July 14, 2011 Shelton Mason County Journal | ![]() |
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STR E ET
What do you think of the $10 daily pass
or $30 yearly pass to use state parks?
Cal Crowley
"The pass doesn't sound
like it's working. We just
went on vacation and my
wife said they're not collect-
ing a lot. It should be scaled
on your ability to pay."
Kelly Burdette Shirley Jones Steven Walthall
"I don't think there should "The disabled should be left "It s stupid because a state
be a fee for people who live out, but it is a good idea to park should be free. I'll just
in the county [of the state cover expenses, etc. of the play in the woods."
park] and like to take their parks."
children there, other than
donations."
Veterans assistance hit
hard by a poor economy
.Gameboy
Advance
By NATALIE JOHNSON
Veterans service officers
at the Shelton Memorial
Hall can remember years
before the recession when
they had $80,000 to $90,000
per year to help needy vets
through the Mason County
Veterans Assistance Pro-
gram.
However, in the last few
years, they've been lucky to
get half that.
Veterans service officer
Pete Laserinko said that the
recession has been particu-
larly hard on veterans.
"I'd say it's 50-50. A lot of
the older veterans and the
younger ones comirg home
have;been hit hard, he said.
Evevyweek, Mason Coun-
ty Commissioners review,
and most likely approve,
several requests from the
county's veterans assistance
fund, $75 at a time for food
or $200 to $300 at a time
for rent or utilities. Every
veteran or veteran's family
in the county is entitled to
$600 a year from the fund.
So far in 2011, the veter-
ans service office has been
allotted $32,951.91 for vet-
erans loans and assistance.
In 2010 that amount was
$54,599,26, and in 2009 it
was $46,665.08.
In 2008, however, the
office had $79,435.26 for
veterans assistance and in
2007 had $73,157.35, ac-
cording to county budget
documents.
In 2008 the county only
took in $31,706 in revenue
for the veterans assistance
fund and had to supplement
expenditures from the fund
with $65,600 from the year-
end fund balance from 2007.
The veterans service of-
fice gets funding twice a
year, in June or July, and
October or November, from
property tax revenue. The
amount of funding they re-
ceive is based on the amount
of property taxes collected
through the Veterans Re-
lief levy, which is $1.12882
per $1,000 of assessed prop-
erty. In 2010, the expected
revenue from that levy was
$86,723. The veteran's as-
sistance fund has existed
since 2005.
"For qualifying veterans
or veteran's families there
is allotted $600 for the cal-
endar year to use for either
rental assistance, mortgage,
city utility, water district
bill, PUD 3, PUD 1, food
vouchers," Laserinko said.
Veterans can also get
help buying firewood, wood
pellets or propane for heat-
ing in winter months.
To qualify, Laserinko
said, veterans can be single
or living with a family of up
Journal photos by Natalie Johnson
Above, Jackie Mallon assists a veteran at
the veterans service office at the Shelton
Memorial Hall. Below, Pete Laserinko said that
the recession has been particularly hard on
veterans.
to ten, and have to be honor-
ably discharged and living
under federally established
poverty levels.
While funding has
dropped by 50 percent and
then stayed fairly static
over the past three years,
demand for veteran's assis-
tance in the county has been
steadily increasing.
In the 2009-10 fund-
ing year, there were 133
requests for assistance, 98
of which were one-time re-
quests, while 35 were re-
peated requests.
From 2010-2011, there
were 158 total requests,
with 50 repeat requests. So
far in 2011 there have been
62 total requests.
"Right now there is as-
sistance but it's limited."
Laserinko said. There's only
so much there - we have to
make it last until the end of
November."
Because of the decrease
in funding and increase in
demand, funds don't always
last like Laserinko and oth-
er veterans service officers
hope.
"For two to three months
there we didn't have any
funds, we'd used it all up,"
veteran's service officer
Jackie Mallon said. "In
April and May we were out
of funds."
During that time, Laser-
inko said that the office had
to turn people away to other
organizations until the sum-
mer funding came in at the
end of June.
"We were telling them to
go here, go there, you may
have to do a little more leg
work than when you come
and see us but you're gon-
na get some help," he said.
"We have some people that
have been using the funds
year after year because they
need that help. We have
some people who were on
unemployment but their un-
employment ran out."
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Sheltorl-Mason County Journal - Thursday, July 14, 2011 - Page A-5