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Talent set to decide on Measure 7 lawsuit By Tony Boom TALENT � The City Council will decide tonight whether the town should join a League of Oregon Cities� lawsuit on the validity of Measure 7, a property compensation amendment. The special meeting begins at 6:45 p.m. in the Talent Community Hall. League officials asked cities to decide whether to join by 5 p.m. Wednesday. A regular Wednesday city council meeting won�t begin until 6:45 p.m. Measure 7, approved by voters in November, amends the Oregon Constitution to require state and local government to compensate property owners for loss of property value resulting from land-use decisions and other regulations. The measure has been temporarily blocked by an injunction from Marion County Circuit Judge Paul Lipscomb. He is expected to hear arguments beginning Feb. 6 in the suit to determine if the measure is valid. City attorney Bill Mansfield plans to recommend the council join in the suit. "I will recommend that we become a party so that in the event a (favorable) decision is rendered by the trial court, they(Talent) will be a party to it and not affected by Measure 7," said Mansfield. Mayor Marian Telerski thinks Measure 7, if it stands, could devastate small cities financially with its requirement to reimburse landowners for property value losses. "I�m waiting to hear more from the attorney," said Telerski. "From everything I�ve read it seems to be to the advantage of cities to join this, but I have no idea what the council�s overall decision will be." The council also will consider information in memos sent by the league on Jan. 11. "We haven�t talked (about the issue). We got all this information really late," said City Administrator Kelly Madding. "The council should have the opportunity to make a decision on whether to participate or not." Cities may incur additional risk if they do not join the LOC lawsuit, according to the group�s memo. While Lipscomb could declare Measure 7 unconstitutional, the ruling could be structured to apply only to local governments that are parties to the lawsuit. LOC officials rate this risk as "low to fair." League officials expect Lipscomb�s decision by mid-February. It will determine either that the measure is void in its entirety or that it is valid. In his temporary injunction issued Dec. 6, Lipscomb said Measure 7 appeared to violate a constitutional ban on putting multiple constitutional amendments in one measure. While it aims to compensate property owners, it also contains language exempting adult businesses, liquor stores and casinos from its main provisions. In a financial impact statement for the Voters� Pamphlet, state officials estimated that Measure 7 would cost local governments $3.8 billion annually. Opponents of the measure fear that it could cause cities and counties to eliminate land-use and environmental regulations rather than pay compensation to landowners. The League of Oregon Cities is an advocacy group that represents 238 of the state�s 240 incorporated cities. Reach Ashland bureau reporter Tony Boom at 482-4651, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.