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.