Enforcement falls short

I find I am naive. I voted for the police department levy an election ago (and will see the effects of it on my property tax bill!), and I thought the police department would be all fixed up with the extra funds. Not so.

At the recent "Clean Up Albany" meeting, in discussing reporting city code violations, a city employee let it out that the violator is called on the phone three or four times, and when the violator doesn't correct the code violation nothing is done because "the city doesn't want to take them to court!"

So, why tell the citizens that your code enforcement is complaint driven, and we must call the violations in because the city is not driving around noticing violations? Is this some kind of game, and I'm missing the supposed humorous point?

As Queen Victoria said during her long reign in England, "We are not amused."

Mary Brock, Albany

Whose name is on the deed?

Wow, it only took Mrs. Olson one paragraph to show her true colors ("Make land use fair again," Mailbag, Sept. 9). She goes from recognizing personal property owners to proclaiming that all property is "ours," as in belonging to everyone.

What is it about people thinking that property bought and paid for by someone else belongs to someone other than the person whose name is on the deed?

I only have one thing to suggest to these kinds of people and that is: Put your money where your mouth is.

If you don't believe in personal property rights, either buy the land with your own money and turn it over to a land trust or move to a communist country, where you don't have to worry about rights because you don't have any, and leave Measure 37 as is.

John M. Murphy, Albany

County fees: Way too high

The public is letting Linn County government run unchecked. Fees for county-rendered services have increased to new unrealistic highs. Public services that were - and rightly so - provided under the umbrella of county employee salaries, our tax money, are now being extracted from the public. This is nothing more than a form of extortion and a surtax, and this is being done under the guise of protecting the public.

Individuals who are in charge of some departments have an air of invincibility, are non-user friendly and are autocratic, rigid and have a condescending attitude. A prime case is the Environmental Health Program. A trip to EHP and any dealings with the field supervisor, who is in charge of that department, and apparently her supervisor are among the most dreaded experiences applicants of those who install septic systems are faced with. I have been dealing with this person for nearly 25 years and am yet to have a pleasant experience. Many others share my opinion.

I advocate and fully support a replacement of the EHP field supervisor. The fee schedule in this department is ludicrous and nothing short of robbery.

The county commissioners seem to be always in alignment with department heads. Small wonder, since their workplace abode is in the courthouse. Instead of doing the job they are amply paid to do - that of protecting and helping their constituents - they stroke their own egos and get very little done, while patronizing department heads.

Fellow citizens, complacency with the status quo is not the answer.

Marc Holcomb Sr., Foster

Fifth-graders on two wheels

Classes in bicycle safety are currently being held for fifth-grade students throughout Albany. These students are the groups of young riders clad in yellow safety vests you may have seen on downtown streets. The exercises are the "final exam" of the week-long course. Under the watchful eye of their coach/instructors, they are putting into practice the skills and knowledge on which they have worked very hard.

As motorists you can be of great help to their education by cautiously exercising your proper right-of-way and yielding to their appropriate right-of-way under Oregon's rules of the road. It is very important to their learning that motorists and pedestrians follow those same rules.

Of course, just as with experienced motorists, the students sometimes make mistakes and they are often tentative as they safely gain experience under the watchful eye of their instructor and trained volunteer coaches. This is the kids first time in traffic and it is all new and scary. Your patience and kindness is greatly appreciated as they gain wary confidence that motorists will behave as expected.

As you may be aware, bicycles are classified as vehicles under Oregon law. Legally, they enjoy the same rights and responsibilities as other users of our streets and roads. The Albany Bicycle Safety Education students study most of the same rules that motorists study for their driver's test. They practiced hard to prepare themselves to safely take charge of much of their personal transportation by using their bicycle.

Please help make their education more effective by treating them as fellow roadway users and allowing them to do them same for you.

Ed Loy, Jim Lawrence, volunteers, Albany Bicycle Safety Education Program

Far too much thievery

This Saturday I was walking out my front door onto my walkway to water my flowers and noticed that some things were missing: two ceramic frogs, a 50-pound one and a smaller one. Needless to say, I was very upset. The frogs were given to my ex-husband by his mother when she was passing away from cancer. They were very sentimental.

I live in the 2600 block of 18th Ave. S.E. Just last week, someone stole all my cans off my front porch, which I was saving so my daughter can go to Washington, D.C., next summer. Being a single mom, I have to do all the things I can to earn money for her to be able to participate in activities with her peers.

This summer, there was a fire in my next-door neighbor's apartment. Someone had thrown my daughter's standing basketball hoop in the street and when the fire department came to put the fire out, they ran over it. Three days later, I had a brand new one sitting out front of my yard. The fire department had replaced it, and I called to let them know how grateful I was. Three weeks later, someone stole it.

People need to respect other's property. Get a job and buy their own things. I work hard to get what I do have.

I hope that those who take from others feel good about themselves and I hope the drugs that they probably got from selling our property is worth the hurt they put on others. I am tired of it, as I'm sure the rest of the community is.

Stay off our property and leave our property alone. Hands off!

Sandy Jung, Albany