Oregon Doesn't Need Sales Tax
GETS HAVE INCREASED 50%
BY BEULAH HAND
In the PAST FOUR YEARS—
Guest Columnist
more than double that of other
Oregon doesn't need a sa les units of government. One of
tax; th ere's plenty of money the chief reasons why your
being collected from the pre­ property tax has Increased IN
sent tax system to give sub­ THE PAST SIX YEARS Is be­
stantial property tax relief for cause the legislature has not
homeowners if the budget were been returning the usual 1/3
of the total proceeds of the
apportioned differently.
If Oregonians vote for the general funds to your local
legislatu re’s
tax
package, school district to offset the
they will have no one to blame operating costs of your school.
but them selves for permitting As a consequence, your local
the biggest spending spree In tax lev ies have had to make up
the difference In revenue from
state history.
It is Important to remember you the «property tax payer.
THE MONEY AT THE STATE
In evaluating statements eman­
ating from Salem that Governor LEVEL HAS NOT SHRUNKEN
Tom McCall and ten of the but the portion received by
eleven House Taxation mem­ your district has— to 20% of
b ers plus the Speaker of the the total $718 million McCall
House have never served on budget and to 21% of the op­
the Ways and Means committee erational cost of your school.
ARE THE N U M B E R S OF
and as a consequence know noth­
ing about the detailed spending SCHOOL CHILDREN IN THE
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY
In the state budget.
THE SPENDING LEVEL OF grades substantially larger so
THE STATE OF OREGON IS AT that the basic school allocations
A D A N G E R O U S ALL TIME from the state could not be
HIGH. Governor McCall’s >718 I n c r e a s e d without damaging
million general fund budget Is state operation? No. The num­
76% greater than the $398 m il­ bers of school children are
le s s than 2% higher than the
lion spent in 1963-65 and is 26%
present biennium.
greater than that of the pre­
DIB
YOU
DEMAND A
sent biennium. This huge bud­
get does not Include the $240 LOBBYIST IN WASHINGTON,
D. C.? McCall asked for and
million plus that he ca lls for
received one for you at the
In the sa les tax package which
cost of $97,000 to the taxpay­
would be added to the $718
e r s. . Oregonians might won­
million.
der at the propriety of a
Who is asking for this kind
man in Washington, D .C . speak­
of profligate spending? Cer­
ing only for the Governor when
tainly not the homeowner whose
the state has already elected
back is alm ost broken now with
two senators and four congress­
property taxes of $600 plus on
men, all of whom have an ade­
a $15,000 home that Is 20 years
quate staff to see that Oregon’s
old.
best Interests are taken care
Before we look at som e of
of In Washington.
the item s In Governor McCall’s
DOES
McCALL REALLY
budget, remember that sub­
NEED $22 million to run the
sid ies and tax sh elters give
f o u r Institutions, MacLaren,
business, timber companies,
H illcrest, the penitentiary and
fraternal organizations and far­
Oregon Correctional when the
m ers relief that Is not avail­
sam e Institutions ran four years
able to the averagehomeowner.
ago on $13 million and had
Over half of the property In
170 more Inmates than now?
most counties is exempt from
The $22 million does not In­
paying even for their own fire
clude the 18 1/2 % salary In­
or police protection and the
crease in Its total either.
full cost is bom by homeowners
and bu sin esses which pass their
share on to the consumer.
E V ID E N T L Y NO LEGIS­
LATOR HAS BOTHERED TO
LOOK AT THE L E V E L OF
SPENDING OVER THE PAST
FOUR YEARS OR READ CARE­
F U L L Y THE GOVERNOR’S
The cost of local government
1969-71 BUDGET PROPOSALS.
If they had, a different kind in Oregon has became quite
of noise would be coming from substantial.
To illustrate: In fiscal year
your elected representatives.
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN 1963-64,town and city govern­
THE FACT THAT McCALL’S ments in the state spent approx­
budget spends twice what It imately $117 m i l l i o n , t h e
cost four years ago for pat­ equivalent of more than $50 for
ients In the mental institutions each Oregon resident.
Oregon State University ag-
despite the fact that the num­
ber of patients has decreased r i c u l t u r a l economists R.C.
Youmans and R.W. Carkner re­
28%.
ARE YOU WILLING TO PER­ cently completed a study in
MIT THE legislature to pay which the level of expenditures
your hard-earned tax dollars m a d e during 1963-64 by the
to a handfull of large timber governments of every incorpor­
companies in Eastern Oregon ated Oregcn community were
for THEIR fire protection on compared.
Youmans and Carkner ex­
their private timber lands from
which they are the sole bene­ plain, "The study was .over­
ficiaries of profits? It Is hap­ taken in an effort to provide in­
formation that could assist local
pening.
IS IT ECONOMY IN GOVERN­ governments in making man­
MENT TO "stream line” ac­ agement decisions; help com ­
cording to McCall’s reorgani­ munities in evaluating their tax
zation plan when you see In structures; attracting industry
the budget that It calls for an and ,enerally achieving growth;
Increase of over 2000 employ­ and assist in assessments of ov­
es?
There were 27,116 state erall economic efficiency a-
em ployes in 1965-67; 28,712 In mong local governments."
1967-69 and McCall’s so called
Five categories of expendi­
econom ies ask for 30,872 In the ture were considered in th e
study: g e n e r a l government,
1969-71 budget.
DID YOU KNOW THAT Mc- w h i c h covers administrative
CALL is asking for an 18.5% and management costs; public
increase In the salaries of the works, which i n c l u d e s such
30,872 em ployes and that there items as sanitation, sewage and
was a 12.5% Increase in 1967- waterworks; fire protection; po­
69; a 9% Increase In 1965-67 lic e and parks and recreation.
The OSU researchers report,
or a total of 40% increase since
1965? Have you had a ra ise " The c ost of providing these ser­
In wages that matches this kind vices varied quite widely.Far
example, o f 63 communities
of spending?
EVEN THOUGH THE STATE with less than 500 population,
BUDGET HAS DOUBLED In six one provided the services for
years, the population has only 71 cents per capita. Another
Increased 4% and Inflation, as provided the services for $88. 58
rampant as It Is, has Increased per cap ita."
Considerable variation also
only 14%. DO YOU BELIEVE
THAT MORE MONEY IS NEC­ existed between towns of dif-
ESSARY FOR SPENDING FOR f e r e n t population. "Far ex­
ample, " Youmans and Carkner
STATE PURPOSES?
GOVERNOR McCALL ASKS note, "among 40 communities
FOR PERSONAL SALARY IN­ ranging i n population fr o m
CREASES.
He Is asking for 1,000 to 2,500, lowest per cap­
h is own salary to be Increased ita cost far providing fire pro­
from $25,000 per year to $28,- tection was $6.76."
"A m on g 30 communities
000. He a lso Is Increasing his
$600 a month expense account ranging in population from 2, -
money to $1000 a month and Is 500to 5,000, highest per capita
asking that his special bien­ cost for providing fire protec­
nial expense account of $22,- tion was $80.64. "
500 to be Increased to $28,-
The cost of providing a spec­
000.
His around the clock ific service also varies accord­
police protection costs the tax­ ing to population. Far example,
payers $37,901 next biennium the per capita expenditure made
and $25,792 now. You might for police in P o r t la n d —the
be Interested In what legislative state's only com m inity with a
fiscal staff analysis Is of the population in excess of 100, 000
Governor’s Office budget: "A -w a s $15.79.
major feature of the newly de­
The OSU researchers report,
fined Governor’s office budget "Thecoat for police then drop­
Is the magnitude of the Increase ped immediately to an average
proposed for 1969-71. On the of about $9 per capita in com ­
face of the budget, the Increase, munities with less than 100, 000
before salary adjustments, is d o w n to 2, 500 population. It
$122,149, or approximately 30 then dropped again to an aver­
percent. Actually, the Increase age of $3.21 far communities
is somewhat greater than nor­ with less than 500 population. "
mal in that the Governor’s of­
Youmans and Carkner point
fice, contrary to Department out that this study is only a start­
at Finance budgetary policy, ing point. What explains the
listed six positions at salary w id e variations in costs? Is it
rates from $50 to $170 monthly merely a matter of efficiency?
In excess of actual July 1968 Is the quality of the service be­
ing provided the deciding fac­
salary le v e ls .”
Cost Of Local
Governments
Continue Upward
YOUR LOCAL CITY, COUN­
TY OR S C H O O L DBTRICT
CAN’T SPEND more than «%
over their current budget with­
out going to the people for vot­
ed perm ission.
THE STATE
CAN AND DOES. STATE BUD­
DID YOU KNOW that it costs
over $10,000 per girl per year
at H illcrest, the juvenile g irls
reformatory?
Compare that
with the average f a m i l y of
four In Oregon whose Income
of $7000 per year feeds, clothes
and educates the entire fam ily.
IS A SW IM M ING POOL
WHICH COSTS $186,000 REAL­
LY NECESSARY TOKEEPTHE
HILLCREST G IR L S PHYSIC­
ALLY FIT? McCall has it In
his 1969-71 budget.
VETERANS PLEASE NOTE:
The raid on the Veterans Loan
funds is continuing In McCall’s
budget; $3,000,000 Is slated to
be transferred from the fund
to general purpose spending.
CONSERVATIONISTS:
Did
you know that McCall’s budget
transfers $4,928,000 from the
F orest
Rehabilitation
Bond
Sinking fund to general funi
spending? This transfer vio­
lates A rticle XI-E of Oregon’s
Constitution and it means that
money for reforestation of Ore­
gon state lands will depend
upon appropriations of future
legislatu res.
( B e u la h Hand, Clackamas
county, served in the Oregon
legislature from 1958 through
the 1965 session and was a
subcommittee c h a ir m a n of
Ways and Means in 1963.)
Tax Bill Tille
Is Misleading
Representative Harl Haas (Il-
Multnomah County) today com­
mended
Representative Jo e
Rogers (R-Polk County), for
filing an objection to the ballot
title for being inaccurate and
misleading.
Haas, In debate on the sales
tax measure, had pointed out the
misrepresentation contained on
the ballot title that all sales
tax money would go for pro­
perty tax relief, where in fact
five and one-half million dollars
would Instead go to the State
Highway fund. This very Issue,
Haas stated, has now been
brought to the attention of the
Oregon State Supreme Court
by Representative Rogers who
Is one o f the supporters of the
sales tax bln.
Haas said that some of the
Republicans who have pushed
this sa les tax measure have
criticized the D e m o c r a t i c
members of the House forbllnd
opposition.
It would appear,
Haas stated, that these Demo­
crats In pointing out the m is­
representation of the ballot
title, have now even convinced
the sponsors of the sales tax
bill that It m isrepresents the
amount of property tax relief
that will be given to the people.
Mine TVtM
SHOP sroßtsr/ar
Port Ot'on
fhurs
ch c .
CALORIE COUNTING TOPS
ELECT NEW OFFICERS
The Calorie Counting Toys at
their March 4 meeting elected
the following for the insuing
y ea r : leader, Mary Bates; co­
leader, Echol Nutt; secretaryjo-
arme Belcher; treasurer, Betty
Keeler; weight-recorder, Mabel
Right; and reporter,Betty Chap­
man. Queen for the month of
February was Mrs.Joanne Bel-
cher.
The club will celebrate their
anniversary and hcnor the queen
of the year, Mrs. Mabel Right,
and runner-up, Mrs. Betty Keel­
er,on March 11, at the home of
Mrs. Betty Chapman.
Thursday
BPW Country Store
Friday
BfW Country Store
Saturday
Job's Daughters Rummage
Sale and Luncheon
Monday
Cham, of Cam ., noon
Tuesday
Rotary, 12:10 p.m .
City Council, 8 p.m.
Stjohn'sAltarSoc., 8 p.m .
Wednesday
P. O. Bridge Club, 8 p. m.
E. S .A .. 8 p. m.
TEXAS ÇÇ-ÇVRAMP
BROOMS
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ARTICHOKES
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COFFEE
Coupon worth 1/20 of Ctoe Cent
Offer Expires March 8, 1969
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SUCCP BRICK
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Further research will be need­
ed to answer these important
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