For those who want a little more information about North Bend's 6-221 ballot measure and why we need it... 

When former mayor Briggs mustered the public support to pass 6-176 that limits fees to voter approved measures, he apparently wasn't aware that the language he presented to be law made it so that a majority of the people who vote would not carry. 

The language his team used in that law was that a majority of the "electors" was needed to pass a measure. That means that the entire voter roll the county has for North Bend is used as the count for what the city would need for a measure to pass. (For reference, this is in the first paragraph: https://northbendor.municipal.codes/Charter/Section6.1) 

This measure changes that to a simply majority of voters, i.e. those who choose to participate. If you don't vote, you don't get a say. More practically, it means that people who moved or died do not get an automatic "no" vote on any measure city voters are asked to weigh in on. 

Here's the text of this measure on our May ballot: https://sos.oregon.gov/admin/Documents/local_measures/2025_S_6-221.pdf

Check out the summary for the North Bend Budget Meetings coming up. It's both a testament to how much our city staffers have put into getting a fair share of grant funds, as well as just how for off our property tax dollars go to pay for the actual services the city provides. 

For the full show, attend the meetings starting May 21st at 5:30pm: https://www.northbendoregon.us/calendarView.aspx?cid=30920 

Because organizations like to spread around the grant dollars, we are unlikely to see this type of grant funding again, particularly in this federal/political climate. The staffers did an incredible job plugging the gap that Measure 6-176 will prevent us from correcting, but the funding gap is real.

North Bend Residents: I know it’s not scintillating TV, but annual budget meetings are May 21 & 22. Do us go by watching and learning. If you attend the meetings, you can make public comments, even if you attend virtually. 

More info from the city: https://www.northbendoregon.us/newsview.aspx?nid=8064 

Here’s what I’ve learned: 

Even though the past 5 years have brought North Bend huge dollars from the extensive efforts of staffers to draw grants, we are still in a fiscal decline that will hit us hard in the coming few years. Grants are really only good for capital investments, not sustaining services, yet we have done what we can. 

For example, our city police force currently has 3-4 grant funded positions that will go away without a change. As you all are aware, the sewer system — with its own dedicated budget and funds — is falling off a fiscal cliff because prior councils for more than 2 decades have pushed off basic rate increases needed to keep that system up to date for the regulatory requirements and any shot of a growing population. 

We, as all other municipalities across Oregon and the US, are in a state where the federal government has drastically cut access to our fair share, large private businesses like those in timber who funded the city so well are long gone by decades, and our physical systems are aging out to the tune of 10-20 years beyond the known usable service time. Our tax dollars simply don’t cover basic services that the property taxes we are allocated need to fund. 

As voters, we’ve consistently voted down even modest increases because we’re all strapped, too. If we continue that pattern, we have one option left — economic development — as our path forward. But that path is rocky and unpredictable. Some of us truly believe that capitalism will save us, but we’ve also seen that private development on many fronts (housing, industry, etc.) have left our coastal community behind for years into decades. 

You’ll not get this on Fox News, but it’s truly happening real time in our community. Tune in to get informed!

I was hoping the World or the Rob Taylor Report or KCBY would be willing to host a debrief with the North Bend School Board members on their recent down vote of city URA changes that needed support from the board. That down vote means the community walks away from $4 million from the feds that would have gone to an apartment building for people who actually work here to replace the old Annex.

I was a little surprised at the down vote, even though I'm on board with the idea that government should not be in real estate. And this down vote was a hard no: 1 to 6.

I also know that Sen. Dick Anderson, Rep. Boomer Wright and even Rep. David Brock Smith (who doesn't represent us, but knows a board member or two) contacted board members to get them to say yes.  

I feel like our state representatives would know when to say yes even with noses pinched on the principle of the thing. They are in the thick of making change and working with what hasn't changed yet.

I mean, yes, governments that own all real estate are places none of use want to live. For sure! That said, we've waited for decades for private developers to take an interest in multiple properties around us, not just for housing. We've not seen that interest come to fruition other than vacation homes.

I know that the tax cut that would come from the changes wasn't huge, but it did mean that the "North Bend Urban Renewal Levy" listed on property tax bills would go away with the new agreement. For my family, that's about 2.5% of our total bill.

I also get that on paper the school loses a lot. But the current Oregon Law locks in place backfilling school districts when they lose money from URA or other entities sharing their pool. 

I'm also sure that many of the board members know that housing is preventing people from taking or keeping jobs in our area because they can't find an affordable place to rent.

I guess that is what really highlighted my interest in learning about this. 

Yes, I definitely don't want to live in a country where the government owns me and everything I walk on. And yet, I can't tell you the number of times I've heard about people getting offers for our jobs out here, often high paying jobs, that ended up turning the offer down, quitting before day 1 because they couldn't find a place to live, or quitting after a year of commuting from Roseburg or Bandon.

So, walking away from this $4 million of free money from the Old Regime seems like saying no a huge inheritance. I mean, the work to get it has been done. The URA laws are still in place. Why not use them while we still have them? 

Also, $4 million? If I'm reading the estimates correctly, that's like 20-25% of the expected cost of the apartment building that will replace the old Annex in downtown North Bend. I mean, we haven't seen our fair share of funds like that in, what, decades?

And Chris Castleman had it right on this comment: the city has been sitting on that Annex property for several years now. But it's because the city has been both attempting to serenade private developers and get some incentive money for those developers to consider the project. So far, the pattern of decades has continued: private developers are completely uninterested without appropriate incentive. I think that $4 million off their costs is pretty inviting....

If you're curious, I did some digging about the Oregon Law that applies to this situation. It's complex, but it's there....

• ORS Chapter 457 Urban Renewal: 457.420 and .470 describe how the tax increment works, .437 describes revenue sharing allowed, .440 describes the allocations: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors457.html

• ORS Chapter 327 School Funding Formula: 327.011 and .013 outline how that backfilling of lost revenue works, as well as how municipalities are prevented from any slight of hand that feeds schools money in order to get money, keeping government shenanigans in check: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors327.html

Now, this could already be a lost cause. That $4 million was appropriated in the last US Congress, so at best, we have a few months left to secure it. But if you agree with me that the board should relax their ideals and do this for our community, in this moment, then let them know! They have a few board meetings left before the May elections and before the time runs out to secure this money.

It's a long and complex tale, but you can learn the North Bend part of this story here:  https://www.northbendoregon.us/ura

If I'm wrong and you agree that we need to say no, thank you for reading this far! If not, contact the school board members and request a revote and reconsideration: https://www.nbend.k12.or.us/36288_2

Comment from a Robert Hamer Post: