Deadline approaching for senior and disabled deferral program
Residents who are enrolled in the Senior and Disabled Citizens Property Tax Deferral Program have until Monday, April 8, to file paperwork for recertification of their eligibility.
In addition, those new to the deferral program have until Monday, April 15, to file with their county assessors office to be eligible to have their property taxes paid this year.
The Oregon Legislature established the Senior and Disabled Citizens Property Tax Deferral Program in 1963 to help qualified residents pay their county property taxes. The state essentially makes property tax payments on behalf of eligible participants. A lien is then placed on the property, and all taxes and fees must be repaid before the lien is removed.
For more information, or to obtain an application, visit Oregon.gov/dor/scd.
Preventing graffiti in Gresham
The city of Gresham will hold a Graffiti Summit from 9-11:30 a.m. Saturday, April 27, at Gresham City Hall Council Chambers, 1333 N.W. Eastman Parkway.
The summit will focus on what graffiti means, how to prevent it, why its important to remove it quickly and how to remove it successfully.
Gresham Police Department, Code Compliance and the Office of Neighborhoods will present.
For more information, call 503-618-2482 or email Cathy.Harrington@GreshamOregon.gov.
Multnomah County seeking volunteers
Multnomah County Land Use Planning division is looking for two county residents, who live east of Gresham and Troutdale, to serve on the countys Planning Commission.
Members of the planning commission make sure that rural land use planning issues meet state planning requirements, as well as policies established by the Multnomah County Board of County Commissioners. They also make recommendations to commissioners for adoption, revision or repeal of elements in the Comprehensive Framework Plan, zoning code and other regulatory ordinances in place to carry out the plan as directed by the board.
The planning commission consists of nine members, who serve four-year terms and are appointed by the Board of County Commissioners. Meetings are held at 6:30 p.m. the first Monday of each month at the Multnomah Building, 501 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd., in Portland.
Deadline to apply is Tuesday, April 16.
To request an application, call 503-988-3043 or visit multco.us/land-use-planning/planning-commissioner-application.
Learn about the Healthy Damascus Food Plan
How does healthy food and active living affect you, your family and community?
Delve into this question from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, April 6, at Sunnyside Community Church, 16444 S.E. Highway 212, Damascus.
A Kaiser Permanente Health Initiatives-funded grant is helping the city develop the Healthy Damascus Food Plan.
Participants in Saturdays event will have the opportunity to learn about partnerships, programs and projects to make Damascus a more healthy and active city.
Recycling event to benefit canine adoption group
The Oregon Greyhound Adoption (OGA) organization is inviting area residents to clean out their closets, garages and storage cabinets for a Community Recycling Day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 6, at Multnomah Greyhound Park, 944 N.E. 223rd Ave., Wood Village.
The event offers folks a way to dispose of sensitive documents (via shredding), obsolete electronics and Styrofoam. Accepted electronics include televisions, VCRs, PDAs, computers, keyboards, camera, telephones, stereos and audio equipment. Microwave ovens cannot be accepted.
Suggested donation is $5 per item, or two bags/boxes of documents, with a $50 maximum per car load.
OGA is a registered nonprofit corporation, meaning all donations are tax deductible. The group is dedicated to finding good homes for retired greyhound racing animals.
For more information, visit oregongreyhound.com.
Host families needed for next school year
International Cultural Exchange Services (ICES) is seeking local families who would like to open their home to a foreign exchange high school student for the 2013-2014 school year.
Interested host families are provided with student profiles that allow them to select an exchange student based on gender, nationality, common interests, religion and other criteria. Exchange students are fully insured and have their own spending money to cover personal expenses. ICES also provides a local program coordinator, who works with the student and host family throughout the year and plans activities and get-togethers.
Each year, ICES brings students from more than 30 countries to the United States to live with local families, attend school and learn about American culture. ICES is a nonprofit organization, and host families are eligible for a tax deduction for hosting.
For more information, call Kari Hampton at 503-724-2308 or email at hampton.ices@gmail.com.
Locate buried utilities before digging this spring
NW Natural is reminding residents that April is Safe Digging Month and to know the location of their underground utility lines before beginning any yard work requiring tools.
Officials with the gas company warn that garden shovels, backhoes, trenchers, post-hole diggers and other tools are all capable of damaging gas lines and could result in service disruptions and possible injuries.
Residents and contractors should call 811, the Utility Notification Center, at least two business days prior to the start of any yard project. The call is free and required by law. Failure to comply could mean a hefty fine.
If a gas line has been accidently damaged, officials with NW Natural advise you to remember Smell. Go. Let us know. Leave the area if you smell an odor like rotten eggs or hear a hissing sound, and follow these additional tips:
Do not use your telephone, cell phone or any electronic or battery powered device.
Do not light matches.
Dont operate any electrical switch, including lights.
Dont create any other source of ignition or spark that could ignite the gas.
Evacuate the area on foot.
Call NW Naturals 24-hour emergency hotline at 800-882-3377.
For more information, visit nwnatural.com.