The 2007 Oregon Special Election is set for Tuesday, Nov. 6. Ballots have already been sent out to most residents, and the burden of deciding where to stand on each issue now rests solely on the voters. This year’s Lane County ballot features two state measures, and two city measures. Below is the Emerald Editorial Board’s stance on each.
State Measure 49: The first of two state measures, Measure 49 seeks to rectify perceived unintended consequences in the wake of Measure 37. That measure, which was officially declared law in 2004, entitled landowners to government compensation if their property value was depreciated by regulation. However, the law’s numerous ambiguities have opened the door for thousands of Measure 37 lawsuits, and statewide environmental degradation. Measure 49, if passed, will modify the overreaching aspects of Measure 37. This, in turn, will preserve forests and farmlands, and prevent urban sprawl, while still entitling small landowners just compensation. The Emerald Editorial Board encourages you to vote YES on Measure 49.
State Measure 50: Measure 50 seeks to generate revenue for child health care through an increase in the state cigarette tax. If passed, the tax on cigarettes in Oregon would be raised 84.5 cents, from $1.18 to $2.02 per pack. Seventy percent of this added revenue would fund Governor Ted Kulongoski’s proposed Healthy Kids Program, while the remaining money would be divided among low-income adult health plans, tobacco prevention and rural health services. The revenue Measure 50 would generate an estimated $150 million for the remainder of the 2007-2009 fiscal term, and $230 million for the following term – could provide nearly all of the 117,000 uninsured children in Oregon with health care. That fact alone is worth the added tax burden on smokers. The Emerald Editorial Board encourages you to vote YES on Measure 50.
Eugene Measure 20-132: Eugene’s road maintenance backlog currently stands at around $170 million. However, if a steady source of funding is not found to rectify this problem, that number could grow to $282 million by 2016. Eugene drivers currently pay a 5-cent fuel tax per gallon of gasoline. If passed, Measure 20-132 will raise that tax by 3 cents, to 8 cents per gallon. It is estimated that drivers pay $320 a year in operating costs because of the city’s poor road conditions. By contrast, a 3-cent raise in the fuel tax would cost drivers an additional $33 per year, based on the 1,090 gallons of gasoline the average West Coast driver consumes each year. The benefit here outweighs the cost. The Emerald Editorial Board encourages you to vote YES on Measure 20-132.
Eugene Measure 20-134: Measure 20-134 would allocate $40 million in city taxes towards the downtown urban renewal program. This money would not cost any additional taxpayer dollars; rather, it would be re-allocated from other projects. A renewed downtown would create more jobs, and apartments built there would provide for more housing. The diverted money would be reimbursed from the added value of property taxes on the new shops that would open. When considering most students don’t own property and, therefore, don’t pay property taxes, this appears to be a winning proposition. The Emerald Editorial Board encourages you to vote YES on Measure 20-134.