Tillamook baseball coach resigns
Mook softball gets win
Rockaway council approves contingent purchase agreement for lower Jetty Creek watershed Page A3
Page B1
Page B1
Headlight Herald
Tuesday, April 14, 2026 | Vol. 138, Issue 15
$2.00
www.TillamookHeadlightHerald.com
Mary Faith Bell
Jeff Spink
Bell touts emergency preparedness, parks in reelection campaign
Spink pitches new perspective in commissioner campaign Will Chappell
Will Chappell
R
Headlight Editor
unning for her third term as Tillamook County commissioner, Mary Faith Bell is pointing voters to her record bolstering emergency preparedness, strengthening the county’s parks and improving the county’s financial situation as reasons to vote for her. Bell said that she was proud of the advances made in each of those areas, as well as housing, and that she plans to build on those successes while pushing for an expansion of county parks’ offerings and an economic opportunity zone in south county. Bell was first elected to the board of county commissioners in 2018, following stints at the Headlight Herald and Adventist Health Tillamook, and was reelected in 2022. One of the most notable accomplishments of Bell’s second term has been a concerted push by county leaders since 2024 to address persistent budget issues that left multimillion-dollar gaps in the county’s projected budget. Since then, through a combination of moving to a central services model, transferring funds from parks to the county’s general fund with transient lodging tax (TLT) dollars being used to reimburse the parks’ budget and most recently, with the state government’s passage of a bill reallocating allowable uses of TLT for the county, those projected gaps have been closed. “It’s encouraging and it’s really the whole philosophy of moving from a reactive budgeting position to a proactive budgeting position,” Bell said, praising the work of Finance Director Debra Jacob and the county’s budget committee who have increased their involvement in the process. To build on that success, Bell said that one of her top priorities See Bell, Page B2
councilor feedback last month, city staff and contractors from Consor, the firm that helped develop the plan, had looked at ways to reduce the rate increase percentage this year from an originally proposed 40%. By planning to strategically delay several projects over the next year, the needed percentage increase was shaved to 30%, though larger increases of 14.5% next year and the following would be required to offset the decrease. Currently, residents of the city pay a flat rate of $92.68, which would jump to $120.48 with a 30% increase, or $127.95 with a 40% increase. Lewis said that he hoped the council would approve the increase in time for it to take effect on July 1. Lewis also said that city staff
n his second run for the position, Jeff Spink is contending that it is time for fresh blood on the Tillamook Board of County Commissioners, arguing that his business background will help him to improve the county’s economy. Spink acknowledges that he has been too busy running Tillamook Motor Company to develop many detailed policy proposals but said that he believes he would be able to leverage the experience of county staff and a fresh perspective to move the county forward. “If the county is in a better place now that it was eight years ago, then I guess Mary Faith (Bell) is your vote,” Spink said. “If you want a change in the county and you’re willing to take a little bit of a risk, I guess I’m your vote.” Spink has been the general manager of Tillamook Motor Company since 2004, after arriving in Oregon in 1993, and working in dealerships in Salem and Newport, before running the Oregon Coast Guide for eight years. Spink also served as a Marion County reserve sheriff’s deputy for a decade and as the cochair of Americans for Prosperity in Tillamook County in the 2010s. Spink first ran for Tillamook County Commissioner in 2024, challenging incumbent Erin Skaar in a primary election, receiving 28.1% of the vote. As in that campaign, Spink’s primary focus this year as he campaigns against Mary Faith Bell is improving Tillamook County’s economy. Spink said that he feels trying to improve the county’s roads should be a priority, though he acknowledged the difficulty of generating new revenues, and said that he believed the best path toward increasing the road depart-
See rate increase, Page A2
See spink, Page B2
Photo Courtesy ODF
Celebraters form a 20 in the plaza at the Forest Center in celebration of the anniversary.
Tillamook Forest Center celebrates 20th anniversary Will Chappell Headlight Editor
S
taff and volunteers at the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Tillamook Forest Center hosted a day full of activities on
April 4, to celebrate the center’s 20th anniversary. Activities included a fish release, birthday party with cake and pin the cable on the steam donkey, and visitors were able to view a new special exhibit, Re-
flecting on Resilience, that details the center’s history. Progress toward the center began in 1996, when the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), See forest center, Page A2
Tillamook council discusses water and sewer rate increases Will Chappell
W
Headlight Editor
ith a sewer rate study complete and a new fiscal year approaching, Tillamook’s city council discussed proposed rate increases of 18% to water rates and 30% or 40% to sewer rates at their April 6 meeting. Councilors were in consensus that the proposed water rate increase was necessary but split over the way to tackle funding issues at the sewer utility, with Councilor Justin Aufdermauer floating the possibility of seeking a bond to support debt service and maintenance needs at the utility, rather than rate increases. City Manager Sean Lewis discussed the proposed rate increases briefly at the meeting, starting with the water rate and explaining that the council need-
Headlight Herald
ed to approve the rate increase to allow the city to service a $7.2-million loan from Business Oregon for the water mainline replacement project that recently broke ground. Lewis explained that the current, first phase of the project, costing $12 million, is fully funded courtesy of several federal funding streams, but that a second phase is needed, for which Lewis said the loan will likely be necessary. The proposed 18% increase will see the base water rate for up to 2,999 gallons of water increase from its current $20.58 to $23.78, and councilors were supportive of the adjustment, with Lewis saying he would bring a resolution making the change to the council’s next meeting. Moving on to the sewer rates, the issues around which Lewis discussed in a story in the March 31 edition, Lewis said that after
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
Sat. & Sun. April 25-26,C2026 itizen North Coast
ts! n a l p Live at food! Gre icians! t Tillamook Fire District & Poli
Bay City Fire Department Public Safety Demos Saturday only, 11-3
FREE ADMISSION FREE PARKING
Saturday, April Saturday 930am to 4FREE pmADMISSION amBeekeepers to 4 Association pm is Presenting • Sunday 11Tillamook 9 am to 4 pm at Tillamook County Sunday, May 1 Tillamook Fairgrounds at the County Fairgrounds Bee Day 2022 11 am to 4 pm 503-842-7535 •
I
Headlight Editor
Food by Pacific Restaurant
IN THIS ISSUE Send us a news tip at tillamookheadlightherald.com | Your message could be the first thing our readers see! News Opinion Obituaries Sports Classifieds
A2-3, B2 A3-8 A7 B1 B3-8
Weather Tuesday 4/14
Wednesday 4/15
Thursday 4/16
Friday 4/17
Saturday 4/18
Sunday 4/19
Monday 4/20
High 50° Low 41°
High 48° Low 36°
High 54° Low 37°
High 58° Low 39°
High 62° Low 47°
High 59° Low 44°
High 59° Low 40°