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Argument in Favor: VOTING IS CONSTITUTIONAL Oregon courts have repeatedly ruled that citizens have the right to vote on annexations. Nothing is more fundamental than the right to vote on issues that affect our community’s well-being. Development interests and their elected allies constantly tell us that rampant growth is good for Oregon’s communities, and that growth always pays for itself. Voters in 28 cities have realized growth does not pay its fair share and have given themselves the right to vote on annexations. Salem’s current financial crisis in maintaining public services speaks volumes about taxpayers being forced to subsidize a lower quality of life. Myths & Facts: • Oregon courts have ruled that voting on annexations does not violate either a city’s comprehensive plan nor Oregon land use law. • Voter annexations do not drive up the cost of housing. Portland and the Coast have some of the state’s highest housing costs, and they don’t have the right to vote on annexations. The marketplace and Oregon’s natural beauty dictate housing costs. • City governments are not allowed to deny annexations based on overcrowded schools; a developer-backed law passed in 1995 (HB-2501) makes that illegal. • But -- when we’re voting on annexations, WE can consider the impact on school overcrowding, and vote accordingly. Some city officials who oppose voter annexation say that citizens are not well informed, that we’re ignorant about growth issues. Then they turn around and praise voters’ intelligence when developers want more of our tax money (bonds & levies), or want to be voted into office. Annexation voting brings consensus, allowing us to agree on how fast we should grow, who should pay for growth, and how large we want our community to be. The Willamette Valley will add a million more people by 2015. Voting on annexations is an essential step in the process of deciding Oregon’s future quality of life. Vote YES for the CITIZENS’ initiative (24-34) to gain that right.
(This information provided by Jeff Lamb, Chairman, “What we desperately need is a victory for community over individual self-interest” Governor John Kitzhaber State of the State Address, January 2000 VOTERS BEWARE! This measure (24-34) is the REAL Voter Annexation Measure. More than 100 citizens circulated petitions for it; nearly 6,000 citizens signed them. It alone allows taxpayers to decide how fast Salem should grow, and how much we want to pay for growth. AFTER OUR MEASURE QUALIFIED FOR THE BALLOT, THE DEVELOPERS’ FAKE MEASURE (24-33) WAS FILED TO TRY TO DECEIVE VOTERS. Their measure contains a trap; it PROHIBITS voting on nearly all annexations. Governor Tom McCall warned us about “The Grasping Wastrels of the Land” whose measure (24-33) will continue their AUTOMATIC ANNEXATIONS OF THOUSANDS OF ACRES, COSTING SALEM TAXPAYERS HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, without a vote of the people! These automatic annexations have put our community $400 million in the hole! Look at the costs to taxpayers: Each new house; about $30,000 Each residential acre; about $200,000. New industrial land; nobody knows New commercial land; nobody knows HOWEVER, BY VOTING FOR THE CITIZENS’ MEASURE (24-34), WE WILL GAIN SOME CONTROL OVER GROWTH. Passing THIS measure (24-34), will force developers to reveal how many millions of dollars each annexation will cost taxpayers for schools, police, fire, libraries and other services. Those who profit from runaway growth will be forced to tell us what their schemes will cost us, BEFORE we vote on them. ONLY THIS CITIZENS’ INITIATIVE, (24-34) REALLY ALLOWS TAXPAYERS TO VOTE ON ANNEXATIONS! Hundreds of millions of our tax dollars are at stake in the contest between these two competing measures. ONLY THIS CITIZENS’ MEASURE (24-34) allows us to find out how many hundreds of millions we’re sacrificing to subsidize growth, and ONLY THIS CITIZENS’ MEASURE (24-34) gives us control over growth, and over the costs of growth. Vote YES on THE CITIZENS’ MEASURE (24-34) Vote NO on THE DEVELOPERS’ MEASURE (24-33)
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