Health Options Digest
May 29, 2005
Coalition for Health Options In Central Eugene-Springfield (CHOICES)
In This Issue
From the Editor
Week In Review
Casey Woodard has been named to head the Sacred Heart Medical Center Foundation and will be heading up efforts to raise money for the new $350-million hospital at RiverBend.
We are seeing a health trend: Local doctors expressing their views on how health care should be organized in Lane County. We hope that doctors will continue to engage with other civic leaders to help determine how to better provide quality and accessible health care in our community.
Jay H. Chappell, M.D. and Samuel Lau, M.D. challenge Alan Yordy's assertion that McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center is diverting uninsured patients to Sacred Heart Medical Center.
J. Allen Johnson, M.D. joins Dr. Munir Katul in questioning McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center's plans to add cardiovascular surgery services. But Zena Monji, M.D., chief of staff at McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center, and 23 other physicians support McKenzie-Willamette's plans.
Meanwhile, the Eugene Weekly urges McKenzie-Willamette to consider a "Plan B," as its idea of moving to the EWEB site is going nowhere fast.
The cost of health insurance and health care continue to rise. Locally, some businesses believe that providing health insurance to their employees is good business, despite escalating costs. Statewide, 600,000 Oregonians lack basic health insurance. Nationally, there's a new Internet tool to help the 45 million American without health insurance find coverage.
Last Monday, the Eugene City Council rejected the idea of a public safety district, at least as being proposed by Lane County. A significant issue is "compression" -- which is a fancy word meaning that taxes for a public safety district could come at the expense of other needed public services. We hope that the rejection of the public safety district by the Eugene City Council (and the recent rejection of a utility tax to fund a jail by Springfield voters) will prompt a broad public discussion about needed public services and how to best organize and pay for them.
Several of our sources suggest to us that downtown Eugene is reaching a critical point where many good things are possible. A hospital at EWEB, a new city hall, a Whole Foods store, and development along west Broadway are all under discussion.
Meanwhile, an updated Long Range Campus Development Plan for the University of Oregon was sent to University President Dave Frohnmayer for his approval.
Glenwood may get a bicycle path. Having recently tried to ride from Springfield to Eugene along busy Franklin Boulevard, we know that such a path is sorely needed.
Speaking of taxes, gas taxes are still too low to even maintain the streets we have. Some streets full of potholes will , but many others remain on the waiting list due to lack of funding.
Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., politicians are poised to fight over federal transportation spending and pork. Our own Congressman DeFazio will be at the center of negotiations between the House of Representatives and Senate over the final form of the bill. President Bush is threatening to veto the bill if it exceeds $283.9 billion. At issue is $20 million in funding for the Interstate-5/Beltline interchange, which PeaceHealth needs for its new hospital.
Also at issue are changes to environmental protections for highway projections, including changes to how the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) and "Section 4(f)" protections for parklands are implemented. Citizens should share their concerns with Congressman DeFazio.
Nancy Nichols of Deadwood asks why Lane County didn't require appraisals before granting waivers under Measure 37. A good question.
Statewide, the Senate is scheduled to vote on Tuesday on Senate Bill 82, which would clarify, replace and in some case expand Measure 37. Some say the bill is a good start; others say the bill is worse than Measure 37 itself. Recent surveys show that Oregonians support fairness in how land use laws are applied but overall support the protections those laws provide. Any changes to Measure 37 must maintain the current protections all Oregonians enjoy.
Moving forward, many are calling for a comprehensive, thoughtful review of how those protections work. Senate Bill 82 would do just that.
In Washington state, people are eyeing Oregon closely, wondering if something like Measure 37 would be good or bad for them.
Hmmmm. Mayor Kitty Piercy brings civility and compromise to the Eugene City Council and the Springfield City Council, long known for such traits, starts to argue with itself. Some say Springfield is merely a victim of its own success in growing too fast.
Lastly, last week we mentioned that Planning and Development Director Larry Reed had left Arlie. He joined JRH Transportation Engineering to work in a similar role.
Looking Ahead
On Tuesday the Oregon Senate is scheduled to vote on Senate Bill 1037, which would clarify, replace and expand Measure 37.
On Wednesday, citizens will be lobbying in Salem for affordable health care.
On Thursday, PeaceHealth will dedicate its RiverBend site.
Rob Zako, Editor
343-5201
rzako@efn.org
Calendar
Wednesday, June 1 -- Oregonians for Health Security for Health Care Lobby Day
10 am-4 pm, State Capitol, Salem
Health care costs making you sick? The Affordable Health Care Package legislation to reduce prescription costs, increase insurance accountability and ensure fair hospital pricing sits in Salem. Some bills have passed the Senate, but need hearings in the House. Help us convince legislators to move this vital legislation. Please call Matt at 503-655-2793 to reserve you place. Let us know if you need a ride or are interested in carpooling.
Schedule of Events:
10 am: Meet & Sign-up
10:30 am: Go to the floor
11 am-12 pm: Training & Lunch
12 pm: Press Conference
12:45-3:30 pm: Lobbying
3:30 pm: Debrief
4:00 pm: Back on the Bus
SEE YOU AT THE CAPITOL!
Thursday, June 2 -- PeaceHealth
Dedication of the future home of the Sacred Heart Medicial Center at RiverBend.
Saturday, June 25 -- McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center: 50th Birthday Party
| McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center | |
10 am to 2 pm
Everyone is invited to celebrate 50 years of extraordinary care with McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center.
Join us for hospital tours, prize drawings, birthday cake, free health screenings and more. See our latest technology and remodeled spaces. Learn about new services. Take a walk down memory lane with McKenzie-Willamette. Meet employees and volunteers who have provided "extraordinary care" to our community for the past five decades. Help us make our big FIVE-0 a party worth remembering!
PeaceHealth
Sacred Heart foundation fills top post
| The Register-Guard | May 25, 2005 |
Casey Woodard, a businessman and philanthropic supporter of PeaceHealth-owned Cottage Grove Community Hospital, has been named chief executive of the Sacred Heart Medical Center Foundation, the Eugene hospital's fund-raising arm.
Woodard will start the job June 1, replacing the retired Guy Justice. Among his chief responsibilities will be raising money for the new $350 million regional medical center in north Springfield -- dubbed RiverBend -- that PeaceHealth is preparing to build. (more...)
Letter -- Cost-based transfers not seen
By Jay H. Chappell, M.D. and Samuel Lau, M.D., Springfield
The Register-Guard | May 25, 2005 |
As Springfield-based cardiologists, we were very disturbed to read the allegations from PeaceHealth Oregon CEO Alan Yordy (Register-Guard, May 17) of purported diversion of uninsured patients from McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center to Sacred Heart Medical Center.
We each practice at both of these hospitals and are therefore in a position to care for patients at both facilities and to observe transfer patterns. We have never witnessed, either directly or indirectly, the purposeful diversion of a patient from one facility to the other because of any financial considerations. For Yordy to imply that such behavior is going on is of major concern to us and other physicians who practice in both facilities.
It appears that Yordy's e-mail to PeaceHealth employees specifically relates to his decision to terminate the Ask-A-Nurse program. We are surprised by Yordy's attempt to justify the termination of a valuable community program by allegations of unethical referral patterns.
In the time that Triad has been partnering with McKenzie-Willam- ette, we have not witnessed any change among administration or the staff to the commitment of care of all the patients who come to the facility regardless of their financial status.
We would suspect that the allegations in The Register-Guard article are equally disturbing to the excellent and committed staff at both of these hospitals who work 24/7 to provide the best possible care to all of our patients, regardless of their ability to pay.
McKenzie-Willamette/Triad
Letter -- Are cardiac services necessary?
By J. Allen Johnson, M.D., Eugene
The Register-Guard | May 24, 2005 |
I share Dr. Munir Katul's concern (guest viewpoint, May 15) regarding the plan to add cardiovascular surgery services at McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center.
The Register-Guard would do Lane County a service by reporting the relationship between the volume of cases performed, their outcomes and the morbidity and mortality figures. That information is not difficult to find.
I also served as the chief of staff at McKenzie-Willamette and I am an advocate for competing hospitals in communities that cannot get all of the services needed by its residents in a single hospital. That has been true for Lane County, but not in the area of cardiovascular surgery.
As the medical director in charge of credentialing physicians and facilities for Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon, we looked very closely at community hospitals opening departments to compete with larger, more experienced care centers. The standard of the industry is at least 200 open heart cases per year for the facility and the team caring for the patient. That team includes not only the surgeons, but the anesthesiologists, the cardiac bypass pump technician, the recovery room nurses and others.
Establishing a cardiovascular surgery service is a very expensive undertaking. That cost will be passed on to the broader community in higher premiums, out-of-pocket costs and uncompensated care. There will not be significantly more patients in the short term. A review of Triad Hospitals' business plan should be requested.
Zena Monji -- Second heart surgery center would benefit patients
By Zena Monji
The Register-Guard | May 29, 2005 |
In his May 22 guest viewpoint, Dr. Munir Katul raised excellent questions about the advisability of having two open-heart surgery programs in central Lane County. Katul asked whether the pros and cons of creating a program at McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center have been extensively discussed in the medical community.
In short: yes. (more...)
Slant -- EWEB Site?
| Eugene Weekly | May 26, 2005 |
Will McKenzie-Willamette/Triad ever build at the EWEB site? It's becoming a puzzling mess with so many unanswered questions regarding access, whether EWEB will stay or not, the wisdom of building a hospital between a river bank and railroad tracks, delays, etc., that we're beginning to wonder if will ever happen. Meanwhile, both hospitals are investing heavily in their existing facilities. Triad appears loathe to talk about Plan B, but maybe it's time.
Health Care
Good Benefits Mean Good Business: Many companies find that health insurance coverage for workers is worth the expense, despite the rising costs
By Sherri Buri McDonald
The Register-Guard | May 29, 2005 |
In the past 25 years, Nancy Hamren's company-paid health insurance brought her two daughters into the world, paid for her husband's hernia operation, and covered assorted doctor's visits for the entire family. (more...)
History, make-up drive insurance cost
| The Register-Guard | May 29, 2005 |
A local autobody shop's annual health insurance premium goes up 20 percent, while a neighboring office sneaks by with a 7 percent increase. What gives? (more...)
Lawmakers: Voters should force Legislature to act on health care
By Niki Sullivan
The Associated Press | May 25, 2005 |
SALEM -- With a shrinking Oregon Health Plan and no legislative proposals to cover the 600,000 Oregonians without insurance, a group of advocates and lawmakers plan to take the issue directly to voters.
They plan an initiative campaign to put a measure on the November 2006 ballot that would require the Legislature to come up with a plan to extend affordable health care to more Oregonians.
How that's done would be up to lawmakers in the next two legislative sessions, but they would be required to pass a plan by 2009. (more...)
Uninsured get coverage help on new Internet site
By Brian Tumulty
Gannett News Service | May 24, 2005 |
WASHINGTON -- America's 45 million uninsured have a new tool for finding health coverage.
The National Association of Health Underwriters has rolled out a new Internet site that provides state-by-state information on coverage options for many situations -- including job changers, high-risk people unable to obtain traditional insurance and the poor.
"We get consumer inquiries every day," said Janet Trautwein, vice president of government affairs for the Arlington, Va.-based association that created the new Internet site.
The new site, http://www.nahu.org/consumer/healthcare, is helpful to a computer-savvy consumer who understands insurance terms.
That's especially the case if it is used in conjunction with other Internet sites, such as http://www.ehealthinsurance.com that provide price quotes on individual policies and the consumer health insurance information provided by the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute, http://www.healthinsuranceinfo.net. (more...)
Nearby Developments
Public safety tax district denied
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | May 24, 2005 |
A divided Eugene City Council on Monday refused to go along with Lane County's latest financing idea to improve public safety.
Councilors voted 5 to 4, with Mayor Kitty Piercy breaking the tie, to reject a request by Lane County to take the first step in possibly forming a public safety taxing district.
Last Monday, the Springfield City Council cast its votes the other way, voting 3-2 in favor of changing language in the metro area's growth guide. (more...)
Editorial -- Is it time to kill the Lane Metro Partnership?
| The Springfield News | May 25, 2005 |
Lane County wants to ask the voters for permission to form a public safety district whose funds would be dedicated to beefing up the Sheriff's Office police services for rural Lane County residents. It also would solve the county's jail overcrowding issues.
Is it a good idea? Or a bad one? Well, it's a moot point now, because by a 5-to-4 vote, the Eugene City Council has saved us the trouble of voting.
And the answer is "no." (more...)
City Derails Big Jail Tax
By Alan Pittman
Eugene Weekly | May 26, 2005 |
The Eugene City Council balked May 23 at a radical Lane County proposal to about double county cops and jail spending by drastically increasing property taxes and changing the structure of local government.
The council voted 5-4 against amending the Metropolitan Plan to allow Lane County to set up a countywide taxing district for law enforcement. The district would have allowed the county to circumvent property tax limitation measures and drastically increase property taxes. (more...)
County officials: Public-service district may be dead
By Stacy D. Stumbo
The Springfield News | May 27, 2005 |
A potential taxing district that could solve overcrowding at the Lane County Jail, increase police services and subsidize public safety programs could be dead in the water after it was rejected by the Eugene City Council Monday. (more...)
Mayor hopes new task force finds jail plan
By Bob Keefer
The Register-Guard | May 28, 2005 |
Mayor Sid Leiken has created a nine-member citizen task force and charged it with coming up with ideas for paying to operate the city's proposed jail -- and he wants the job done in a hurry. (more...)
Letter -- 'New urbanism' needs new land
By Charles and Karen Van Duyn, Eugene
The Register-Guard | May 23, 2005 |
We recently bought a new home in Eugene within walking distance to Valley River Center and a Lane Transit District bus line. We looked for well over a year to find something that met our priorities of design, size, walking distance to conveniences and affordability before finding this 16-home, craftsman-style development.
In fact, we made several trips to Hillsboro and nearly resettled in Orenco Station because we were not finding what we wanted in Eugene. The Orenco area, as The Register-Guard's May 9 article attests, is enhanced with style, practicality and convenience. We are dumbfounded that Hillsboro can create high-density housing that offers these choices while Eugene struggles with the concept.
The Eugene area has little to offer a population ready for the affordability and convenience of "new urbanism." Instead, people are spreading to Junction City, Harrisburg, Creswell, Pleasant Hill and Cottage Grove.
The article claims that builders won't build high-density, mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly developments. We think they don't and can't build these projects because there is a shortage of suitable land. Builders and the public are ready for the "new urbanism," but it's time for city planners and elected officials to update the Metro Plan, expanding the urban growth boundary for anticipated growth that harmonizes community with a gentle protection to the environment.
Future developments need to embrace the amenities such as those enjoyed in the Orenco Station area.
Council sets City Hall plan in motion
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | May 26, 2005 |
The Eugene City Council on Wednesday took a step that could lead to voters being asked to pay for a new or renovated City Hall by 2008.
Councilors approved a planning schedule to help them decide whether to renovate the 41-year-old City Hall, construct a new building on its present downtown block or build a new structure elsewhere. (more...)
Local natural foods stores wary of giant's shadow
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | May 25, 2005 |
Two years of hard work seem to be paying off for Dan Beilock, owner of Red Barn Natural Grocery in Eugene's Whiteaker neighborhood.
Business has doubled since he bought the store from his sister two years ago, he said, and the future looks bright.
But there's a threatening cloud: the chance of the nation's largest natural foods chain opening a giant outlet in downtown, within a couple of miles of Beilock's store. (more...)
Editorial -- It's what Eugene needs: Grocery will bring benefits to the city core
| The Register-Guard | May 27, 2005 |
A $10 million private retail development in downtown Eugene would fulfill decades of plans and hopes. Yet news that Whole Foods Market would like to build a grocery store in the city's core has raised misdirected apprehensions. The city of Eugene should do what it can to move the Whole Foods deal forward, and if the plan falls apart, it shouldn't be for the wrong reasons. (more...)
Spencer Whitted -- Downtown needs parking, events
By Spencer Whitted
The Register-Guard | May 29, 2005 |
Taxpayers, it's time to take back downtown Eugene.
I feel qualified to suggest this after doing business downtown for years -- first as general manager of the Eugene Hilton, then as owner of Rock 'n' Rodeo and now as owner of Oregano's grill and wine bar. It's time to reverse the trend in our core that will lead to further decay, crime and closed buildings. (more...)
Campus's long-range plan nears final stage
The building and development project awaits University President Dave Frohnmayer's approval
By Meghann M. Cuniff, Senior News Reporter
Oregon Daily Emerald | May 25, 2005 |
After months of revisions, discussion and more revisions, the Campus Planning Committee voted Tuesday afternoon to send its updated Long Range Campus Development Plan, which provides a framework for the next 10 years of building and development on campus, to University President Dave Frohnmayer for his approval. (more...)
Transportation
Glenwood may get bike path: Plan would connect path from U of O to downtown
By Amber Fossen
The Springfield News | May 27, 2005 |
Timing is everything for a potential bike path in Glenwood.
Riding a bike in Glenwood means pedaling down Franklin Boulevard as traffic vrooms by. That may change if several pieces fall into place to allow a path from Glenwood Avenue to connect with 14th Street, steering bicyclists off of Franklin to a residential side street.
The path would connect Glenwood Avenue to 14th Street just behind Lane Transit District, which owns the property for the proposed bike path. (more...)
Street Repairs
EUGENE -- Your gas and fuel taxes will be hard at work in the Eugene area this summer. The first road projects are underway with Eugene's higher five cent a gallon tax paving the way. But all those gas-tax pennies aren't enough to fill all the city's pot holes. (more...)
DeFazio named to roads, transit committee
| The (Roseburg) News-Review | May 27, 2005 |
WASHINGTON, D.C.: U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio has been named to a joint House-Senate panel that will meet to work out differences in a federal highway funding bill passed by each chamber.
DeFazio, ranking Democrat on the House Highways, Transit and Pipelines Subcommittee, will play a major role in settling the differences in the $290 billion highway and transit bill. Over the next few weeks, the Springfield Democrat and a handful of his House colleagues will work with their counterparts in the Senate to craft a single version of the bill that can be sent to President George Bush.
The bill includes more than $2 billion for highway and transit programs in Oregon, including money for construction of the Weaver Avenue Bridge, which would provide a link between Interstate 5 and the area between Myrtle Creek and Tri City.
Funding for the bill comes from federal gas tax receipts.
President Bush has threatened to veto the highway bill if it exceeds $283.9 billion.
Measure 37, Oregon's Land Use Planning System
Letter -- Why weren't appraisals done?
By Nancy Nichols, Deadwood
The Register-Guard | May 28, 2005 |
I've held an Oregon real estate license since 1984. One thing I've learned over the years is that the property with more allowable uses is not automatically the most valuable one.
I was amazed to read that the Lane County Board of Commissioners granted waivers of land use laws to two petitioners without the appraisals required by the county's Measure 37 ordinance. Are county commissioners allowed to ignore their own laws?
Measure 37 provides for either payment or waiver of rules. How can the commissioners know which is the correct choice without knowing the value involved? Even if the change in value was a no-brainer, this sets a precedent. The commissioners have said appraisals are not needed, just proof that some use would have been allowed earlier. Even if the change in value is zero, anything goes for those who have owned property a long time.
Lane County residents could be in for some unpleasant surprises now that there is no requirement to show loss of value to get rules waived.
Editorial -- Measure 37: First attempt to modify isn't perfect, but it's a beginning
| The (Roseburg) News-Review | May 19, 2005 |
It's no surprise that few people like the bill to modify Measure 37 that's being worked up in the Oregon Senate.
That's because Oregonians seem to either love or hate the citizens initiative, which was approved by voters last November. It requires government to pay landowners in some instances or waive regulations when land-use laws reduce property values.
Senate Bill 1037 is an attempt to define which land would be eligible under Measure 37, protecting farmland, but lessening restrictions on other property.
Provisions in the proposed law were quickly criticized, making it clear that if a version does pass this Legislature and the governor's desk, it will be much modified from the early version. (more...)
M37 rewrite moves to Senate floor
By Mark Engler, Freelance Writer
The Capital Press | May 20, 2005 |
SALEM -- The legislative effort underway to reform the statewide land-use planning system and smoot out Measure 37 passed out of the Senate's land use committee this week and could be headed to the House of Representatives in the coming days.
But if the Senate committee's vote is any indication, the full chamber floor vote on Senate Bill 1037 could be tight.
Editorial -- Fixing the fix: Bill goes far beyond revising Measure 37
| The Register-Guard | May 23, 2005 |
If you're a mechanic, it's a good idea to make sure the vehicle you're working on leaves the shop with fewer problems than it had when it arrived.
Sen. Charlie Ringo, D-Beaverton, failed that test with Senate Bill 1037, a rewrite of Measure 37 that creates more land use problems than it fixes. The proposal, which recently passed out of the Senate Environment and Land Use Committee on a 3-2 vote and is scheduled to go before the full Senate this week, should be sent back to Ringo's committee for an overhaul.
Meanwhile, the Legislature should approve Senate Bill 82, which authorizes a much-needed comprehensive review of the state's land use system. (more...)
Arnold Cogan and Nohad A. Toulan -- Forging a new land-use vision for Oregon
By Arnold Cogan and Nohad A. Toulan
The Oregonian | May 26, 2005 |
Last November, voters approved Measure 37 requiring governments to make a choice: forgo enforcement or compensate property owners for the loss of value attributed to state and local regulations not existing at the time a property was acquired.
The full impact of the measure on our planning programs remains to be seen, and the real intentions of voters are subjects for considerable debate. But one thing's certain: Concern for fairness and equity is high on Oregonians' agenda.
A study conducted by a committee of the Oregon chapter of the American Planning Association five years ago suggests that a significant majority of Oregonians support land-use planning but are concerned about fairness and support regional differences. No one wanted to abolish the land-use program, but they did want it re-examined. There was a clear need for re-engaging the public in a conversation that defines our vision and the type of program that fulfils that vision without appearing to be unfair. With the passage of 37, the need is more urgent. (more...)
Editorial -- Oregon needs 'the big look'
The state's legendary land-use planning system is overdue for a thorough evaluation by state residents
| The Oregonian | May 28, 2005 |
It sometimes seems there are two kinds of Oregonians: Those present at the creation of the state's legendary land-use system, and everyone else, who came later -- and soaked up the afterglow.
Both groups know they're lucky to live in Oregon. But those who witnessed the formation of the land-use system -- those whose lives touched the legend -- understand it didn't just happen. They know what it took: Leadership, patience, persistence and (let's not sugarcoat it) hours upon hours of public meetings. The process harnessed the civic engagement of thousands of Oregonians.
The happy result was that they bought in. They made it happen. They made the land-use system their own. After three decades, the glow of the legend hasn't truly faded -- the beauty of the landscape is a constant reminder of it -- but most Oregonians now belong to the second camp, who showed up after the work was done.
That's why Oregon badly needs Senate Bill 82. This so-called "big look" would create a task force to thoroughly re-evaluate the land use system. It would invite Oregonians to once again weigh in, learn about the system, improve it and, in effect, repossess it. (more...)
Regional panels could decide land-use issues
By Don Jepsen for the Mail Tribune
The (Medford) Mail Tribune | May 26, 2005 |
SALEM -- A bill that would replace the statewide Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) with five regional commissions has been sent to the House Budget Committee for fiscal analysis.
The proposal, House Bill 3483, was forwarded by the House Land Use Committee Monday following a brief hearing. Rep. Bill Garrard, R-Klamath Falls, said Speaker Karen Minnis, R-Wood Village, asked the committee to expedite the measure.
The regional approach is the latest wrinkle in the debate over land-use planning following the passage of Ballot Measure 37. HB3483 doesn't speak directly to the initiative, but could be a bargaining chip in determining the fate of Senate Bill 1037, which would implement provisions of Measure 37, approved by voters in November. (more...)
Expert: Sprawl stymies growth
Development expert says overlapping municipalities lead to waste.
By Frederic Pierce, Staff writer
The (Syracuse, New York) Post-Standard | May 26, 2005 |
People in the Syracuse area need to do more than think outside the box to improve the local economy and quality of life, a nationally known urban expert said Friday.
They need to think outside of 127 boxes.
New York's traditional patchwork of overlapping and competing municipalities has encouraged waste, stunted economic growth and contributed to suburban sprawl, David Rusk told a gathering of about 60 people at a state "Economic Summit" Friday.
"The basic issue is what gets built where, and for whose benefit?" said Rusk, who referred to New York's 1,545 cities, towns and villages as "boxes' that lead policymakers to view things narrowly. "This state has the worst possible combination of rules for determining that." (more...)
Linn turns down Measure 37 inheritance claim
By Les Gehrett
The (Albany) Democrat-Herald | May 25, 2005 |
Albany Democrat-Herald
In a split vote Tuesday, the Linn County Board of Commissioners decided against granting a retroactive Measure 37 land-use waiver for an inherited property.
Commissioners Cliff Wooten and John Lindsey decided against granting a waiver to land owners Randy and Jill Fery based on Randy's grandfather's ownership of the property dating back to 1933.
Instead, they granted a waiver from rules enacted since the couple took ownership of the 158-acre property near Stayton in 1995. This waiver is a formality and is unlikely to allow the Ferys any use of the land they do not already have available. (more...)
County rejects three Measure 37 claims
One claimant sought to develop a casino, golf course and hotel
By Crystal Bolner
The (Salem) Statesman Journal | May 26, 2005 |
Marion County commissioners rejected land-use claims Wednesday that would have allowed a farm owner to build a subdivision and other landowners to build a subdivision, casino, hotel, golf course and gas station.
The claims were filed under Measure 37, a state law approved by voters in November that gives property owners the right to seek payment from local governments whose land-use regulations limited the owners' ability to develop their land.
Wednesday's land-use decisions forced commissioners to decide whether to allow some landowners to develop their property or side with neighbors who want the county to maintain the status quo. (more...)
County OKs relief in first Measure 37 case, questions remain
By Joel Gallob
The (Newport) News-Times | May 27, 2005 |
The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners this week approved an order waiving application of a portion of the county code that has kept Lucille Curtis from placing a single-family home on an 18.8-acre site zoned for agriculture use near Logsden. But Curtis won't be able to make use of the victory. She died after filing her claim with the county and so, explained County Counsel Wayne Belmont, the issue now is whether the waiver is "transferable" to her estate and heirs.
The answer, in brief: nobody knows. (more...)
Coos County shelves Measure 37 cases
By Dan Schreiber, Staff Writer
The (Coos Bay) World | May 24, 2005 |
About 30 claims under Measure 37 won't be heard in Coos County until pending state legislation on the voter-approved land use policy is settled, according to Nikki Whitty, county commissioner. (more...)
Gene Duvernoy and Charles Bingham -- The Cascade Agenda
| By Gene Duvernoy and Charles Bingham | May 22, 2005 |
It's late August 2053 and the Black Diamond onramp to the Cedar County freeway is backed up as usual, drivers nervously checking the remaining power in the batteries of their hybrid cars. Hopes are fading they can get to their homes in Whatcom, Yakima and Lewis counties for their children's afternoon soccer game.
Grandparents talk about the farms and forests that graced the region at the turn of the century and now lie under cement and asphalt, stretching the length of the Cascade foothills from Snohomish to Pierce counties and beyond. Students marvel at the once-upon-a-time expanse of these working lands as they visit Internet virtual reality rooms for their cultural history homework.
There are a few bright spots, untouched acreage in a sea of development that was saved by conservationists in the early part of the 21st century. Every once in a while, an editorial laments, "Why didn't we do more?" as folks line up for the monthly lottery to gain entry to a park system swamped by a population far greater than it was ever meant to serve.
The region faces two futures.
In one, unmanaged growth, sprawl, and loss of green and open space dominate the landscape. The other is of streams, beaches and estuaries that have been restored and are accessible to all; working farms, orchards and forests that have been conserved, with owners fairly compensated for taking care of them; and an array of attractive housing choices, including lively urban villages, with jobs, stores and spectacular parks and trails within easy reach.
How do we get to that desired future? First, we must rediscover what we knew so well when we brought the 1962 World's Fair here and created the Forward Thrust legacy of civic development -- the simple truth that this region succeeds when it joins together. If we separately worry about housing, the economy and the environment as if they were antagonistic, we will assure our children a dismal future. What we most need to conserve is not physical ground, but our common ground. (more...)
James Vesely -- Bigger than anything, a 100-year quest
By James Vesely, Seattle Times staff columnist
The Seattle Times | May 22, 2005 |
At first, the staggering numbers of the Cascade Land Conservancy's plan make its vision so big and so distant, the image becomes fuzzy with time and calculations: a 100-year telescope aimed at four counties east of Puget Sound; $7 billion in land acquisitions and other costs; a monumental 1.26 million acres of forestland set aside for logging, farms and recreation.
This is a very big deal. It is not about the hand of government. Instead, it is a separate, parallel track through the forest that aspires to a vision larger than any other in the United States. This is too large and too complicated for government to do, nor should it, by itself. Instead of boundaries, it starts with topography.
Comparisons to Maryland's sweeping efforts to preserve farmlands and the efforts to honor the Pine Barrens of New Jersey do not have the scope of CLC's proposal. Those Eastern climes cannot match our landscape.
In an adjoining opinion essay on this page, two architects of the idea put in writing what they have been talking about for months, a future that anticipates two things: 3.5 million more people in this region and, at the same time, keeping the western slope of the Cascades forested. The $7 billion raised through leveraging development credits pays people for their land, or takes money from logging and pays the loggers, who then keep the small mill towns alive.
Grandiosity -- a sin in itself -- may make this vision too big for our britches, but I have not seen anything like this in a decade, nothing that embraces a whole region, involves builders and many environmentalists and accepts the basic principle that private ownership be compensated for loss of income. (more...)
Ron Ewart -- Protect your property rights
By Ron Ewart, Special to The Times
The Seattle Times | May 26, 2005 |
The narrow-focus environmental lobby is once again attempting to brainwash average citizens with dire consequences of development run amok and special interests having free rein, if Washington follows in Oregon's footsteps with a clone to Oregon's Measure 37. That voter-approved ballot measure requires government to compensate property owners when land-use ordinances amount to a taking of private property, exactly what the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution requires.
They further state that if an Oregon Measure 37 were to pass in Washington, your neighbor could build a casino right next to you in a rural area. However, rural areas are already heavily downzoned and are to remain in agricultural, timberland, or open-space uses under this state's Growth Management Act. A landowner would have little luck in getting a permit to build anything commercial or high-density residential in rural areas.
The environmentalists characterize Oregon's Measure 37 as a developers' initiative. In fact, it was a grass-roots initiative. Were there large timber-company donations to the cause? Of course. Timber companies have a vested interest in land-use rules. They own large chunks of land.
But what environmentalists don't tell you is that environmental groups outspent the Measure 37 initiative sponsors (Oregonians In Action) by a ratio of 4-to-1. They further don't tell you that a good portion of environmental money came into Oregon from out of state. Environmentalists poured on everything they had to defeat Measure 37. Now they are trying to do the same thing in Washington and there isn't even an initiative yet. (more...)
Joseph W. Tovar -- Washington must resist the lure of Measure 37
By Joseph W. Tovar, Special to The Times
The Seattle Times | May 29, 2005 |
According to popular Northwest myth, as they approached Fort Hall in present-day Idaho, immigrants traveling the Oregon Trail reached a fateful fork in the road. A pile of fool's gold marked the southern trail that led ultimately to California, while the northern route was posted with a sign that read simply, "To Oregon." The greedy and illiterate went on to California, while those who could read settled the Oregon Territory.
This wry sentiment resonated in 1971 when Gov. Tom McCall invited his southerly neighbors to "please visit, but don't move here." Later that decade, a popular bumper sticker pointedly urged: "Don't Californicate Oregon."
Since the Nov. 2 elections, Californians may be sporting bumper stickers of their own -- warning about the perils of emulating Oregon.
On that date, Oregon voters passed Measure 37, the so-called property rights law. The ballot title seemed simple and fair on its face: "Governments must pay owners, or forgo enforcement, when certain land-use restrictions reduce property value."
However, on closer inspection, the measure is far from simple. It is undemocratic, unworkable, and unfair. It tilts the regulatory balance way off the scales in favor of the development aspirations of certain property owners at the expense of the quality of life for all residents of the state. (more...)
Other News
Civil disagreement creeps up on councilors
By Bob Keefer
The Register-Guard | May 27, 2005 |
SPRINGFIELD -- What's the City Council been taking lately? Pep pills? Assertiveness training seminars? Lessons from their fractious colleagues in Eugene and Lane County?
Whatever the cause, the graciousness with which the council traditionally operates has started to fray in recent months, with nearly unheard of 3-2 and 4-2 votes replacing the usual near-unanimity of a ladies and gentlemen's club. (more...)
Business Beat -- People
| The Register-Guard | May 24, 2005 |
Larry Reed has joined JRH Transportation Engineering, a Eugene professional consulting firm. He'll head the firm's land use planning program. His last job was director of planning and development for Arlie & Co., and he also worked in planning for the cities of Eugene and San Bernardino, Calif.
State tax burden shifted to individuals since late 1970s
Back in 1979, half of the income taxes collected by the state of Oregon came from family wage earners and the other half from companies doing business in the state.
By 2003, the burden on families had increased to 68 percent, while the amount paid by businesses had slipped to 32 percent, Anna Willman said Tuesday during a presentation on Oregon's budget process by the League of Women Voters of the Umpqua Valley at the Confidence Clinic in Roseburg. (more...)
Editorial -- Sales tax gets a try: The small town of Wood Village goes first
| The Register-Guard | May 23, 2005 |
Connoisseurs of irony will savor the fact that Oregon's first retail sales tax has been adopted by a city in the district represented by House Speaker Karen Minnis. While Minnis is in Salem enforcing the 2005 legislative session's no-new-taxes doctrine, the folks at home in Wood Village are adopting the granddaddy of all new state taxes. (more...)
Prospect of Wood Village's sales tax has shoppers unruffled, officials alert
Politicians across Oregon watch for any effect on business as the city prepares to impose a 1 percent levy on retail goods
By Eric Mortenson
The Oregonian | May 26, 2005 |
WOOD VILLAGE -- Dave Dimoff heaved a boxed Bolens lawn mower into the back of his Chevrolet pickup, fetched a drink for his 2-year-old daughter, Jourdan, and considered the question.
Would a 1 percent sales tax imposed by the city of Wood Village have kept him from buying that $159 lawn mower at Lowe's Home Improvement?
Dimoff did the math: Oregon's first general retail sales tax would add $1.59 to the price. Not enough to make a difference or to keep him from driving from east Portland to the store. (more...)
Don Richey -- League of Women Voters omitted facts on taxes
By Don Richey
The Register-Guard | May 26, 2005 |
A big headline in the May 22 Register-Guard stated "Know the facts before talking taxes," and below it was a guest viewpoint that purportedly aimed to dispel some myths regarding revenues and spending by the state of Oregon. As a former tax accountant the headline garnered my interest, because there seems to be a great deal of ignorance regarding corporate income taxes, particularly among so-called "progressives."
Imagine my chagrin when I discovered that the authors had only perpetuated that ignorance by suspiciously omitting relevant factual information. Rather than dispelling myths, the single purpose of the authors was to advocate for higher taxes in Oregon. My limited understanding is that the League of Women Voters' mission is to inform voters, but I had no idea the group did it in such an unbalanced manner. (more...)
State business leaders eye legislative goals
| The Associated Press | May 29, 2005 |
SALEM -- As the 2005 legislative session draws to a close, a coalition of Oregon business leaders is zeroing in on a slate of bills and budget items they say would strengthen the state's economy in the years to come. (more...)