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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 10, 1982)
Wednesday, February 10, 1982 Eugene, Oregon Oregon daily Volume 83 Number 99 State deficit may jump $100 million Legislators recess til Tuesday SALEM (AP) - Stunned by projections of a substantial jump in Oregon's estimated budget deficit, the Legislature recessed Tuesday for a week to await a new forecast of the state's sagging tax income During their 23rd day in special session called to erase a potential $238 million deficit, lawmakers were dealt a jolting setback by new projections that another $100 million or more could be added to the deficit estimate For the past 3Vi weeks, leaders were unable to break a stalemate in the House over a budget-balancing plan And for four hours Tuesday, the House could not decide whether a recess was appropriate But the House finally voted 47-12 to recess, passing a res olution making lawmakers in eligible for their $44 per day in expenses during the interim The Senate quickly agreed "The goal line has been moved," said House Majority Leader Grattan Kerans, D Eugene "The goal line, ladies and gentlemen, is out there in the fog." Some House Republicans wanted to stay in session and work on budgets, even with no firm estimate on a possible ad ditional deficit. Rep. John Schoon, R-Rick reall, said lawmakers should dig in their heels and wrestle with hard decisions immediately "I think we re looking at a very serious, very long-term prob lem," he said And in the Senate, L B Day, R-Salem, tried unsuccessfully to send the recess resolution to committee to reword it and force the lawmakers to stay in session without receiving ex pense pay "I do not believe walking away at this time is what's ex pected of us by the people of this state,” Day said The Senate voted 18-6 to recess, with all the negative votes from Republicans Sen Tony Meeker, R-Amity, said recessing the session was an overreaction to mere rumors about possible revenue de clines. • The panic that has set in today is premature and inexcu sable,” he said Meeker said the real reason for the recess was a lack of votes in the House to pass any budget-balancing plan House Revenue Committee Chairman Bill Grannell said the Legislature's Revenue Office estimated, from a preliminary study of new data, an additional potential deficit of about $90 million. Bike experiment in review process By Paul Strand Ol the Emerald The ongoing University bicy cle " experiment" has entered its public review phase and ef forts now are being made to get comments on the current bikeway system. University planners say The experiment began last term when the University passed a law restricting cyclists to "designated bicycle routes and on streets generally availa ble to vehicular traffic between 7:30 a m and 5:30 p m week days Since then signs and paint have been used to encourage cyclists not to mix with pedes trians So far the restrictions haven't been backed by formal enfor cement. When the campus planning committee proposed the trial, it added its hope that the regulations would be "large ly self-enforcing in that bicy clists will find designated routes safer and more open and that pedestrians will gently but firmly call attention to bikers who have strayed from the bike routes" Now the University wants to hear if people like the current system or want changes The planning committee also asked for a public review this term so students and faculty could have a voice in making the final decision about the prohibition Tim Mitchell of the Universi ty's transportation subcommit tee says he is placing boxes around campus where people can deposit comments Those who want to call in their com ments can talk to David Rowe of campus planning at 686-5243. Mitchell also hopes to set up a table at 13th and University where people can give their opinions and ideas The subcommittee wants to find out if campus members think bikes on campus sidewalks are a problem and if they know riding on sidewalks is presently prohibited. Mitchell says Some of the questions he is asking are Do people find the new bike routes adequate? If not, where do they think changes should be made7 The subcommittee will review the comments and possibly call a public meeting to give students and faculty one more chance to speak out, Mitchell says Then the subcommittee will pass its proposals to the planning committee. Currently, one path connects Kincaid and University Streets behind the library and Gerlinger Annex and another winds between the dorms, under the EMU, down to Lawrence and out to Franklin Boulevard See page 1B Emerald Photo The University is assessing the effectiveness of bicycle paths that come complete with small traffic signs. Another stretches in front of the library to connect Kincaid Street and the road by Susan Camp bell Hall The section of 13th Avenue closed to cars still is open to bikes. The experiment evolved from a much tougher proposal Prof Ron Sherriffs of the speech department brought before the subcommittee in February, 1981. He asked that group to completely prohibit cyclists from he called ' pedestrian sidewalks” during school hours "There was a hazard," Sher riffs explains, noting in his area of the campus "the cyclists were like so many sharks. We've had more than our share of students and faculty being bumped by bikes " The University was in a "terri bly weak position” if a pedes trian should decide to sue the University after being hit by a bicyclist, Sherriffs says. "Now we re not liable — at least we don't think we are." Actually, the University's liability in this area alway has been unclear. Eugene bike coordinator Charles Nordgaard points to a line in the city code that says “on a sidewalk the bicyclist must yield to pedes trians." The University is probably covered under that,” Nordgaard says Nordgaard opposed Sheriffs’ original hard-line proposal because it "contradicted the goals of the Eugene Bicycle Committee We do not favor discouraging bicycle usage.” Nordgaard is now happy since changes were made in the proposal. He thinks the campus experiment is "pretty positive.” Sherriffs says he doesn’t mind the modifications in his plan. The newly marked lanes are an ything but restrictive, he says, and they allow bicyclists to reach "virtually every building on campus " Former transportation sub committee member Steven Brye says students "should try these marked bike lanes and think about them. Can they live being restricted to these? Do they want any at all?” Brye says he hopes campus members will take advantage of this "opportunity to comment” while they have it. Gov. Vic Atiyeh said earlier in the day that the additional deficit could range from $5 mil lion to $150 million. "At this point in time it’s any one’s guess,” Atiyeh said. The governor said his Council on Economic Advisors would meet Wednesday to consider new figures on a projected downturn in wages, salaries and income taxes A firmer projec tion of the deficit is expected Monday, when House and Sen ate revenue committees are scheduled to meet. Both the House and Senate scheduled sessions for Tues day The lawmakers convened Jan. 18 to deal with a deficit estimated at about $238 million. Until Tuesday, the House has been deadlocked on whether to raise taxes to help balance the budget The Senate had ap proved $62 million in budget cuts, or about half the amount proposed by Atiyeh But various tax-raising mea sures to balance the budget were stalled in the House. A joint House-Senate conference committee met briefly Tuesday to look for an income tax in crease small enough to garner House approval and end the budget-balancing stalemate Poulton seeks chancellor job at two schools CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - Bruce Poulton, cnancellor of the University System of New Hampshire, is a finalist for similar jobs in Oregon and North Carolina, officials in those states say. The Oregon System of Higher Education on Monday said Poulton, 54, is one of five can didates for chancellor of the system. Saturday, the North Carolina State University Board of Trus tees named Poulton as one of two finalists for chancellor of North Carolina State University. Sources have told The News and Observer of Raleigh, N.C, that Poulton is favored for the post A spokesman at New Hamp shire university system offices in Lee, N.H. last week said Poulton would have no comment on the North Carolina job Monday night, Poulton was not available for comment. Further action is expected on the North Carolina job Friday when William C. Friday, univer sity system president, submits one of the finalist’s names to the Board of Governors for ap proval The Oregon Board of Higher Education intends to choose a new chancellor by March 1. Poulton and the four other fin alists for that job were chosen from among 140 applications and nominations.
