Port Of Astoria Commissioners raised the question in their meeting Tuesday night.
Where does all the money flowing into the Department of State Lands from Clatsop County actually go? Well..it's supposed to go into the common school fund and it's a nice chunk of cash. Ballpark estimates would place the number at around a million
dollars over the last couple of years alone. Clatsop County schools totaled about $220,000 in payments from the common school fund for 2011. For Astoria schools that means just a little over $84,000.
I'll let you chew on that for a minute.
The Department of State Lands is the administrative arm of the State Land Board which, since it's inception, is constitutionally composed of the Governor, the State Treasurer and the Secretary of State. The Department is responsible for the collection of fees for things like use of submerged and submersible lands, execution and collection of lease agreements..etc on any lands owned by the State Of Oregon. If a person dies and leaves no will behind then the estate goes to this department. If unclaimed property pops up then this department holds it. So there is a lot of money flowing into this department all the time.
The last published audit of the Department of State Lands in March of 2010 indicated that they were doing a very poor job of keeping track of their money. They had no controls in place, in fact the Director was unaware of some of the basic accounting practices they need to have in place.
The method of disbursing common school funds is a bit of a mystery and I suspect it is based on some method best described as the "dart board" technique shrouded in methodology far too complicated for the common person to understand. My suggestion is schools should make every effort to keep the Governor happy. Flowers would be nice.
I'm sure someone out there has the extra time on their hands to fully research this matter. I know this has caught the Port's attention and they are looking into just how much coastal communities are pouring into this department. It takes months to get the numbers so as that moves along I'll pass it on to you.
Has Megee applied to be considered media by the Port so he can attend the executive sessions there like he is going to do at the County Commission meetings? If so, we will soon know all the dirt about the Port too.
ReplyDeleteCommon School Fund Distribution for 2010-2011 From DSL
ReplyDeleteOregon Department Of State Lands Asset Management Plan And The Common School Fund
ReplyDeleteHow did we get to this place in the first place with DSL? It appears to be more powerful that our Senator and State Representatives, or did they even know this was happening in the first place and if not why not? funding mitgation programs through the state for example which is already done by the feds takes money away from schools. Government has gotten so big and complicated that undoing this may be impossible, especially when our elected people have allowed this to go on, I am outraged!
ReplyDeleteMcGee, MEDIA, give me a break!!!
ReplyDelete"Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteMcGee, MEDIA, give me a break!!!
8:47 AM"
McGee, Media. Yes he is according to Clatsop County Board of Commissioners, in 20-30 minutes of debate with Commissioner Roberts grasping for every straw of desperation she could muster, it appears and then, a unanimous vote.
Looks to me that I am the only officially named "Media Organ" on their(CCBofC) "Official List" of approved media for Executive Sessions though.
What gives, I wonder? Did somebody forget that this was new policy and procedure?
Could the official vetting of all media resources, in the same manner, be addressed in the very near future?
"McGee, Media? Yes he is according to Clatsop County Board of Commissioners, in 20-30 minutes of debate with Commissioner Roberts grasping for every straw of desperation she could muster, it appears and then, a unanimous vote.Correction:"20-30 minutes of debate" is inaccurate, it should be corrected to read, "16 minutes of debate with Commissioner Roberts grasping for every straw of desperation she could muster...."
ReplyDeleteJust look, McGee is voted on board the County Commission as media and he has to castigate Commissioner Roberts in his "anouncement". What, did she have questions? Did she not joyfully jump on board the McGee boat? What a joke. Real media should be feeling ashamed. And, remember, this is a guy who makes foul comments about a person's lip. How much attention should he get?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteJust look, McGee is voted on board the County Commission as media and he has to castigate Commissioner Roberts in his "anouncement". What, did she have questions? Did she not joyfully jump on board the McGee boat? What a joke. Real media should be feeling ashamed. And, remember, this is a guy who makes foul comments about a person's lip. How much attention should he get?
So, just what is...."Real Media" Anonym and how so?
And whose lips is it I made foul comments about?
This topic was about DSL and the common School Fund, I hope that it continues to be a topic we can solve as a community and not be distracted by what or why Mr. Mcgee does what he does. He plays no major role or contribution to this issue.
ReplyDeleteTom, we owe it to our community to remove or fix DSL from the waterfront equation in some fashion. I only hope Senator Johnson does something this session and not just speak how bad they are with out fixing it. The schools could benefit from a re-organization of DSL.
There are individuals, businesses and local governments that have suffered from DSL's abusive management actions in the last few years, not counting the last 20 years.
Its broken and needs to be fixed.
Floyd E. Holcom
Thank you Floyd for re-directing the attention of this discussion back to its original subject but, I must beg to differ with you on your assumption that I, as one of the, now, 37000-or-so citizens of Clatsop County, have no stake or input on this issue with DSL. We, all of us, ultimately play a role and contribute to issues such as this and as well, particpate in the end in the solutions you and your colleagues, elected by us, in our trust, in the doing of our "Public Business" commit us to.
ReplyDeleteI do hear your complaint but, "It's broken and needs to be fixed" is not necessarily a solution is it?
Got anything any better that your constituents can grasp as a solution?
Patrick McGee said...
ReplyDeleteI, as one of the, now, 37000-or-so citizens of Clatsop County, have no stake or input on this issue with DSL.
Please qualify this stake you have in the DSL issue, Mr. McGee. Failing to that, perhaps you could nutshell your "input" and put it here?
You must realize, Anon Above, that this McGee person doesnt really have any input or stake in anything-he just likes to pretend he's somebody that he's not. FLoyd Holcom laid it down correctly-there's no explaining McGee, he just has to be endured
ReplyDeletePlease qualify this stake you have in the DSL issue, Mr. McGee.....
ReplyDelete*crickets chirping*
Well, he "begged to differ"- then didnt bother to explain his "differ". Seems it is as you claim, he's all hat and no cattle.
ReplyDelete