Health Options Digest
October 31, 2004
Coalition for Health Options In Central Eugene-Springfield (CHOICES)
In This Issue
From the Editor
Week In Review
It wasn't the "October Surprise" that everyone was expecting. But a new nonprofit group calling itself Glenwood Option Inc., headed by developer Roscoe Divine, just released a 50-page report detailing how PeaceHealth could build a new hospital in Glenwood rather than at Gateway. The report will be presented to the Springfield City Council this Monday. PeaceHealth quickly discounted the proposal.
Triad Hospitals Inc. is preparing to increase its offer to EWEB to purchase its downtown site to use for a new McKenzie-Willamette hospital.
In the past decade, Oregon has gone from a model for the rest of the country with its Oregon Health Plan to having an higher-than-average rate of people without health insurance.
Mel Kohn, M.D., the state epidemiologist in the Oregon Department of Human Services, encourages Oregonians, especially school children, to make better food choices and to increase physical activity to avoid obesity and related problems.
Looking Ahead
On Monday, the Springfield City Council and Planning Commission will have a public hearing after all. But it will last only 15 minutes and they will accept no oral testimony, only written testimony. A regular public hearing has been postponed until Tuesday, November 16. The Springfield meetings scheduled for November 23 and December 6 will probably be postponed, too.
On Thursday, there will be an open house on the update to TransPlan, the regional transportation plan for the Eugene-Springfield-Coburg metropolitan area. A public hearing is scheduled for November 18 and adoption is scheduled for December 9.
We still don't know when the Court of Appeals will rule on the Eugene hospital zoning case, but we keep checking each Wednesday when they release their opinions: http://www.publications.ojd.state.or.us/appeals.htm
The City of Springfield is accepting applications to fill two positions on its budget committee. The deadline to apply is November 23.
Vote! This year more than ever, your vote matters. You have until Tuesday to drop your ballot in a drop box.
Different Voices
CHOICES started "Health Options Digest" in order to help make sense of all the news stories and opinions about hospital siting issues in the Eugene-Springfield area. We continue to do so, drawing stories from the major local newspapers and TV stations: the Register-Guard, the Springfield News, the Eugene Weekly, KEZI, KVAL and KMTR.
But we also try to present news and views on a somewhat wider set of health issues and from a wider range of sources. For example, this week we feature stories from the Oregon Daily Emerald, Salem Monthly, Health Leaders, and the Washington Post. We also draw from <Wink>, the Oregonian, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal, among other sources. We try to print the opinions of the local hospitals: PeaceHealth and Triad Hospitals, Inc. And, of course, we offer our own opinions -- and sometimes those of national celebrities!
In this election season, we have heard a lot of talk about democracy, both home and abroad. We hope people remember that an important part of democracy is protecting freedom of speech, especially views one might not agree with. We protect the right of people to say untrue, dumb or even angry things because the alternative -- censorship -- is even worse. More importantly, oftentimes the best ideas come not from this side or that by by taking the best of what many have to say.
By offering different points of view, we hope that our community can draw the best ideas for ensuring quality and affordable health options for our community.
Rob Zako, Editor
343-5201
rzako@efn.org
Calendar
Monday, November 1 -- Springfield City Council & Springfield Planning Commission
Springfield City Hall, 225 Fifth St., Springfield
Contact: Amy Sowa, City Manager's Office, 726-3700
7:00 pm, Special Regular Meeting, Council Meeting Room
1. Continuation of Public Hearing (PeaceHealth).
7:15 pm, Executive Session, Jesse Maine Room
1. Legal Counsel.
Thursday, November 4 -- Regional Transportation Plan Open House
4:00 p.m., Eugene Public Library, 100 West 10th Ave., Bascom/Tykeson Room
1. Transportation Talk -- Moving Transportation into the Future
2. Central Lane Metropolitan Planning Organization
3. 2005 Planning Horizon
4. Air Quality Conformity
Contact: Chris Henry, 682-8472, chris.c.henry@ci.eugene.or.us; Petra Schuetz, 682-3639, pschuetz@lane.cog.or.us
Tuesday, November 16 -- Springfield City Council & Springfield Planning Commission
Springfield City Hall, 225 Fifth St., Springfield
Contact: Amy Sowa, City Manager's Office, 726-3700
Public Hearing
A. PeaceHealth Plan Amendments
Tuesday, November 23 -- Springfield Planning Commission
Springfield City Hall, 225 Fifth St., Springfield, 726-3753
Regular Meeting
A. PeaceHealth Plan Amendments
Monday, December 6 -- Springfield City Council
Springfield City Hall, 225 Fifth St., Springfield
Contact: Amy Sowa, City Manager's Office, 726-3700
Regular Meeting
A. PeaceHealth Plan Amendments
Opportunities
Budget Committee seats -- Ward 1, Ward 2 -- to open
By Bob Keefer
The Register-Guard | October 30, 2004 |
The city will have two openings next year on the Budget Committee, which reviews the city's financial plans and policies and helps work out the annual budget.
One position is for Ward 1 residents and one is for Ward 2. Ward 1 includes the northwest corner of the city from Interstate 5 to Debra Drive and north of Highway 126; Ward 2 is in southwest Springfield, bounded roughly by 6th and 7th streets on the east, Highway 126 to the north and I-5 on the west.
Budget Committee members Donald Manning, from Ward 1, and Hilary Larsen-Wylie, from Ward 2, are both eligible for second terms and may re-apply.
Other interested applicants should pick up forms at the City Manager's Office, City Hall, 225 Fifth St., and return them filled out by 5 p.m. Nov. 23.
The Budget Committee mostly meets between April and June to prepare the annual budget.
Positions open on Historic Commission
| The Springfield News | October 20, 2004 |
The City of Springfield is accepting applications to fill two positions on its seven-member historic commission. The two appointees will assume the duties of terms that expire March 2006.
Preference will be given to applicants with technical expertise and backgrounds in historic preservation, local history, architecture, construction, archaeology, or preservation-related disciplines. Applicants do not necessarily need to be residents or property owners in Springfield; however, they must meet State Historic Preservation Office guidelines.
The historic commission promotes stewardship for historic preservation through education and participation. The commission conducts tours of historic sites; organizes historical programs to help the community develop an appreciation of its historic heritage; reviews development and restoration requests in the Washburne Historic District; and, reviews any proposals that affect Springfield's historic resources.
Historic commission meetings are held the first Monday of every month, at 5: 30 p.m. in the Library Meeting Room at city hall. The next scheduled public meeting of the historic commission is Monday, Nov. 1. Interested candidates are asked to attend this meeting in order to familiarize themselves with the duties of the commission. Candidate interviews will take place at the Dec. 6 meeting and then candidate interviews before the Springfield City Council shall be held Jan. 10. Appointments will be made Jan. 18 at the regular city council public meeting.
Applications are available at the city manager's office in city hall, at Fifth and A streets. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m., Thursday Nov. 18.
For more information contact Kitti Gale at 726-3632.
PeaceHealth
Glenwood Talk
GLENWOOD -- A local group called Glenwood Option Incorporated is asking PeaceHealth to build its new hospital in Glenwood instead of near the Gateway area.
Its report outlines how three sites including two riverfront properties could accomodate the new PeaceHealth hospital.
But PeaceHealth had no idea the group was working on this.
The hospital did its own study of Glenwood in 2001 and found that it wouldn't work for a number of reasons, including difficult access from I-5.
Brian Terrett with PeaceHealth says, "with a third of our patients coming from outside the Eugene-Springfield area, to put a hospital where people outside the area can't get to it really is a very large barrier."
Terrett says PeaceHealth has already spent millions of dollars finalizing the master plan for the new hosipital at the Riverbend site.
Report puts Glenwood on the map for hospital
By Bob Keefer
The Register-Guard | October 30, 2004 |
SPRINGFIELD -- The new hospital PeaceHealth wants to build north of Springfield might better be built in Glenwood, a very small nonprofit group says.
The Glenwood Option Inc., headed by developer Roscoe Divine, will present a 50-page report on the topic to the City Council at a Monday night hearing.
The report maps out three possible hospital sites in Glenwood -- two between the Willamette River and Franklin Boulevard and one next to Interstate 5 and Glenwood Boulevard.
The possible creation of an urban renewal district in Glenwood -- that proposal is on the city ballot Tuesday -- combined with other factors such as the Lane Transit District's proposed Bus Rapid Transit line through the area, makes Glenwood as quick and easy to develop as the controversial RiverBend site that PeaceHealth wants to use, the report suggests.
But whether the idea takes hold is anybody's guess. PeaceHealth and the city of Springfield are trying to clear away legal obstacles that have hindered plans for PeaceHealth to build its new hospital complex on residential-zoned land in Gateway. (more...)
Alan Yordy -- A Glenwood Option
By Alan Yordy
PeaceHealth | October 29, 2004 |
From: Yordy, Alan
To: PeaceHealth Employees
Date: Friday, October 29, 2004 1:06 PM
Subject: Jottings: A Glenwood Option
Importance: High
Today we learned that an organization called Glenwood Options, Inc. has developed a new proposal for a possible hospital site in the Glenwood area of Springfield. We learned that their goal is have us consider this new design as a possible alternative location for the new campus of Sacred Heart Medical Center. While we have not seen details of the proposed design or report, we do acknowledge and appreciate the effort being made to assist with locating a new hospital. As we can attest after literally years and years of work, it is a difficult, highly technical and often frustrating exercise.
Our team of experts evaluated the Glenwood site closely in 2001, along with dozens of other potential sites. With Glenwood, we got as far as actually preparing conceptual designs before rejecting the site for the following reasons:
* insufficient sanitary sewer and storm water systems to serve the site
* difficulty and uncertainty in acquiring multiple parcels of land from a variety of separate owners
* inadequate freeway access as well as other insufficient transportation facilities serving the site
* unknown environmental issues such as soil contamination, with unknown cleanup costs due to current and past heavy industrial uses
* uncertain effect on Cottage Grove Hospital's Critical Access Hospital funding if a new hospital is located so close
* need to realign portions of Franklin Boulevard, which is a state highway, to achieve necessary site width.
For these reasons, the Glenwood site was rejected as too expensive, too uncertain, and too time-consuming. Even with all the challenges we've faced at RiverBend, which were anticipated, we believe they pale in comparison to the difficulty of developing a regional medical center of Sacred Heart's size and scope at Glenwood.
It is relatively easy to conceptually design a hospital, compared to the challenge of fitting a functionally well-designed hospital on a site with room to expand for future generations; complying with land use laws; managing traffic issues; and paying for the project. If others, such as this new organization, can demonstrate to us that the Glenwood site is faster, cheaper and better without compromising the quality of health care, we are certainly willing to give it careful consideration. We'll work hard to keep you posted on details as they arise.
-- Alan
We create moments of grace in a world that does not always expect acts of kindness.
Letter -- Unite to support new hospital
By Ron And Eunice Fenchak, Eugene
The Register-Guard | October 27, 2004 |
We consider ourselves blessed to live in a region that provides a wealth of natural beauty, amenities and public services -- all of which promote a quality of life far surpassing that found in communities of greater size throughout the country. Yet we grow increasingly dismayed over the delays blocking construction of Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend. It is incomprehensible that a state-of-the-art regional medical center is being debated rather than embraced by local citizens.
The current facility on Hilyard Street provides excellent medical services and has served generations of families. It currently operates at or exceeding capacity and simply cannot adequately provide for the medical needs of a growing and aging population. We must have a larger hospital, and we need it now.
The RiverBend site provides ample space for a state-of-the-art hospital meeting the projected needs for generations to follow. This site provides the added benefit of serenity, which has been documented to promote healing for patients and their families.
It is our sincere hope that Springfield, Eugene and surrounding communities will unite to build a hospital that will ensure high-quality medical care for present and future generations -- and that the Springfield Planning Commission and City Council will expedite this project.
McKenzie-Willamette/Triad
Hospital chain plans to bump up its offer for EWEB property
By Joe Harwood
The Register-Guard | October 27, 2004 |
Triad Hospitals Inc. is preparing to submit a revised offer for 23 riverside acres in downtown Eugene that now serve as the Eugene Water & Electric Board's headquarters.
The Texas-based hospital chain in August offered the utility $22.9 million for the parcel, an amount EWEB commissioners said was too low. The utility also found problems with the aggressive timeline Triad proposed for building a new, $85 million McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center on the site.
Two appraisals commissioned by Triad and EWEB put the market value for the land and administration building at $22 million to $24.8 million.
Given the unenthusiastic reaction of the utility's governing board to the initial offer, real estate sources speculate the next offer likely would be in the neighborhood of $25 million. (more...)
Hospital and EWEB talks continue
| The Springfield News | October 29, 2004 |
McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center representatives met with staff from Eugene Water and Electric Board and City of Eugene last week to discuss issues affecting the hospital's purchase of EWEB's downtown property in Eugene.
The meeting was an opportunity for all three parties to thoroughly explore the proposal.
CEO Roy Orr was joined by Maureen Weathers, chair of the joint venture Board of Governors, and representatives of Triad Hospitals Inc. The near day-long meeting was organized to provide ample time for all parties to gain a thorough understanding of the challenges faced by each to make this transaction work.
"It was a great meeting," according to Orr, who said the hospital would now use the information, gleaned from the meeting, to revise the offer one more time. Orr said the hospital has a much better understanding of the challenges EWEB faces to make the relocation of its administration and operations facilities work.
McKenzie-Willamette will resubmit its purchase offer, which will then be presented to the EWEB board. Hospital officials anticipate a response from EWEB by Dec. 1.
Health Care
America Votes 2004: For your health
State and national candidates present their views on health care in Oregon and in America
By Ayisha Yahya, News Editor
Oregon Daily Emerald | October 13, 2004 |
Voters have to sift through a barrage of issues before they can pick candidates to vote for in the upcoming elections and one issue that attracts a lot of attention every election is health care. With increasing costs around the country and lack of access to health care for certain demographics, many candidates are taking on the issue with platforms that promise reform in the health care industry.
The local scene
Oregon's health care system has faced significant cuts with recent years' budget shortfalls. Due to fiscal cuts and the failure of Measure 30 earlier this year, the state's Department of Human Services must reduce the number of people on the Oregon Health Plan's standard benefit package to 24,000 clients by next June. In the past summer, there were about 55,000 people on the plan. The plan covers clients who do not qualify for the federal Medicaid. (more...)
The Uninsured: Oregon's model safety net unravels
By Micaela Brown
HealthLeaders News | October 29, 2004 |
A decade ago Oregon was placed upon a pedestal of sorts, praised by advocates of universal care for making the leap toward universal healthcare coverage.
Today the Beaver State has one of the largest uninsured populations in the nation.
The number of Oregonians without healthcare coverage hit a high of 16 percent for 2002 and 2003, higher than the national average of 15.6 percent. While other states used to look at Oregon as a role model for taking care of its citizens, now the beleaguered state illustrates how an unexpected economic downturn can leave a gaping hole in a state's safety net when its revenues are mostly based on income tax.
The state began reforming its Medicaid program in 1989 under the leadership of then Senate President John Kitzhaber. Kitzhaber, who later became governor, and his supporters wanted to expand Medicaid to more people by reducing the number of benefits for participants, also known as rationed care. The state Medicaid program was renamed the Oregon Health Plan, or OHP, and in 1994 expanded as a demonstration project that covered all of the state's poor up to 100 percent of federal poverty levels. The plan quickly became a source of pride for its residents, and at its height, resulted in a drop in uninsured adults from 18 percent to 10 percent and uninsured children from 21 percent to 8 percent.
After a period of relative stability, the events of Sept. 11, 2001 shook the foundation of the Oregon Health Plan. The technology sector bubble burst and the state's economy began a steep downward spiral. Unemployment shot up, taking with it a significant portion of the state's tax base. That's because Oregon's primary tax source in the personal income tax, which voters have fiercely protected from increases. The state does have a property tax, but that is used for county spending. (more...)
A Way to Help on Health Insurance
By Joseph Doyle
The Washington Post | October 29, 2004; Page A23 |
In the continuing debate over health care, and especially the uninsured, two seemingly contradictory claims are in play. The first is that the uninsured are being denied access to care. The second is that the uninsured receive too much care, overcrowding emergency rooms and placing hospitals and businesses that cover employee health costs at financial risk. In reality, both statements contain some truth, and both can be partly addressed by one simple action: Make catastrophic care insurance more broadly accessible. (more...)
Report criticizes changes in Medicare
By Keith Snider
Bloomberg News | October 25, 2004 |
Half of the 41 million Americans in the Medicare health insurance plan may pay more for their prescription drugs or face limits when coverage is expanded in 2006, according to a report by the consumer group Families USA.
The changes may hurt as many as 24 million poor seniors, retirees who have drug insurance through employers and those in private health plans, the Washington-based group said.
President George W. Bush is counting on the Medicare law he signed in December to attract elderly voters in the Nov. 2 election. Bush is praising the Medicare overhaul in campaign stops, while Democrat John Kerry has said the changes reward drugmakers and health insurers but shortchange seniors. A third of Medicare beneficiaries don't have drug coverage now. (more...)
Lay off the fries, Mac
Social changes are needed to fight nation-wide obesity
By Mel Kohn, M.D.
Salem Monthly | October 2004 |
Morgan Spurlock's film "Super Size Me" was among the year's box office surprises. It grossed several million dollars and got Oregonians talking about the connection between fast food and obesity.
No question, the premise was a gimmick: Spurlock ate only McDonald's fare for 30 days, and this formerly active guy also stopped exercising. In one particularly sophomoric scene, we saw him throwing up because he didn't have the good sense to stop eating.
But the film did deliver sensible messages in a compelling way. Food choices and daily physical activity are essential to good health. And how food is marketed can make it a lot harder -or easier-- to make healthy choices.
These messages are not only sensible, but also critical to our ability to confront one of the most important emerging public health problems of our time.
Nearly two-thirds of Americans are overweight, and obesity challenges tobacco as the nation's number one cause of preventable death. Overweight and obesity are associated with higher levels of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, joint problems and some cancers.
If we don't address this problem it will ruin our health and seriously strain our healthcare system.
It's easy to say that people simply ought to make better choices. But there's more to it than that. (more...)
Nearby Developments
Revitalizing Springfield: Enhancement of the city's downtown area is taking place one step at a time
By Ben Raymond Lode
The Springfield News | October 29, 2004 |
People involved in the effort to revitalize downtown Springfield have had reason to celebrate recently.
The opening of the Emerald Art Center, and the new Lane Transit District station, which is the first new commercial construction downtown in at least 30 years, could be a sign the downtown is slowly but surely in the process of getting a facelift.
Many; however, hope recent events is only the beginning of a bigger transformation that would turn Springfield's downtown into a vibrant business area that reflects the history of the town and its residents.
Don Lutes, an architect who has lived in Springfield since 1949 and who has been involved in several downtown revitalization efforts before, is one of them.
And, he sees reasons for optimism. (more...)
Council eyes tax waivers for housing projects
By Sherri Buri McDonald
The Register-Guard | October 26, 2004 |
For the first time in eight years, the Eugene City Council will decide whether to approve 10-year property tax waivers for multiunit housing projects near the city center.
The council is expected to decide at its meeting Dec. 6 whether to award the tax breaks to Patterson House, a proposed 27-unit apartment building at 979 Patterson St., and The Tate, a proposed 47-unit high-priced condominium project at 1375 Olive St.
Neither project would have qualified for the tax break if not for the council's recent expansions of the tax-exemption program's boundaries. Now, both sites lie in the district, which is bounded by Fourth Avenue, Patterson Street, 17th Avenue and Lawrence Street.
On Oct. 11, both applications went to the Planning Commission, which opted not to make any recommendation to the council. (more...)
City to ask public views on project
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | October 27, 2004 |
The city of Eugene should not allow the creation of a big housing subdivision and park in the Santa Clara area of north Eugene if residents do not want it, Mayor Jim Torrey said Tuesday.
Torrey, reacting to opposition from residents who would live close to the 120-acre housing development and associated 77-acre park, said the city should ask residents throughout Santa Clara if they want the project. (more...)
Plaza to get new look, new name
By Joe Mosley
The Register-Guard | October 26, 2004 |
Trond Ingvaldsen said the name for a final time on Monday, as if purging a bad memory.
"This is truly a rebirth of Willamette Plaza," he said at a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of a two- to three-year rebuilding and renovation project that will cost $10 million to $12 million.
"And that's the last time I'm going to say Willamette Plaza, OK?"
Ingvaldsen, an executive with Standard Insurance Co.'s Portland-based real estate division, then asked for help from Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey in unveiling the shopping center's new name and tony burnished-bronze logo.
The soon-to-be resurrected shopping center at Willamette Street and 29th Avenue in south Eugene is now, officially, Woodfield Station -- which Ingvaldsen said has to do with its position as a meeting place and a connection between Eugene's forested south hills and the fields of the Willamette Valley. (more...)
City development plan causes a stir
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | October 28, 2004 |
A move to simplify Eugene's development code and give city planners more flexibility in evaluating construction projects sparked a contentious debate at the City Council on Wednesday, the latest flare-up between the council majority and minority.
Councilors were debating a recommendation by Mayor Jim Torrey's Committee on Economic Development, which urged the introduction of guiding principles to make the city's often complex land use rules easier to understand, and to eliminate inconsistences.
Among other things, the principles called on the code to be "more flexible and adaptable on a project-by-project basis." "Empower (planning) staff to use creative problem solving to achieve set policies and goals," another principle said.
Councilors David Kelly, Bonny Bettman and Betty Taylor, who often are in the minority of council votes, were uncomfortable with adopting the principles. (more...)
Coburg gets green light to catch I-5 speeders
COBURG -- There's no need to speed when going through Coburg.
The city's annexation of 60 acres east of Interstate Five becomes final Wednesday. That places a stretch of the interstate inside city limits -- and allows the city to cite freeway speeders into its municipal court.
That's not an idle threat.
Coburg Municipal Court records show that the city of 1,000 collected $755,000 in traffic fines last year.
That was some 45 percent of the $1.7 million general fund budget and about $750 for every man, woman and child.
Coburg's access to I-5 fines was temporarily disrupted last January. A new state law prohibited cities from citing drivers outside their city limits.
Annexing the freeway into the city limits allows Coburg to resume the practice.
Portland ranks well in land use study
| The Associated Press | October 26, 2004 |
PORTLAND -- Oregon's land use policies have been more successful than most at protecting rural land and limiting sprawl, according to a new study.
New development in metropolitan Portland consumed less than half as much land as the average city in the study by Northwest Environment Watch, a Seattle-based research center.
The study examined 15 cities: Austin, Texas; Boise; Charlotte, N.C.; Denver; Las Vegas; Madison, Wis.; Minneapolis-St. Paul; Nashville, Tenn.; Orlando, Fla.; Phoenix, Ariz.; Portland; Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif.; Sacramento; Salt Lake City; and Seattle.
From 1990 to 2000, if the greater Portland area had sprawled like Charlotte, N.C., did -- the city in the study with the worst record -- it would have lost an additional 279 square miles of farmland and open space, an area more than twice as large as the city of Portland itself, according to the study. (more...)
Transportation
State puts off freight route designations
By Randi Bjornstad
The Register-Guard | October 29, 2004 |
Shocked a few weeks ago to learn that the state wanted to designate their scenic, winding road from Springfield to the Santiam Pass as a "freight route," residents along the McKenzie Highway -- aka Highway 126 East -- sprang into action.
Walterville residents Shirley Latimer and Monica LaRosa quickly put together a petition drive opposing the move and within three days already had collected 500 signatures.
Residents along the corridor packed meetings of the Lane County commissioners, urging the elected officials to tell the state to leave their highway -- already a potentially dangerous mix of local, tourist and across-the-Cascades traffic -- off the State Highway Freight System.
Several commissioners voiced concerns of their own and voted to send letters to the county's legislative delegation and the governor-appointed Oregon Transportation Commission -- which will make the final decision -- urging the panel to take another look at the proposal.
As a result, the state Department of Transportation has extended its public comment period to early January and put off a final decision naming new freight routes in the area until late spring. (more...)
Council considers increase in gas tax
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | October 28, 2004 |
The price of gas in Eugene may continue to rise, and not only because of the soaring cost of oil.
The Eugene City Council on Wednesday elected to consider an increase in the city's 3-cents-a-gallon gas tax to pay for street repairs. The council also dropped the idea of imposing a tax on homes and businesses for the same purpose.
Both funding ideas came from public works officials who say the city needs more money to prevent a $90 million backlog of street repairs from growing.
Councilors on a 7-1 vote directed the staff to develop an ordinance to raise the gas tax by a yet-to-be-specified amount for street resurfacing work.
A 7-cents-a-gallon increase would produce the annual revenue the city staff says is needed.
Residents will have a chance to comment on the proposal during a Nov. 22 public hearing. The council could vote on the matter Dec. 6. (more...)
Eugene Gas Tax Increase?
Drivers in Eugene might see higher prices at the gas pump. The city of Eugene is considering raising the gas tax.
Two years ago, the city of eugene implemented a local gas tax, of three cents per gallon. The city is now considering raising that amount by a few more pennies. It's all to help plug a $90 million dollar backlog in city road repairs. (more...)
Residents, city staff hit bumps in south hills
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | October 25, 2004 |
James Reed, Sheri Hawley and other south Eugene residents are organized, vocal and persistent. And soon they may get what they want.
Hawley and her south hills neighbors in the Crest Drive area have fought city traffic engineers for years over what to do with the rutted and pothole-filled streets in their neighborhood, among the roughest streets in the city.
Many residents would like the streets improved.
But before the city can do that, under city rules it must classify them by type.
And that's at the heart of the dispute.
Residents object to the conclusion of city engineers that segments of Crest Drive, Storey Boulevard and Friendly Street are neighborhood collectors. Engineers have tried to ease their concerns, but residents fear that the classification will lead to street widening and other changes that will ruin the woodsy, semirural nature of their neighborhood. (more...)
Council indicates intent to keep Crest Drive area streets' character
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | October 26, 2004 |
The Eugene City Council on Monday night took the fork in the road favored by Crest Drive area residents, sending a message that any future improvements to their neighborhood's streets be designed to preserve the area's hilly, wooded character.
Residents and city traffic engineers have been arguing for the past five years about how to classify the streets, a required step before the rutted, pothole-filled roads can be rebuilt. Many residents fear that constructing roads to "neighborhood collector" standards would make the streets too wide and urbanlike, spoiling the woodsy, semirural character of their neighborhood. City engineers want to improve segments of Crest, Storey Boulevard and Friendly Street.
The Crest Drive area is located generally south of 28th Avenue, between Willamette and Chambers streets.
The issue returned to the council Monday, when more than two dozen people spoke against the proposal by city traffic engineers to classify the streets as neighborhood collectors. Residents generally want the streets to be classified as local.
The council is to vote on the matter on Nov. 8. (more...)
Elections
City councilors, task force discuss 20-91
By Amber Fossen
The Springfield News | October 29, 2004 |
They serve as a link between the Springfield Police Department and the community, and have been a driving force behind the Measure 20-91 campaign.
Members of the Springfield Police Planning Task Force met with Springfield city councilors Monday night to discuss the task force's role in the community and the impact of community developments on public safety.
Awaiting voters' Tuesday decision on a proposed new public safety facility with municipal jail, councilors and task force members discussed leasing additional bed space at the Lane County Jail as an interim solution for holding criminal offenders accountable. (more...)
Bill Carpenter -- City jail measure a bad use of taxpayer dollars
By Bill Carpenter
The Springfield News | October 27, 2004 |
When all the facts are looked at, a jail and a Taj Mahal-type police building are not what Springfield needs. Despite the hype of the slick brochure, only two facts are certain with this proposal:
1. No crimes will be committed by offenders while they are housed in the jail; and
2. No one in Springfield will have greater personal safety than anyone else in Lane County from a new jail.
All other claims about crime prevention or personal safety are mere speculation. (more...)
Roxie Cuellar -- Commentary on jail measure was way off
By Roxie Cuellar, Campaign Chair for 20-91
The Springfield News | October 29, 2004 |
Wednesday's Springfield News carried an op-ed piece from Bill Carpenter, a local environmental attorney, urging residents to vote no on ballot measure 20-91. The measure would build a new police facility and include a jail, if the city council is able to identify funds to operate the jail. Mr. Carpenter's letter contains several errors I feel it is important to discuss. (more...)
County still on watch: Jail will continue to house state felons
By Amber Fossen
The Springfield News | |
For now, Lane County will continue to assume responsibility for felony offenders, though uncertainty lingers over what level of state funding the county will receive.
The Board of County Commissioners wants to know what impact withdrawing from participation in Senate Bill 1145 program would have. Commissioners wanted to know whether or not participation in the program, which allows the county to assume responsibility for services for felony offenders with funding supplied from the state, was a financially sound move for the county in the 2005-07 biennium.
With state funding already reduced in 2003 and future funding at risk, opting out of the program would inflict further pain on both the Corrections Division and Health and Human Services, county officials said. (more...)
Spending, fund-raising let up in county race
By Randi Bjornstad
The Register-Guard | October 27, 2004 |
One week before Election Day, financial activity in the East Lane race for county commissioner has slowed to a trickle.
Contribution and expenditure reports for the past week show incumbent Don Hampton has received one cash contribution of $1,000 from Local No. 1724 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union.
During the same period, he has spent about $2,200 on campaign literature and $1,600 on brodcast advertising.
The challenger in the race, Faye Stewart, received $2,000 from Wildish Sand & Gravel during the same period. He also took in $500 each from Bret Freeman, a captain in the Lane County sheriff's office, and retail hardware store owner Dennis Orem.
Stewart spent $3,500 on campaign literature and $3,000 to a marketing consultant.
The new figures show that the East Lane race so far has cost $133,500, with Stewart outspending Hampton by about $6,500. (more...)
Jerry Diethelm -- Distorted Picture
Measure 20-88 'vision' is far from 20-20.
By Jerry Diethelm
Eugene Weekly | October 28, 2004 |
Not so fast. There are still some serious questions to be answered about the downtown "Civic Center Vision" and the proposed new police station on 8th Avenue across from City Hall. Questions such as, "Whose vision is this?" And is this a popular, widely shared vision, or is it something that's been cooked up by our outgoing mayor and city staff and pressed too quickly through a lame duck City Council?
And why didn't this proposal ever pass through our Planning Commission where it could get some needed public air and where it could build the wider public understanding and support a project of this scope demands? Come to think of it, the proposed Triad hospital project on the EWEB site never passed through the Planning Commission either. These two projects and the development of 8th Avenue as a "Great Street" connecting the Park Blocks to the new courthouse and the river are projects that will have a long-term impact on our downtown and our riverfront. They need to be brought to our attention, not quietly managed and slipped behind our backs. They deserve to be done well, even if it takes more time and care. They need to build community in more ways than one.
Now we're being told that the police station will be built on 8th Avenue whether we pass Measure 20-88 or not. So what would a no vote on Measure 20-88 really signify -- that we think the police should put their house in order before we build a new house for the police? That we think the matter of the city-owned site and its relationship to the fate of City Hall is too far from settled? (What if we decide, for example, to move City Hall to the EWEB headquarters building when it becomes clear that the required Triad subsidy is just too large to swallow or to hide?) (more...)
Editorial -- Just say no: None of Oregon's initiatives deserve support
| The Register-Guard | October 26, 2004 |
It's hard to miss the pattern in The Register-Guard's editorial recommendations on state ballot measures: We opposed them all. Six measures reached the ballot by initiative, and not one of them was found to deserve support.
We haven't always been straight-ticket naysayers. Two years ago, The Register-Guard supported three of seven initiatives. In 2000, it was four of 18. Of the 10 initiatives on the 1998 ballot, The Register-Guard urged a yes vote on four.
This year's crop is unusual in its consistency -- all of the initiative proposals are poor public policy. Several are undiluted, industrial-strength, Olympic-sized bad ideas. (more...)
Measure 37
Paul Neville -- McCall would have led fight against Measure 37
| The Register-Guard | October 31, 2004 |
Of the many soothing deceptions and subtle falsehoods being used to convince voters to accept the Trojan Horse that is Measure 37, none is more vile than the suggestion that former Gov. Tom McCall would have supported it. Supporters of this measure have implied that the late McCall, the visionary who led the charge to create Oregon's landmark land-use system three decades ago, would have sanctioned this stealth effort to dismantle that same system.
Take it from someone who knows -- McCall's widow, Audrey: That's simply not true. "I don't think Tom would have ever supported anything like Measure 37,'' she said in a phone interview last week. "This is something that would devastate the system he helped create." (more...)
Experts debate land use measure
By Joe Harwood
The Register-Guard | October 26, 2004 |
Two of Oregon's legal heavyweights squared off Monday in Eugene over a Nov. 2 ballot measure that would force government to pay property owners when zoning or other regulations restrict the use, and reduce the value, of private property.
Henry Richmond, founder of land use watchdog group 1000 Friends of Oregon, debated Measure 37 with Dale Riddle, a property-rights proponent and attorney for Eugene-based Seneca Jones Timber Co., during a noon meeting before the Eugene Association of Realtors.
Riddle, who also helped draft Measure 37, said the initiative is needed to protect property owners against heavy-handed government rules. Seneca Jones has given $143,000 to the political action committee pushing the measure.
Riddle cited two examples in Washington and California where recently enacted environmental regulations resulted in restrictions on privately owned timberland. He also pointed to the 1998 Ballot Measure 64, which sought to ban clear-cutting on all private forestland in Oregon. Though voters trounced that measure 4-to-1, Riddle said it would have put Seneca and other lumber mills out of business.
Richmond, who with former Gov. Tom McCall founded 1000 Friends in 1974 to thwart efforts to weaken Oregon's land use planning system, said the measure would gut zoning ordinances enacted in the past 30 years and allow large retail stores in residential neighborhoods.
Under the measure, if a regulation reduces the sale value of property, and if that regulation was adopted during the time the current owner held title to the property, that person can demand the city, county or state pay compensation.
If the government in question decides it cannot pay, then the measure requires the jurisdiction to waive the new rules and let the owner do what was allowed by zoning at the time he or she acquired the property. (more...)
Letter -- Cost estimates overblown
By E.L. Reiss, Eugene
The Register-Guard | October 29, 2004 |
Opponents of Measure 37 completely ignore the economic costs of government regulation on private property. Property owners have their rights and financial security trampled without any consideration during the regulation change by state and local governments. It is time these governments recognize the impacts to real people when land use changes are discussed and implemented.
Opponents also say it will cost state and local governments untold amounts if Measure 37 is passed. Don't believe it. It will not cost them anything if they allow private property owners to use their land according to the land use laws at the time of purchase. I am tired of governments taking what they want without due compensation. I'm voting yes on Measure 37.
Letter -- People work hard for property
By Jack Carpenter, Eugene
The Register-Guard | October 29, 2004 |
I am writing in regard to Measure 37. If passed, it requires the government to pay owners, or forgo enforcement when certain land use restrictions reduce owners' property value. It would require state administrative expenditures to respond to claims for compensation of between $18 million and $44 million per year. It would require local government administration expenditures to respond to claims of between $46 million and $300 million per year. I say vote yes on 37.
There are a variety of reasons why I support this measure. People work hard for their property. It is my belief that the government should respect this work, and no legal loopholes should ever take somebody's hard-earned property away.
This measure would also cut down on endless litigation that costs millions each year. There are a lot of other ballots getting big news and attention, but we cannot forget how important this measure is and how it will affect all our lives.
Letter -- Measure deals with half of issue
By Russell Sadler, Eugene
The Register-Guard | October 29, 2004 |
Measure 37 says if land use restrictions prevent the most profitable use of a property, the public must pay the owner the difference between the most profitable use and the restricted use -- or the restriction must be waived, even if the most profitable use is incompatible with surrounding uses. If a developer wants to build a hospital and zoning permits only agricultural use, the public owes the developer the difference between the money he can make developing a hospital and the money he can make farming.
I would be more sympathetic if developers also agreed to compensate the public for hefty increases in land value created by government actions. Undeveloped land has no value other than growing crops or pasture until the taxpaying public provides streets, sewer, water and electricity, not to mention parks, schools, and police and fire protection.
While property taxes pay for the some of these public services, the developer who makes that first conversion from agricultural to urban use walks away with a windfall as a result of public investment and government actions. It is unjust to compensate developers who find their property uses restricted by zoning without also asking for compensation from developers who receive an increase in value from government actions.
Measure 37 deals with only half that issue because it was written by developers who bought their way onto the ballot, bypassing the checks and balances of the legislative process -- including how to pay for it.
Letter -- Regulations diminish values
By Jack Jennings, Eugene
The Register-Guard | October 29, 2004 |
My wife and I are now empty nesters. What's more, we just sold the family home. Now what? We have decided to remain in Oregon -- provided Measure 37 passes. If not, we plan on moving to the Sun Belt, probably Texas, and buying property there.
It is our strong desire to leave something substantial for our children. Without the protection of a Measure 37, Oregon property can be stripped of much value through future land use regulations. No, thank you. We have worked too hard and too long to risk that.
Letter -- It's not about fairness
By Heidi Monson, Coos Bay
The Register-Guard | October 29, 2004 |
As is so often the case, Martha Moulton (letters, Oct. 20) demonstrated the truth that people often accuse others of their own guilty traits. In her letter, she states that those opposing Measure 37 are "truly selfish and dishonest." Frankly, Moulton's own motives are transparent. She has purchased 14 acres as a speculative investment. Putting her entire retirement investment into one piece of land does not give her the right to expect the people of Oregon to bail her out when it doesn't pay off.
On what basis does she believe that destroying even a small part of precious farm land is acceptable? All her arguments are based on money, suggesting that the only value in a piece of land is found in how much money can be made off it. The concept that good farm land can and should be used for producing food for hungry mouths is surely a value that dollar signs cannot measure. No, Moulton's desire to use land for her own gain does not give her the right to do so, nor does it give her the right to expect the people of Oregon to pay her not to do it.
Please, vote no on Measure 37. Do not allow the wealthy to mislead you into thinking that it's about fairness to property owners. It is not. It's about giving even more breaks to those who are wealthy enough to make speculative real estate purchases.
Letter -- Fix, don't wreck, system
By James Mattiace, Eugene
The Register-Guard | October 29, 2004 |
Its nice that Aaron Jones and the other big landowners in Oregon care so much about little old ladies and family farms. That's why they donated $150,000 each to the Yes on 37 campaign. Give me a break. These guys are hoping the rest of us will fall for their schtick so they can make a few more millions. Prove them wrong, Oregon, vote no on Measure 37.
If you take a closer look, you'll realize that most of us won't see one cent. In the meantime, those who have enough will get more, but our services will be cut even deeper.
Take a closer look at Measure 37: it's bad for kids, bad for schools, bad for Oregon. Tell Jones he underestimated how smart we really are. If the issue is the land use laws, this measure is like using a wrecking ball to kill a mosquito. The sob stories we're hearing will be resolved by fixing the "broken" parts of the system, not by creating confusion and arbitrariness.
Measure 37 may not be the most exciting measure on the ballot, but it is the most important. Please, take the time to read it.
Other
Council votes to fire Coburg city recorder
By Karen McCowan
The Register-Guard | October 27, 2004 |
COBURG -- The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to begin termination proceedings against City Recorder Peggy de Montmorency, who has been on paid administrative leave since late July.
The council's notice of intention to fire the four-year financial officer came after a 2 1/2 -hour executive session, closed to the public, to discuss the case. She has the right to appeal the decision to the council, but de Montmorency said Tuesday night that she did not expect to do so. (more...)