A1 A1
Mooks wrestlers compete at state
Neah-Kah-Nie sends wrester to state Page B1
Tillamook School District finacial update Page A2
Page B1
Headlight Herald
Tuesday, March 10 2026 | Vol. 138, Issue 10
$2.00
www.TillamookHeadlightHerald.com
David’s Chair adds second track chair in Pacific City
TLT reform bill clears senate Will Chappell Headlight Editor
A
Will Chappell
bill reducing the percentage of transient lodging tax funds that local governments must spend on tourism marketing and tourist-related projects to 50% of those revenues passed the Oregon state senate on March 5. The bill, cosponsored by Representative Cyrus Javadi and State Senator Suzanne Weber, both of Tillamook, was headed to Governor Tina Kotek’s desk where it was expected to be signed into law. Javadi began the push to change restrictions on the transient lodging tax (TLT) that have required 70% of revenues from the tax be spent on marketing or tourist-related projects in 2025, with a bill seeking to reduce that percentage to 50% spluttering in a senate committee amid political infighting after passing the house. This session, Javadi renewed his push, putting forward a bill proposing the restricted percentage be reduced to just 40%, with Weber sponsoring an identical bill in the senate to increase the odds of success. Javadi and Weber, as well as commissioners from Tillamook and other highly visited counties, argue that the 70/30 split left localities with high rates of tourism struggling to cope with the impacts those visitors had on area first responders and infrastructure, while simultaneously having difficulty finding appropriate projects on which to spend the restricted funds. This year, it became clear early in the session that Javadi’s version of the bill would be the one to move and negotiations with the Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association (ORLA), the proposal’s chief opponent in last year’s session, began. Those negotiations led to the portion of revenue restricted being raised from 40% to 50%, as well as the addition of a provision that will allow restricted revenues to be used to support small, tourist focused businesses, earning a neutral position on the bill from ORLA. The house of representatives passed the bill with 40 ayes, 12 nays and four excused on February 25, and the senate with 23 ayes, 6 nays and one excused on March 5. If signed by Kotek, the bill will take effect 91 days after the end of the leg-
Headlight Editor
V
olunteers for and supporters of David’s Chair, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding outdoor access for mobility challenged individuals, gathered in Pacific City on March 4, to celebrate the nonprofit’s addition of a second chair in the community. Jeff Kallevig, Northwest Operations Manager for David’s Chair, thanked Travel Oregon for the award of a grant that made the $20,000 purchase possible and the local volunteers for their support, while also unveiling a new shed that will host Pacific City’s two chairs. David’s Chair began in 2017 and today has more than 20 chairs spread across 17 locations in four states. The charity offers mobility challenged individuals the opportunity to freely rent a chair that can handle challenging outdoor conditions like sand or snow to access unpaved areas. Tillamook County hosts chairs See david’s chair, Page A3
Doyle takes a spin in the new track chair.
Housing commission makes grant award recommendations Will Chappell Headlight Editor
F
ollowing presentations by developers for eight multifamily workforce and affordable housing projects across the county in February, Tillamook County’s housing commission made recommendations for awarding the $400,000 available from the housing production solutions fund at their meeting on March 5. The commission, following the suggestions of its finance committee, which reviewed the applications and gave award guidance, recommended funding for seven of the projects. Tillamook County commissioners will make a final decision on the grant awards in the coming weeks. The schoolhouse flats project in Beaver, which aims to turn the old Beaver Grade School into a mixed-use development with 20 apartments, a library branch and sports fields was recommended
for a $100,000 award. Housing commissioners said that developer Kevin Shluka’s history of success with the Kingfisher Apartments in Pacific City, the multiple benefits the project would bring to the community and its strong per-unit value warranted the large award. Tillamook Bay Commons, a 72-apartment project next to Adventist Health in Tillamook being led by the Oregon First Housing Group, was recommended for an award of $80,000. That award would be used to bridge a gap in labor costs caused by prevailing wage requirements that were triggered by other funding the project have received. The commission also recommended that the award be contingent on the project receiving a middle-income revolving loan from the State of Oregon. An award of $75,000 was recommended for the Manzanita Heights project, which is being led See housing, Page A4
Headlight Herald
Manzanita manager resigns Will Chappell Headlight Editor
M
anzanita City Manager Leila Aman submitted her letter of resignation to the city council on March 2, with an effective date of May 8. Aman, who came to Manzanita in 2021, has helped the city achieve several major projects, including the construction of a new city hall and police station, and will move on to become the community services division manager at Oregon’s Department of Land Conservation and Development. Mayor Kathryn Stock praised Aman’s work in her time with Manzanita at the council’s March 4 meeting. “The city and offices of the city are in very different shape than they were when she arrived and it’s been a great pleasure to work with her, to learn from her, to be challenged by her,” Stock said. A Portland native, Aman graduated with an undergraduate degree from Portland State University and a master’s degree from Cornell University and spent time working for the Portland metro government, Fregonese Calthorpe Associates and the City of Milwaukie, before arriving in Manzanita in June 2021. In her tenure in Manzanita, Aman has helped guide the city
Leila Aman
through the creation of a capital improvement plan and an update to its transportation system plan, both of which are being incorporated in an ongoing update to the city’s comprehensive plan. Aman also helped city leaders through the process of constructing a new city hall and police station, building a funding stack including a large loan from Business Oregon, leading a public process to design the facility and serving as project manager during the construction process, which began in April 2024 and concluded in July 2025. Stock said at the March 4 meeting that council was beginning to discuss their approach for recruiting Aman’s successor and would give more information on that process at a future meeting.
Tillamook Beekeepers Association
Annual Bee Days
Celebrating the 250th Birthday of the United States of America Raffle Prize: Commemorative 1776-2026 Beehive
& BEE DAYS 2026 Tillamook Beekeeper Assoc.
Cosponsored by Tillamook County Solid Waste
itizen Sat. & Sun. April 25-26,C2026 North Coast
Saturday, April 30
or d n e V ings Book -7535 842
503-
FREE ADMISSION FREE PARKING
FREE ADMISSION 9 am to 4 pm Saturday 9 am to 4 Sunday 11 am to 4 pm atpm Tillamook• County Sunday, May 1 Bee Day 2022 11 am to 4 pm at the TillamookFairgrounds County Fairgrounds Tillamook Beekeepers Association is Presenting
•
IN THIS ISSUE Send us a news tip at tillamookheadlightherald.com | Your message could be the first thing our readers see! News A2-4, 6, 8, B1-3 Opinion A5, 7 Obituaries A7 Sports B1 Classifieds B4-8
Weather Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
High 48° Low 41°
High 51° Low 45°
High 50° Low 39°
High 50° Low 39°
High 52° Low 43°
High 54° Low 44°
High 56° Low 46°