordinance. The huge amounts of coal that is subject to be transported in to this county by rail and barge, could provide our Road dept. with much needed monies to fix our failing roads.
Boise Cascade falls under this ordinance, all though Commissioner Bernhard argues that Boise is having a hard time staying in business and if Boise had to pay depletion fees they would go under! I believe that her opinion is well off the mark since Boise has never paid depletion fees in the past, what is their excuse for the rumor of them shutting down now?
US Gypsum, falls under the depletion fee ordinance, why is Commissioner Tony Hyde so defensive of USG? After all, the County commissioner's gave away all our road monies to USG for several years, by constructing new roads and improving existing roads for the corporation. While Hyde was giving away our much-needed monies for our road repairs, USG got the whole honey pot, while we got the finger.
Another point, Teveen Brothers who own a huge rock pit in Clatsop County hauls in tremendous amounts of rock to the Port Westward projects, has a deep-water port in Rainier, rumor is Teveen Brothers may decide to export rock from the deep water port in Rainier to destinations unknown, and is subject to depletion fees. Is Hyde trying to change the ordinance because of the amount of rock Teveen Brothers transports into the county, or is it because Hyde receives campaign funds from them?
Glacier Rock, who is owned by the Tyeko Corporation largest rock/concrete manufactures in the world, Glacier is also know as the company of shame for all its deliberate environmental violations. Bob Short who represents Glacier is a regular at most political meetings, sits on the surface mining advisory board and does not live in Columbia County, but is appointed to the mining advisory board by the Commissioners to make decisions that affect everyone in Columbia County. Glacier exports a tremendous amount of aggregate from Columbia County by truck and barges.
My question, why has the huge corporate mining companies and small private mining companies not complained to the commissioners why they are not enforcing the depletion fee on everyone subject to the ordinance. Why only on surface miners? Something I have often asked the commissioners over the past many years I would think that it would be considered discrimination. What are the surface miners getting from the commissioners in exchange?
Morse Brothers, a Fortune 500 company, sits on the New York Stock Exchange exports tremendous amounts of rock, sand, concrete, imports rock from Multnomah County, and have a permit into the Corps of Engineers to receive 700,000 cubic yards of dredge spoils at the Waterview site near Deer Island which would be subject to Depletion Fees, under the current ordinance.
In 2000/2001 the county went before the voters to try and change the ordinance to remove certain mined materials, it was overwhelming voted down, now the commissioners are trying to change the ordinance, using the same language that the voters voted down!
I guess Commissioner Bernhard and Hyde figure that they don't have to answer to the voters, it is apparent by their actions that these two commissioners will do as they please, over riding the voters when they disagree with the outcome of any given election.
Bonar and I brought in several public documents readily available at the courthouse proving that it was the county's intention to increase the depletion fee and to include all natural mined minerals in the county and natural mined minerals brought into the county and are subject to depletion fees.
Now what part of the provided documents that we presented do Hyde and Bernhard not understand?
Commissioner Corsiglia wants the public to be able to vote on any change in the ordinance, and was open to our presentation and welcomed us to come in to his office, to let him review our documents, which we did.
In my opinion Corsigila wants to do the right thing by the voters something which Hyde and Bernhard are not willing to do.
I reminded the commissioners that they owe their loyalty to the voters of this county and not to the corporations that decide to site here.
Hyde argued that the ordinance was unfair to the corporations such as USG because he felt that the ordinance was not intended (there he goes interpret ting language to suit himself) for industry other than surface mining. I pointed out that USG has a horde of corporate lawyers who sit and do nothing but try and figure out ways to beat taxes, fees etc. and that it was not the people of Columbia County's problem if the lawyers did not research all the fees that USG would be liable for if they sited here in Columbia County, and furthermore it was not the commissioners responsibility, nor the citizens responsibility to inform corporations of such rules and regulations it was the corporations responsibility to investigate proposed sites, and since they decided to site in Columbia County it is their responsibility to PAY all appropriate fees and taxes.
I hope that you get aggravated, and outraged, the way two of these commissioners are trying to circumvent your vote, please call the commissioners office and let them know that you will not tolerate this kind of action over an outcome of an election. Whether you agree with the voters decision or not, if the commissioners are allowed to change the voters voice on this one, maybe your vote and issue will be next.

The Commissioners telephone number is  503-397-4322.  Call them and let them know what you think.