by Tom Tymchuk
In the upcoming May election the voters of Reedsport will vote on a ballot measure which deserves to be defeated. Please join me and vote NO on Ballot Measure 10-119.
Measure 10-119 would put the city in the likely position of defaulting on its current wastewater loans with the state or in making drastic cuts to needed city programs. If this measure passes and the city can not pay off its loans from the state, the State of Oregon could act in several ways: It could withhold other funds due to the City of Reedsport, it could declare all the outstanding debts (plus interest) due immediately, and it could take over the city’s wastewater collection system, setting and collecting the rates and fees. If the city were to default on its current loans, it would also make it very unlikely that the city would be able to take advantage of state funding options in the future. As a former Mayor of Reedsport, forcing such a calamity is disturbing to me.
The sponsors of Measure 10-119 seek a path of great harm to the city of Reedsport today and well into the future.
Were this measure to pass, major cuts in city services would likely occur. The police department, the library, the Senior Center, the Umpqua Discovery Center and city parks all would face the ax. City staffing, which is already at a near 20-year low, would surely see significant cuts.
Every two years, the voters of Reedsport have the opportunity to have their voice heard when they elect their mayor and city counselors. That is the time-honored way of dedicated city council. The sponsors of this measure have seen their favored candidates defeated each time they have run for office. Unable to get elected, they now wish to change the City Charter to get their political way. They are attempting to make an end-run around good representative government.
Measure 10-119 would put the city at great present and future financial risk. It also circumvents the elective process. The sponsors of this measure have an ax to grind, and that ax is not good for Reedsport.
I encourage all Reedsport voters to resist this destructive attempt and vote NO on measure 10-119.
