CC Minutes - 01/14/08 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Paul Romain , 707 Southwest Washington Street, #927, representing the Oregon Petroleum Association (OPA), pledged that the OPA would work for a 12 to 14 cent increase in the state gasoline tax to be implemented immediately upon approval of the legislation. He said the part that would go to local government would be negotiated. He stressed the OPA opposition to local gas taxes. He implored the council to not “put [them] in the position of having to put the gas tax on the ballot.” John Anderson , 3340 King Edwards Court, Ward 4, voiced his opposition to the 2 cent gas tax. He felt the public had already voted on whether it wanted a gas tax by reducing the amount of fuel purchased locally. He said while people had not changed their driving habits, they had changed their purchasing habits. He averred that he would be the “first to step up” to help find a more local solution if the legislative session did not result in improved funding. Murphy McHugh , 1848 Russet Drive, echoed the comments of those in support of the sunset clause. He averred that the council had “penalized” him for being a gas station owner in the City of Eugene. He said if he sold gasoline five blocks away from his current location the fuel would be 5 cents cheaper. He related that his business was down and this had resulted in having to lay off people. He pointed out that one large chain store that sold gas would have people backed up eight cars deep just because the gas there was a few cents cheaper per gallon than in other places. He also felt that people in Florence who formerly went to Eugene to shop and purchase gas now stayed home because the gas was cheaper there. He noted that the State had decided to require that ethanol be combined with gasoline and this would result in a 30 percent reduction of emissions. He said this was good for the State. He believed that the State would choose to pursue a statewide remedy for transportation funding for the same reason. He underscored his belief that a local gas tax only hurt local dealers. Aaron Johnson , 2672 Canterbury Street, remarked that the City Council had an important decision before it: to vote with the electors or to vote against them with “blatant disregard to those who” elected them to office. He said it was up to the council to stand up and vote on behalf the people of the City. He averred that the people needed the council’s help to stop the “unfair tax burden.” He acknowledged that the roads were in a state of disrepair and that the 2 cent gas tax might sound like a good idea. He believed, however, that it would cause problems “on further issues.” He felt that a statewide fee would cause all Oregonians to shoulder the burden equally. He thought a local tax would continue to hurt the tax base. He questioned how the City could hope to repair the “decaying downtown” if people stopped coming to Eugene for the goods and services available there. He believed continuing “down this road” would hurt the people of Eugene. He predicted the coming recession would add to the strain. He related that he had 24 employees when the tax began and he now had 16. He added that several of the former employees were now on government assistance while they pursued other employment. He asserted that the City was forcing small station owners to sign long contracts with “big oil,” thus removing competition and causing prices to rise unchecked. He commented that one owner had closed his stations and “walked away.” th Howard Bonnett , 1835 East 28 Avenue, suggested an alternative political strategy: extend the tax for three more years in order to see if the State would pursue another mode of funding. He said in the mean time the gas tax would provide another $3 million more for the roads that need work. He invited anyone who drove elsewhere to buy cheaper gasoline to consider how much the drive to purchase it costs. Mayor Piercy closed the public hearing and opened the floor for councilor comments. MINUTES—Eugene City Council January 14, 2008 Page 9 Regular Meeting