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longtime urging of local governments, joined later on by the state's business community <br /> and eventually the leadership of Governor Ted Kulongoski. The bill provided corrections <br /> for employee/employer crediting practices of the PERS board found erroneous in a <br /> previous lawsuit, slowed the growth of employee accounts in an effort to reduce the <br /> unfunded liability of PERS and employers. It has been estimated that these reforms <br /> shaved nearly five percent off employer rates in the first valuations adopted by the PERS <br /> board subsequently. <br /> <br /> The PERS reforms, if upheld in pending legal challenges, improve the stability of the <br /> PERS system, but stabilization does not fully reverse the spiral of PERS costs brought on <br /> in the last 10 years by incorrect crediting practices and the fiscally unsound structure of <br /> PERS. <br /> <br /> Recommendation: <br /> <br /> 1. Support efforts to uphold PERS reforms and mitigate volatile rate increases to <br /> public employers, in a fashion that upholds a fair and adequate retirement for <br /> public employees. <br /> <br /> 8. REPEAL OF LOCAL REAL ESTATE TRANSFER TAX PREEMPTION <br /> <br /> Under current law, local governments are prohibited from enacting local real estate <br /> transfer taxes or fees. Real Estate Transfer Taxes have been used successfully in other <br /> states as a way of funding and promoting affordable housing. Additionally, a local real <br /> estate transfer tax would be a logical tool for local governments to use to process claims <br /> and pay just compensation on occasion, in a post-Measure 37 environment. <br /> <br /> Recommendation: <br /> <br /> 1. Support efforts to repeal the prohibition of local real estate transfer taxes. <br /> <br /> 9. LOCAL FLEXIBILITY FOR ENTERPRISE ZONE CRITERIA <br /> <br /> Enterprise Zones have been useful tools available to local governments to attract <br /> employers. However, more flexibility is needed to afford local governments the <br /> opportunities to tailor enterprise zone proposals in a way consistent with important and <br /> specific city goals and values. <br /> <br /> Recommendation: <br /> <br /> 1. Support efforts to allow additional local flexibility to enterprise zone criteria for <br /> qualifying businesses. <br /> <br />City of Eugene Legislative Policies, 2005 Session 15 <br /> <br /> <br />