Applicants sought for city Budget Committee
The City of Lebanon invites interested persons to apply for the remaining term of a position on the Lebanon Budget Committee that expires on June 30, 2021.
Candidates must reside within the city limits.
The Budget Committee develops budget recommendations for Council action and approves the City tax rate. Members receive no compensation and attend one to four meetings every May.
To apply, fill out a City Board/Committee/Commission application available at at City Hall, 925 S. Main St. or by visiting www.LebanonOregon.gov/cc.
The deadline for applications Feb. 21. Applications should be submitted to the City Recorder, 925 S. Main St., or [email protected].
City staff will review all applications and submit a written recommendation to the City Recorder for the mayor’s consideration.
Applicants will be notified by April 1. An appointment will be made by the Mayor at the April 8 City Council meeting.
Tax season: State urges workers to check filing benefits
The Oregon Department of Human Services and the Department of Revenue are jointly encouraging all workers with income in 2019 to check if they may benefit from filing a return, even if they aren’t required to file.
Taxpayers may be leaving money on the table if they qualify for refundable credits, but don’t file a return claiming them.
Workers may get a larger tax refund this year because of the Earned Income Tax Credit. But many in Oregon don’t know about this tax credit.
Jan. 31 of this year marked the 14th anniversary of Earned Income Tax Credit Awareness Day, a nationwide effort to increase awareness about EITC and free tax preparation sites.
In Oregon, 245,000 people received more than $524 million with an average amount of $2,139 from the Earned Income Tax Credit in 2019. But, potentially, many more were eligible.
If you worked last year and had income of less than $55,952, check out your eligibility for EITC. The tax credit can mean up to a $6,557 refund when you file a return and have qualifying children. Workers without a qualifying child could be eligible for a smaller credit up to $529.
Basic qualifications include:
n Filing with a status other than married filing separately.
n You, your spouse, and any qualifying child must have a Social Security Number.
n Your earned income in 2019 must be below certain limits based on your number of qualifying children.
The Oregon Department of Human Services and the Oregon Department of Revenue are working with other state agencies and community partners to encourage taxpayers to learn more about this credit and find out if they’re eligible.
Taxpayers can use the IRS’ EITC Assistant to further check their eligibility.
CASH Oregon provides free or low-cost, in-person tax preparation services throughout Oregon. To see their locations, visit www.cashoregon.org. People can also call 211 to find free tax return preparation sites.
For more information on the EITC, visit https://www.eitc.irs.gov/.
For questions about Oregon taxes, call the Department of Revenue at (503) 378-4988. For questions about the Department of Human Services call (503) 945-5600.
Winners of manhole art competition announced
The Lebanon Arts Commission has announced the winning submissions for its manhole cover art design contest.
They are:
Jenni Grove, for the Lebanon Strawberry Heritage category;
Corey McEldowney, for the Lebanon Area Wildlife category;
Kyle Moye, in the Lebanon Railroad History category;
Skylar Randklev, in the category for Lebanon’s Wood Products Industry Era; and
Angela Schuler, for the Lebanon Freestyle design.
Arts commissioners juried more than 20 submissions. The selected designs have been given to a commercial artist for uniform development. Once complete, the designs will be forwarded to the Lebanon City Council to be ratified as official City of Lebanon manhole cover designs.
The Arts Commission plans to have all five designs produced as manhole covers to replace generic covers in the downtown area. All replaced covers will be repurposed as covers in new developments as they occur elsewhere in the community.