Local Government
Home rule gives residents voice, power
By JAN BROWN
Of the Emerald
Lane County residents may participate
first hand in local government because of a
Home Rule Charter adopted in 1962.
At that time, residents decided this
county was beseiged with unique problems
unlike any other Oregon county. The county
stretches 100 miles from the Cascade
Mountains on the east to the Pacific Ocean
on the west, and from Junction City south to
Cottage Grove—covering over 11,000
square miles of forests, farm lands,
beaches, and cities.
Although Oregon's second largest
county in terms of population is still subject
to state laws, home rule encourages local
people to become involved in their county
government. Under this charter, the county
can make its own laws about local matters.
It has the power to decide for itself how
many departments are necessary to carry
out the governmental duties and to choose
who should head these departments.
The top decision makers are chairer
Frank Elliott, Nancy Hayward and Bob
Wood who make up the Board of Commis
sioners.
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□Playground
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ffoME 6rcmh Jko:
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with minimum purchase of $1.00
through September 27th
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These officials are now elected to four
year terms by registered voters in Lane
County. I he chairer, chosen from among
the three commissioners, serves for one
year. (The only other elected county offi
cials are the sheriff and the assessor).
Like the federal government, the county
has legislative, executive and judicial
branches. The legislative and executive
duties are carried out by the commissioners
while the judicial powers are vested in the
courts and judges.
The commissioners, guided by citizen
advisory committees, delegate administra
tive responsibilities to County Administrator
Robert Elfers who oversees the ten county
departments. These departments cover
such vital areas as community health, en
vironmental management, transportation,
and juvenile affairs.
The county is more closely affiliated with
the state than with the city, but it cooperates
with the city and gets involved with the fed
eral government through grants for special
projects.
Each Wednesday public meetings are
held in Harris Hall adjacent to the court
house where community members may
express their feelings. For instance, an or
dinance which would ban nudity in certain
county parks has been heatedly debated at
recent meetings.
‘‘No matter what the issue or how I feel
about it, I respect a person's right to be
heard,” emphasizes Elliott.
No action of the Board is legal unless the
motion for action and the vote for its ap
proval takes place at a public meeting. And
before an ordinance becomes law at least
two of the commissioners must voice ap
proval and it must be read in two public
Board meetings 13 days apart. Any ordi
nance enacting police power or meeting an
emergency situation becomes effective
immediately. Other ordinances take effect
30 days after being signed.
Another way a citizen may exercise his
right to be heard is by voting on county tax
levies. Lane County, with a population of
230,000, has a budget in excess of $50
million. In the past, over 40 per cent of this
revenue has been provided by Oregon and
California timber sales which have been
severely curtailed this year due to the sag
ging timber and housing markets.
The September 16 levy was an effort to
balance the budget by asking voters to ap
prove an additional $2.2 million in property
tax. However property tax still provides less
that ten per cent of the county's annual
income.
In 1972, Lane County in conjunction with
Lane Council of Governments (L-COG) de
veloped a long range plan which focuses on
the physical and environmental develop
ment of the area.
The “1990 Plan" states that it is a com
bined effort to “provide the best possible
environment for all people, not just a
privileged few. It is a flexible guide for de
sion making."
“We re beginning to up date and review
the plan which is just in its beginning
stages,” explains Elliott. "Planning arid zon
ing are always controversial because it is a
restrictive type of thing...no one is ever
completely satisfied."
Hayward, a staunch supporter of the plan
feels it will bring about a more orderly exis
tence for Lane County s future.
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La Posada welcomes you to
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11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Broadway and Hiiyard
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