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49 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, May 11, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 10, 2005 Ashland residents propose initiatives for city changes By VICKIE ALDOUS for the Mail Tribune Dissatisfied Ashland residents are taking government into their own hands, working on at least five initiative petitions that could alter the city’s way of doing business. While the initiative backers hope to bring the issues to a vote in November, none have yet qualified for the ballot by gathering the required 1,562 signatures of registered voters. The various proposals include: Requiring voter approval to adopt a real estate sales tax to fund affordable housing. Requiring the city to sell Ashland Fiber Network, its cable television and high-speed Internet service. Advertisement Requiring members of the city’s Planning Commission to be elected. Requiring Forest Lands commissioners to be elected. Repealing the city’s meals tax. The initiative plans reflect unhappiness in at least a few political corners. "Ashland is doing things that are not sitting well with the local populace," said Robin Lawson, who, along with Al Willstatter and Fred Roberts, wants city voters to have the final word on a real estate sales tax proposal. Earlier this year, the Ashland City Council asked the Oregon Legislature to lift a prohibition against local governments enacting a real estate sales tax. Council members said they were not necessarily endorsing the tax, but believed local communities should have the right to choose for themselves. Affordable housing advocates have proposed a one half of 1 percent tax on property sales, with the first $200,000 of a property’s value exempt from the tax. The average buyer — or seller, depending on the agreement between the two parties — would pay $892, according to city staff. "We think the public in Ashland ought to be able to make the decision because the money will come out of their pockets," Lawson said. Long-time AFN critic John Gaffey is working on an initiative to have voters decide whether the city should sell its cable television and high-speed Internet service. The Ashland Finance Department predicts AFN will have a $3.8 million deficit through 2011, the last year for which the department tried to make projections given the volatile telecommunications industry. The Ashland City Council will discuss AFN’s future at 7 p.m. today in a meeting at the Community Development Department, 51 Winburn Way. Matthew Rowe, who wants voters to elect members of the Ashland Forest Lands Commission and the Ashland Planning Commission, said initiative backers have different issues, but share a sense of frustration. "People of all political ideologies are dissatisfied with the city government," he said. Rowe said voters should elect forest lands commissioners and planning commissioners. He is upset that Mayor John Morrison may not reappoint Forest Lands Commissioner Bill Robertson, who is the commission’s most vocal advocate of commercial logging as a forest treatment method. "Dissenting views are being purged from government and like-minded views are being brought in," Rowe said. Morrison said he is not trying to eliminate dissent, and does hope to appoint a person with a forestry background. "There is no attempt on anyone’s part to stifle anyone’s voice," Morrison said. He said people are entitled to express their frustrations through initiatives. "People have every right in the world to be displeased with government," Morrison said. "That’s what democracy’s all about." Rowe said he also is researching a possible repeal of the meals tax, which is 5 cents per dollar on prepared meals, such as those served at restaurants. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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