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Budget handcuffs fall short, but barely Central Point voters reject measures that would have required votes on all fees By BUFFY POLLOCK for the Mail Tribune CENTRAL POINT - What could have been a set of the most restrictive budget measures ever imposed on a city finished closer to passing Tuesday than City Council members were expecting. Neither measure passed, but of the 2,967 Central Point voters who returned ballots, results were split almost down the middle for both initiatives. Had the measures passed, 50 percent of all registered voters would have had to turn out for an election and every one would have been required to vote "yes" in order to approve any new fees or increases to existing fees. Council member Kay Harrison said that the closeness of the vote sent a clear message. While the city was already accountable in its budget process, she said, it would likely be more so now. "I think one of the things we're going to have to do is beware that people are sensitive to what we do as a city and try to get as much information to the people as we can," Harrison said after the results were known. "I feel like the city has already been doing a good job at that, but people aren't listening." With a turnout just over 39 percent, there was only a 252-vote difference on Measure 15-25, which would've required a vote from residents to approve increases to existing fees, and would have forced the city to repay increased fees that had been paid since the petitions were filed. There were 1,601 votes opposed, 53.9 percent, to 1,349 votes in favor, or about 45.5 percent. Measure 15-26 was even closer, with 1,554 votes against (52.4 percent) and 1,401 in favor (47.2 percent) - a difference of 153 votes. Petitioner Carol Fischer said the group that initiated the petition drive would not push the issue now that voters had made their decision. "We only lost by 200-something; that really says something. The voters have made their choice and we did our best," Fischer said. "I'm thankful for all the voters who supported us. We did our best and it was darn close. I just hope the city gets the message." Supporters of the measures had said the ultimate goal of those who put the measures on the ballot was to force more accountability. City officials argued that no fees had been passed affecting average homeowners. Harrison said fear of "anything to do with fees" had likely caused voters who did not truly understand the measures to vote for them. "The economy is not good and people do not want to pay for things. They want to have the streets paved and have good drinking water. but they don't want to pay for any of it. "I can understand why people felt they needed to vote for it. Seniors were hit hard this year because of all the bond measures; but, as a city, there's not a lot of things we do to raise people's property taxes." Fischer said she hoped the message behind the measures would get through. "City entities think more money will answer problems," Fischer said. "But it's not a revenue problem, it's a spending problem. Maybe we'll get some accountability out of them." 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.