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Gold Hill police vote misses turnout mark By BUFFY POLLOCK GOLD HILL - Fifty more votes either way would have meant a police department for Gold Hill. Despite the overwhelming majority of voters who approved the proposed five-year levy, the turnout failed to meet Oregon's double majority requirement. Money measures in special elections require a 50 percent voter turnout. Gold Hill's voter turnout of 306 votes was 43.5 percent as of 10 p.m. Tuesday; 353 were needed. In addition to the levy, a vacant City Council position was filled by write-in candidate Gloria Eilefson, a member of the community improvement organization CanDo. Polls revealed about 70 percent of voters who returned ballots were in favor of the five-year local-option tax, which would have provided $54,000 a year for five years - funds to supplement the city budget and open a two-person police department. "The double majority was what got us. I'm not entirely surprised, but I'm obviously disappointed, especially when supporters were so overwhelmingly in favor," said City Council member Rob Lowe. Lowe, along with Mayor Scott Eilefson and council member Gus Wolf, chaired a political action committee to educate residents about the levy. "My biggest concern all along was turnout. I have a feeling we'll come back in November. Maybe all we needed was a little more of an education campaign," added Lowe. Council president Christine Alford agreed. "I think it's a great vote of confidence that so many voters were willing to trust us with a police department again," she said. "But double majority, that's the worst of all worlds. Anybody on the council just wishes we had a clear mandate. What we have is 70 percent saying they want a police department, but we still don't have the money. I have a feeling a lot of the council members will want to try again in November." For now, she said, council members would have to "decide how to provide law enforcement for the rest of the fiscal year." A workshop will be held at 6 p.m. Sept. 26 to discuss what type of protection the city will opt for through the remainder of the year. Public comments are invited. Several options being offered by the county sheriff's department will be discussed. For more information, call city hall, 855-1525. Buffy Pollock is a free-lance writer living in Medford. E-mail her at [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.