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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2016
Respite center could lessen
burden on hospitals, police
State House OKs
lodging tax hike
Some still want
more assurances
on security
SALEM — A bill that
will nearly double Oregon’s
statewide tourist lodging tax
is headed to the state Senate,
after lawmakers in the House
voted 37-20 Tuesday to pass
the bill.
The bill hikes the tax rate
from 1 percent to 1.8 percent.
Lawmakers drafted the bill
in response to a request for a
state subsidy from organizers
of a world track champion-
ship in Eugene in 2021. Nike
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cials have pushed for the state
to help pay for the event since
at least 2014 and, according to
news reports, the Eugene non-
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the state to provide $25 mil-
lion for the event.
State Rep. Nancy Nathan-
son, D-Eugene, a chief spon-
sor of the bill, described the
measure as “an economic
development proposal.”
“More than three-quarters
of this (tax) is paid by people
from out of state,” Nathanson
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sector in Oregon’s economy.”
By DERRICK DePLEDGE
The Daily Astorian
WARRENTON — Advo-
cates for the mentally ill said
Tuesday night that a new crisis
respite center could help people
before their behavior spins out
of control, potentially reducing
the burden on hospitals and law
enforcement.
The respite center in War-
renton would have 16 beds, half
reserved for residential treat-
ment and half that could offer
temporary relief for people in
crisis.
Up to four beds could be
secure under the state’s sec-
ond-highest class of super-
vision, so patients would be
locked inside and could not
walk away. But patients would
not be secluded, restrained or
compelled to take medication,
the highest class of supervision.
The patients who would most
likely be taken to the secure sec-
tion would be under holds, civil
commitment, a diversion pro-
gram or guardianship.
Sumuer Watkins, the execu-
tive director of Clatsop Behav-
ioral Healthcare, which will
operate the respite center, and
Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian
A crisis respite center is planned for Warrenton.
Marc Chinard, a consultant,
briefed the Warrenton City
Commission at a work session.
The partnership behind
the respite center — Clatsop
County, Columbia Memorial
Hospital, Providence Seaside
Hospital and Greater Oregon
Behavioral Health — backed
the secure rooms last week after
complaints from law enforce-
ment and city leaders in Asto-
ria and Warrenton that poten-
tially violent patients would be
allowed to leave.
Warrenton Mayor Mark
Kujala and others on the City
Commission strongly urged the
respite center to follow through
with the security improvements.
“I think it would have been
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Kujala, speaking after the brief-
ing, said of whether he could
support the respite center with-
out the secure rooms. “I think
that’s something that was
essential.”
City Commissioner Henry
Balensifer said he still has sig-
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why it would be practical to sup-
port anything that didn’t have
at least the option for security,”
he said. “And I’m going to hold
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have those secure beds.”
Some worry that patients
will walk away from the respite
center and cause problems for
police and disrupt businesses.
“What I’m saying is, why not
put it out in the country? Where,
No. 1, is they’re less likely to
walk out. And, No. 2, is to keep
it away from people that are try-
ing to continue a business in a
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Gannaway, a co-owner of GB
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Commissioner Tom Dyer,
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believes the respite center could
help keep some people off the
street. Others in law enforce-
ment have said they hope the
center can be an alternative to
hospitals and jail.
“Eight beds doesn’t even
touch our problem we have,”
Dyer said of the mental health
issues facing the county.
Watkins said the goal of the
respite center is to provide a
place where people can volun-
tarily seek help before they need
to be taken to the emergency
room or have encounters with
police.
She told commissioners it
is important to remember that
many of the people in crisis are
“your neighbors. They’re your
family members. They’re the
average person walking down
the street who is happening to
have this episode — crisis —
for whatever reason.”
Lawmakers make progress on housing legislation
Senate Bill 1533 is “a
monumental bill for this
Legislature, which has been
SALEM – State lawmak- struggling with inclusionary
ers made progress Tuesday on zoning for many years,”
WZR VLJQL¿FDQW KRXVLQJ ELOOV Hass said.
— churning out a last-min-
ute deal with builders and real
Developer incentives
Due to resistance from
estate lobbyists on inclusion-
ary zoning and passing a bill builders and the real estate
out of the House that increases industry, lawmakers offered
a compromise that would
notice for raising rent.
The Senate Committee on ensure developers would
)LQDQFH DQG 5HYHQXH XQDQL- receive incentives for offering
mously recommended passing affordable housing, including
a bill to lift a ban on cities and tax exemptions, fee waivers
counties requiring developers or expedited services.
The measure allows local
to include affordable housing
units in their plans, which also governments to require devel-
is known as inclusionary zon- opers to offer up to 20 percent
ing. The bill is now headed for of units at below market rates
in exchange for at least one
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“It appears there is an incentive. Developers also
agreement that everyone may opt to pay a fee in lieu of
can come to the center on,” the requirement. The require-
said state Sen. Mark Hass, ments would apply only to
D-Beaverton.
multifamily housing proj-
By PARIS ACHEN
Capital Bureau
ects with 20 or more units.
The units would be offered to
those who earn up to 80 per-
cent of area median income.
The compromise bill also
allows local governments to
levy an up to 1 percent con-
struction tax to help pay for
developer incentives, pay for
housing programs and pro-
vide down payment assistance
for home ownership.
Notice for rent
increases
Meanwhile, the House
passed a bill to increase notice
for raising rent in month-to-
month tenancies. The mea-
sure passed 48-11 with bipar-
tisan support and now heads
to the Senate.
The bill was part of an
omnibus housing package
negotiated by House Demo-
crats, landlords, builders and
affordable housing advocates
to address the state’s afford-
able housing shortage.
Much of the housing pack-
age has fallen by the wayside
— including addressing prob-
lematic no-cause evictions
— in the compression of a
35-day legislative session.
Rep. Alissa Keny-Guyer,
D-Portland, chairwoman of
the House Committee on
Human Services and Hous-
ing, said lawmakers failed to
reach a deal on some of the
other issues in time.
“This bill which aims to
increase stability is a small
step in the right direction,”
Keny-Guyer said of Tues-
day’s tenant protections bill.
“It does not say what the rent
should be. It just says give
tenants more time.”
The Capital Bureau is a
collaboration between EO
Media Group and Pamplin
Media Group.
By HILLARY BORRUD
Capital Bureau
legislators,
Nathanson
asked for it to be referred
back to the House Commit-
tee on Revenue for changes.
Concern in rural
areas
Rural Republicans said
hotel and motel owners
in their districts did not
expect to benefit from the
additional tax revenues,
while tourism officials in
the Portland metropolitan
area worried that doubling
the state lodging tax would
put Portland at a competi-
tive disadvantage to other
cities with lower tax rates.
Democrats from the
coast spoke and a Repub-
lican from Eastern Ore-
gon also spoke in favor of
the bill. “I’m going to sup-
port this bill because what’s
good for tourism is good for
the coast,” said Rep. David
Gomberg, D-Otis, although
he added that “most of the
people that visit dwellings
on the coast are from your
districts, not from out of
state.”
Rep. Caddy McKeown,
D-Coos Bay, is a chief
sponsor of the bill and had
Expands beyond
high praise for the 2021
track championship.
marketing
McKeown said the
State
law
currently
requires the government to event will take place at the
spend at least 80 percent of track center of the United
hotel tax revenues on tour- States and “arguably the
ism marketing. House Bill world,” and broadcast in
4146 would allow the state hundreds of countries.
to spend that money on any “There will be people trav-
“tourism programs,” includ- eling here to train,” McK-
ing to subsidize the costs eown said. “There will be
of events such as the track a spotlight on this state of
championship.
the magnitude that is mind
The bill would require the boggling. I’m very proud
state’s tourism commission, of the opportunity that we
TravelOregon, to distrib- have to bring visitors from
ute set amounts of lodging across the state to our small
tax revenue around the state state.”
through regional allocations
Rep.
Greg
Smith,
and competitive grants.
R-Heppner, said tourism
In the two-year budget that is not a major industry in
begins in mid-2017, the bill his district but he expects
would result in $27.4 million the bill will benefit other
in new tax revenue, according communities around the
to an estimate from the Leg- VWDWH ³)RONV DUH QRW FRP-
LVODWLYH 5HYHQXH 2I¿FH 7KH ing to District 57 for tour-
state would send $11 million ism related reasons,”
in existing and new tax reve- Smith said. “They don’t
nue to regional tourism agen- stop in Rufus or Biggs
cies around the state during for an afternoon of tour-
that period, and award $5.4 ism ... We’re industrial,
million in competitive grants we’re agricultural.” How-
to encourage tourism.
ever, Smith said this bill is
Lawmakers were orig- about the good of Oregon
inally scheduled to hold a as a whole.
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The Capital Bureau is a
but in response to criticism collaboration between EO
from both Portland-area Media Group and Pamplin
WRXULVP RI¿FLDOV DQG UXUDO Media Group.
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