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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 7, 1994)
Measures could impact University Tiffany Smith Oregon Da^y ( marakl Of the 1H Ballot Measures on the N'o\ H ballot, several will have a fiscal impact on the l Jniversity, according to the Oregon State System of Higher Education and University officials Ballot Measure 5 seeks to amend the (freytm urn slitution barring new or increased state and local taxes, certain foes and certain charges without vot er approval. According to Kevin ('urn . membership dins tor of the Oregon Taxpayers United, the measure is economical for the state "I think the government has Ixxm nit kel and dim ing us. All we're saving is if you're nusing fees to cover cosls. fine But il you're raising hx-s to make some extra money, no But n to a vote.' he said m a telephone interview. University tuition and fees are not considered taxes or tax increases and are exempt from a vote in order to raise fees and tuition Randy McDonald, director of legislative and com munity relations at the I Ini varsity, said the Uni versity will lie fiscally affected by Ballot Measure five because it will put more pressure on the state's general fund. He said it will, "force us to freeze issuance of new bonds ns the treasurer did hist time Measure 5 passes." McDonald said that will probably mean a post ponement of some major projects that depend bonded financing. Curry said he didn't know where thev (Unives sity officials) got that from. "Our Ixmd rating is still as strong as ever,” he sud Ballot Measure B seeks to amend the Oregon constitution to require public employees to pay t> percent of salary toward (tension and bar (tension increase from unused sic k leave. Ac cording to the Voters' Pamphlet, once exist ing la!sir contracts expire, direct sate exjjenditures for personnel would lie reduced by St 17.4 million annually and total direc t expenditures for person nel by public schools, community colleges and local governments would be reduc »xl bv $2.'K! mil lion annually. According to McDonald this measure affects everyone who works for the University. He said, "It's a salary cut on top of o period of salary freeze." McDonald explained that there are no budget Increases in the next biennium for salaries and employees will be asked to pay tor what was a negotiated benefit, thus a pay cut Tin* Oregon State System of Higher Education's The Hoard flullftin said the effect of Ballot Mea sure H is an across-the-board puv reduction of <> percent and could result in litigation over whether the change is a breech of contract agreements between the state and its employees "f orty percent of us in the private sector don't CAST YOUR VOTE PoJls open Tuesday at 7 a m. and will close at 8 p m 0 Precinct 231 South Eug#n« High School Includes areas 18th and 22nd avenues and between £ merald and Amazon streets This voting site is not handicapped accessible Please call lane County Election, 687-4234. to have a ballot delivered O Precinct 325 Grace Lutheran Church Includes areas between !8th and 22nd avenues and between Amazon and Lincoln streets O Precinct 327 Oily* PUm includes areas between 11 ih and 18th avenues and between Mill and t awrence streets O Precinct 329 C*ntr»l Presbyterian Church Includes areas between 11 th and 18th avenues and between Kincaid and Mill streets O Precinct 331 Ert> Memorial Union Includes areas between Franklin iioulevard and 18th Avenue and between Agate and Kinc*»«1 streets O Precinct 333 C«*mW Campbell Center Includes areas between ?nd and 11 th avenues and between l awrence and AkJe< streets O Precinct 429 Condon School Includes areas between franklin Boulevard and 19th Avenue and between Agate Street and Facres! lane This voting site is rxit t.andtc.ujped accessible Please call Lane County flection. 687 4?34. to have a ballot delivered have a pension. Should we pay 1(H) |ien «*ni of the oust of the public se« tors pensions?" Currv said Hallo! Measure IS seeks to amend the Oregon constitution to set minimum stale funding of schools, community colleges Inis**! on funds avail able from listed sources m 1993-95 biennium Auxjrdmg to the Voters Pamphlet. i unroot direct state expenditures of Si.45 7 billion annual for pri mary and set ondary schools and community col leges would increase $71 1 million annually to $2 172 billion annually Future annual costs must tie adjusted for inflation and props led student pop ulation growth. Mi I konald said tlte passage of Ballot Measure 1 '• would i reate a budget reduction of SHU million on top of the SUM) million reduction based on the proposed governor's budget lor higher education S'here are only a couple ways for the Universi ty to deal with the budget cuts. McDonald said One would lie ma|or program cuts and the other would be increased tuition and lees Linda Preston, former president of the Kugene (education Association, said, "} feel if the estimates the opponents of Measure 1 5 are tn.e, the $700 mil lion is there in the general fund and lottery " tl.diut Mcanuir 70 seek > lo amend Ilia Oregon (.(institution to create an equal tax on transfer of property, goods, services to replace current state and lotail taxes Auxin ting to the Voters' Pamphlet, the dins i ns enue loss to state and U* a I government would lie at least S-PM) million fis< al \<ar til*in Mi Donald said. All the state agencies would have to close dow n for .1 w hile until we figured out our new tax svstem Hie lioanl Pullet 111 said the measure will impm t OSSHK in three ways firs! it would reduce rev enues to state and loud government hy an estimated $4'JO million in fiscal year I90t>. secondly it would eliminate the use of main fees that support many (activities on campuses, and Ifurtl. it would elimi nate OSS1 IK's ability to issue hoods Proponents sav the measure will provide $8 mil lion for adequate education and government fund ing w hile eliminating property lax and state income tax with no assessments on property University students, public educators clash over Measure 15 Tiffany Smith Or egon (testy BmerskJ A group of graduate students conducting an independent analysis of Ballot Measure 15 found the measure to he reactionary' They ret - onunend tax reform as the answer for the state s financial woes "We have to admit that we have to increase taxes." said Lisa Bigaouette. one of the dime stu dents involved in the study “If the taxes aren't there, the services aren't going to he there Real ity's going to hit people in the face " Bigaouette with Kali Neville and Bobby Lee wrote The Other Side of 'kid* hirst' Ballot Man sunt. "We believe kindergarten through communi ty college should get funds," Lee said "But there should be truth and equity in allocation.” Bigaouette said. 'When Measure 5 passed (in 1990), everyone panicked This is kind of a quick fix solution It doesn't take into consid eration odier programs ” Linda Preston, former president of the Eugene Education Association, said Ballot Measure 15 is justified because public edut-ution took some of the biggest flits as a result of 1990 Ballot Mea sure 5, especially the 4-1 School District 11 i mis > I I IW » Sfiat the Oegor Constitutor set mwmjm stale '■xo-jg o' scxo ana cormx/vty coeges oawc on 'unas ava»ao«9 fom sleo sauces in t'a 1993 95 tamivrri? 8a ot Measure 15 a coMMutonai amendment guarantees scnoois • ■<m garten irvougn !2m gracte ana cornu mty conges me sane amount oI money "•ey a-e now ’ece. ng Qkjs aOjuStmoms lor inRawr ana changes n enrolment The cunent 1993 95 v«>< serves as me oase win aOjusmenis naoe every two years Unoer me measure the 19959? ooer aiing outgo for nmoergarien- I2in grade ana community colleges warnd iota aoou? J6 1 D> on .V moot Ihe measure me outgo! *x« icxa aooul $5 5 t*»<sn TQPRaTd She said the additional $700 million that would bo earmarked for public education is there in the state's (.eneral Fund and lottery However, according to the report Corm tions. human services und higher education will be faced with severe cuts "Nearly ©very stiitn program that services chil dren will fact’ serious cuts It may not matter nun h how good the si hools are. if the students are in poverty, sick, abused, dependent on drugs and alcohol, involved with gang activity, or homeless If these programs aren’t there to serve the children who need them, the teachers may have to fill that role, threatening the quality of education for all children." Neville said they studied literature from both camps and found that the numbers they were basing their information on were skewed. The Planning, Public. Policy and Manage ment students were troubled that this issue lias divided educators "1 am concerned about the number of options my students have not received.” Preston said. “All I am is pro student ” "The fact that (it) percent of resources are devoted to one group leaving the other groups to fight it out is bad policy." Bigaouette said Lee said it is bad policy for Oregon's future. "The Oregon economy is changing The type of work fore© will be primary service based instead of natural resource based,” he said The need for a coilege degree will Ih> greater. Streetwise What Is your opinion on Ballot Moaauro 15? NICOLE WASKO ■ i would definitely vole no on 15 doc a use I'm an ■ _■ st ite st i dent and I don't want my tuition to increase THOMAS MCCARTHY sophomore l1'%s people art) going to bo able to go to school It w only be available to the elite tippet Class while tmiting people's options by making higher education less accessible WARREN KENNEDY graduate I (hmk it's urilair tor people who can! afford it Iho stale should Imd a way to pay for school funding <imptlfd by Ol 1*1 Kayirn
