In the May 3, 2018, online edition of the Eugene Weekly, Eugene resident Ron Bevirt writes in a letter:
City officials and their allies who oppose BM 20-283 for an independent elected auditor claim it is “overpriced and overreaching.” They’re just trying to scare you into voting against your own best interests. In reality, it is the city that is “overpriced and overreaching.”
Just consider: $16.5 million (and another $1 million annually) from Comcast, stashed in already generous reserves, to be tapped later when the public is distracted; $7 million that magically materialized for train horn projects around ex-mayor Obie’s developments; over $4 million to provide high-speed fiber-optics benefiting downtown landlords; $1.2 million per year to rent downtown city office space because they demolished city hall, not to mention the loss of parking revenue from the vacant lot; $10 million for Capstone; $7 million in City Hall cost overruns and overpriced consulting contracts (the tip of the iceberg); $5.5 million obligating taxpayers for EWEB’s property development deal.
Every one of these city “deals” raised your taxes. When the city subsidizes the profit margins of private entities by waiving taxes, they don’t collect fewer taxes; it means your taxes increase to backfill the shortfall. The city collects a fixed amount of taxes and fees regardless of how many freebies they give their cronies.
Then they plead poverty and repeatedly ask voters to pay more for essential public services, like public safety, parks, libraries and roads.
Measure 20-283 will not raise taxes!
It’s time for accountability: vote yes on 20-283, no on city measure 20-287.