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<br /> Clements'public safety plan is Worth considering
<br />
<br /> E ven ff the idea goes no- *'county governmel~t. Publi~ safety
<br /> where .... a (listH~ct possi- programs currently make t~p about
<br /> bilily--Lane County Sher- 70 percent of the county's general
<br /> iff Jan Clements deserves fund budget. Splitting those pro-
<br /> poin'[s'Tor.~creati, v~!!y~.n.d, persistenc0 grams -- anti' the budgets thai go
<br /> for his proposal lo establish an inde- with them -- off to a new and sepa- ~-"~
<br /> pendent countywide public safety rate taxing district, one with its own
<br /> district, governing board, would radically
<br /> .. Dtlrillg his nearly two terms as change the character and nature of
<br /> sheriff, Clements' quest for a stable, county government. While such a
<br /> reliable source of funding for publi.c ,move would ease commis.sioners' an-
<br /> safety programs has had a Si- nual budgeting migraines, it re-
<br /> syphe~n q~mlity. Like tile ancient mains to be seen how they would W needto be a~
<br /> king of Greek mythology. Clements' feel about such a maim* downsizing
<br /> lot has been to endlessly roll a huge of their p.olitical domain. Jerry Har,*is (lc
<br /> · stone up a hill oi~ly to watch it turn- Hill No. 3 would be determinin§ an interesting
<br /> hie each time back. to the bottom, the sl ructure of the new'public safe- whether The Regi
<br /> .Well. almost every time. County tv district, and deciding who has fi- pr. iht letters to the
<br /> - - - ' offensive racist sta'
<br /> voters in 1997 approved, a one*year hal sa.,.' over critical budget and poll-* On the one hah
<br /> levy for law enforcement, bt~t they cy m~ter~. How. for example, would one fi'om Brian Ro
<br /> rejected nine other different public a new district board re]ate to the 28) blaming affirm;
<br /> safety .proposals. including innova, shei'ffl' and district attorn.ey, both of · lice misconduct se
<br /> rive plans to create a sp/~cial law- whom are indepen.dent~ected . ion of an isolated
<br /> enforcement district in the Mohawk officials': extremely uninforr
<br /> and.McKenzie valleys and lohhpos~' J-iii] No. ,1 .... they're §etting taller and who is trying
<br /> acountywide incmne tax. More con-...~--= would be determmingthe tax Should the twisted
<br /> ventional strategies also haVe failed in,acts. Clements favors a two-tier informed person
<br /> includ0~g fom'*yea~;property tax lev- tax system loc the new district, one The Register-Guarz
<br /> 'les and bon. d issues for improvemen~ that woukl ensure equity betwee~ On the 6ther ha
<br /> of'corrections and la~,:, enforcement urban areas that already pay for representative, of
<br /> facilities. ' their own police protection. ._- commur/ity. Here i
<br /> Now. the resilient Clements has That's the-simple part of the tax hear white people C
<br /> returned with yet another- proposal equation. Next comes, dealing with. racism, insisting t
<br /> one that potentially could put the the impacts, on the county's budget. .gene is racist. If
<br /> county's habitually underfunded If countv..voters approve a new d~s-. sent a part of our
<br /> - we need to hear hi:
<br /> and overextended.public.safety pro- trict, then the tax dollars th~'t cur- in order to be awar,
<br /> · ' grams on soun. d financial footing, rently flow into the general fund and truly exists in our c
<br /> While still in the conceptual stage pa_v. for public safety programs
<br /> and lacking in detail, the.basic idea ' woukl"be freed up for. other county SUSAN ROGEF
<br /> is to create a new countywide taxing services. Eugene
<br /> district that would raise tax reve- Clements rightly argu.es.that tax-
<br /> nues dedicated e~:clusively to public payers won't go along with his plan Terrorists, libe/a
<br /> safety, servi'ces such as rural patrols, unless they receive a proportionate
<br /> narcotics enforcement, prosecution, reduction in their county [general Part of the abu
<br /> adtilt and juvenile corrections and fund taxes. And there's the rub. One highly partisan
<br /> parole-and probation services, of the biggest incentives for'county elect Jo. hn-Ke.rry,
<br /> That sounds both iimple and logi~' officials in considering the plan is defea~ George.Bus!
<br /> cover Kerry;s mos
<br /> cal. But befoye it could become reali- the 'proSpect of using those, freed-up, almost daily flip-rio
<br /> ty, suPport'ers would have to to.Il general fund dollars-to patch the If you've ever dr
<br /> this very large and unwi.eldy propos-- gaping holes m the remainder of the letter, published
<br /> al up not one but several hills, the county's budget. Guard, then now
<br /> steepest of which would be the well- And that brings us to the last aad write anything, no
<br /> established skepticism of county final hill-- the on.e known as, Mount but include' that
<br /> voters. . . Voter, a treacherous, ice-covered Bush is also a flip;fi
<br /> Hill No': I would be amending the slope that Clements knows all too golden.
<br /> Met):o Plan, which 'governs long- b/ell. Liberal idiocy:
<br /> range planning and'land-us~ in ur- Despite the many obstacles, dundant-- is af
<br /> - ban areas in the county and Eugen6- Clements' idea is'wort, h considering, fort to corn)ret Kef
<br /> · Springfield metrop, olitan area. Commissioners. who are scheduled war record revelat
<br />.... . While'not an insurmountable obsta- to discuss the plan on Wednesday, ways suspected a
<br /> cie] the .plah would have -to be should direct staff to take the pre- Welcome, is p~ooftl
<br /> changed to allow formation of a new liminary steps necessary for a Metro ard, a .self-pr.o'mot~
<br />
<br />~- district. -- Plan amendment and-io do the fl°pper'0famagnit'
<br /> Hill No. 2 would be we'ighing the' groundwork necessary to get this .now.
<br /> favorite. Kef
<br /> 'propdsa'l's impacts on ~ting rockrolli.ng; :' . [~ of
<br /> ' say whatever his
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<br /> hi~ rnndomnin~, nf
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