Proposed lodging tax increase draws no support Wednesday night

February 21, 2019

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com As expected, the major motel managers in Yachats told the City Council Wednesday night that their idea to raise the city’s lodging tax by 11 percent was the wrong way to support tourism and prop up the city budget. Instead, they asked for a better long-term plan for using tourism taxes, to bring more people to Yachats

Consultant recommends new finance software for Yachats

February 21, 2019

The consultant now handling the Yachats’ finances Wednesday night recommended to the City Council that it adopt new accounting software to save staff time and provide a better picture of money issues. With the Feb. 1 departure of clerk Judy Richter, the city is contracting with the Albany-based Oregon Cascades West Council of Governments to handle its finances. One of

State agency “forgives” part of Yachats’ loan for new water tank

February 21, 2019

An Oregon agency that financed the city of Yachats’ new south water tank has “forgiven” $700,000 of the $1.73 million loaned to build it. So now, instead of having to repay the full amount at 2.2 percent interest over 20 years, the $1.03 million balance will be paid back at 1 percent interest over 30 years. The yearly payments are

Hospital offering classes on diabetes and chronic conditions

February 18, 2019

Samaritan Health Services is offering two free workshops starting in March for people with chronic health conditions and for those at risk or who have type 2 diabetes. The workshops are at Pacific Communities Hospital’s education center in Newport. “Living well with chronic conditions” workshop will meet for six weeks every Monday from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. beginning March 4.

Yachats experiencing a “boomlet” of new construction

February 14, 2019

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com During their careers with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Rik and Katherine Arndt lived in some of the West’s most desirable areas – Denver, near Yosemite National Park, New Mexico, and in Ashland. But when it came time to retire the Arndts chose Yachats to build their new home. It wasn’t a decision out of the

OSU study says Oregon’s resident gray whales actually move quite a bit

February 12, 2019

By MARK FLOYD/OSU News Service Oregon is known for having a small population of “resident” gray whales that appears to live off the Pacific Northwest coast in the summer and fall – and not taking the long migration north to the rich feeding grounds of the Arctic Ocean. As it turns out, the resident gray whales are not all homebodies.

Yachats fire board to begin contract talks with firefighters

February 12, 2019

The Yachats Rural Fire Protection District and its newly unionized firefighters will start negotiations for the first time Monday, Feb. 18. The seven full-time Yachats firefighters voted to join the Newport chapter of the International Association of Fire Fighters last August. Yachats was the last fire department in Lincoln County to unionize, but there had been no contract negotiations yet.

Proposed Yachats lodging tax increase draws opposition, warnings

February 11, 2019

QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com Most Yachats motel owners are strongly opposed to a proposed increase in the city’s lodging tax, contending that coupled with the city’s unusual food tax the city is putting too great a financial burden on tourists. They are also critical of lack of communication between the City Council and businesses that fuel Yachats’ budget, and especially want the

King tides photo project draws Yachats-area volunteers

February 7, 2019

By JoLENE KRAWCZAK/YachatsNews.com Adam Altson of Yachats joined the citizen-volunteer Oregon King Tides Photo Project a year ago to show how extremely high tides are affecting the shoreline near his home. During the year’s highest tides — called king tides — Altson walks across Ocean View Drive from his home to photograph waves surging higher up the rocky shore than he’ll

Yachats City Hall will trim back office hours amid staffing issues

February 7, 2019

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com Yachats City Hall will trim back its public office hours starting in April as the city tries to find two key employees and City Manager Shannon Beaucaire completes an organizational review and staffing proposal. The City Hall office is currently open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The new hours starting April 1 will be 9 a.m.