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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 29, 1959)
Disadvahtaiges off 0 e Rids DlSCUSSed illy m Stronger County Government Seen In Many Sources Editor'! Not: This is tho ocond of two articles about county homo rulo. Tho first, published Sunday. Oct. 18, . discussed tho Jackson coun ty court's currorJ attitude toward homo rule, and the steps proTided toward at taining a home rule charter for Jackson county. What is county "home rule" all about? Basically, it means a strong er county government. . This strength can have sev eral sources. It can come from assuming new responsibilities toward people and progress in the coanty. It can also come from taking over responsibil ities currently vested in small er taxing units within the county, on the one hand, or in the state government, on the other. It can come as well 'from ', streamlining operations with in the county courthouse it self. Three Goals Advocates of home rule ad vance many arguments in its favor, but three basic goals emerge: simplicity, efficiency and economy. Another important point is flexibility, meaning the de velopment of a county char ter best suited to the needs of the individual county. Fur thermore, this charter once adopted by the voters could ' be amended , or revised or even tossed out entirely. In fact, of course, no Ore gon county need adopt a home - rule charter at all. But those who support home 'rule, in principle at least, are numerous-including the three present members of the Jackson county court. Present Set-Up Criticised , Among the strongest argu ments supporting home rule . are those which criticize ex isting county government. : These generally paint the picture of a sprawling farm house, its oldest part dating back i to pioneer days, with rooms added on all sides,Jts floors and roofing .t different levels, flanked by , lean-to sheds-backward in plumbing, impossible to heat and in con stant and ever-increasing need of repairs. Moreover, the families liv ing in this archaic structure are simply tenant farmers, hobbled by an unhurrying landlord (the state) to whom they must turn far too often for permission to repaint ceilings, reshingle roofs and hammer a few pothooks into : the kitchen wall. This picture, in some cases r more than others, may be ex aggerated. But the concept that county government is -"behind the times" gains sup porters daily. ; Long History The story of Oregon's coun ties dates back before 1857, when Oregon citizens ratified their state constitution. Prac tically from the beginning, home rule was provided for cities. - But counties, for the most part, have had to rely on the state's Legislature for specific : authority for their operations. In 1929, the Oregon Senate turned down a proposal that would have provided statutory authority for county home '' rule. ," ,. A constitutional amend ment was passed in 1944 per mitting counties to adopt the county manager form of gov ernment. Two counties each made two unsuccessful at tempts to gain voter approval for it. ' Then in 1956, the Legisla tive Interim Committee on Local "Government proposed the 'county home rule" amendment to the state con stitution. . Shortcomings Cited "Specifically," the commit tee reported, "the major shortcomings of local govern ment organization have been the breakdown of city growth through lack of annexation, the failure or inability of counties to take initiative in the solution of suburban problems and the consequent creation of an unwieldy struc ture of special district govern ments in the suburban areas. As a result suburban areas can turn to no single overall unit of local government with general responsibility for the public health, safety and wel fare." The "home rule" amend ment was "approved, by the voters last November. This amendment enabled the state lawmakers to provide author izing f legislation, . and last spring they did so. , While Oregon's counties and topography and resources the crucial changes affecting government have proved to be population growth and the consequent use, largely un controlled, of county land. Counties Varied Recent population figures, for example, show that while Harney county has 10,132 square miles and a population of only 6,260, Multnomah county (including Portland) has only 424 square miles but a population of 542,030. Jack son county has 2,817 square miles and a population esti mated at more than 70,000. In counties where popula tion is growing rapidly, there are increasingly extensive suburban developments areas outside city boundaries where people are building homes singly or in subdivisions. And inevitably, there are a host of other land uses-ranging from parks and schools to shopping centers and manufacturing plants to junk yards and gar bage dumps. While suburban develop ment in Jackson county does not compare to that in the Willamette basin counties -Multnomah, Marion and Lane for example-it is still becom ing a serious problem. Talking with local real es tate developers, or with the county's planning technician, Jack Eaton, one can gain an appreciation of where this county stands now and what its development will be in the coming years. Other Services ' While farmers and ranch ers naturally require irriga tion and fire protection at least, the needs of suburb dwellers extend to drinking water, sanitary sewers and other services. As suburban areas continue to develop, the quantity of in dividual, tax-levying districts established to provide these services multiplies, for the county has no statutory con trol over the various taxing units. Many of these districts, home rule proponents assert, could be consolidated for more effective and economic administration under county government. ' , Another argument for home rule is that only through adoption of a county charter tailored to meet the needs of Jthe individual jcountywith its peculiar problems of popula tion growth and land use-can solutions to present needs and orderly future develop ment be assured. State Approval Needed Another existing problem is that of securing state ap proval on various matters of local concern. Many interests, often conflicting, are repre sented at the state capital. But under a home rule charter, the county's citizens through a government they have molded for themselves could "rule their own roost' to a much greater degree. In this connection, of course, the citizens could re organize county officialdom, deciding what elective offi cials were required and how much each should be paid. This would not however in clude judges and the district attorney-considered state of ficials. A major advance in effective county government would be the authority for long-range financial planning. Here, the county despite a home rule charter would remain handi capped by the inability to is sue general obligation bonds or to use the installment-plan "Bancroft" method in levying assessments. A measure to appear on the 1960 general election ballot would, if approved, remove this serious roadblock. Arguments Against There are, . to be sure, a number of arguments against home rule. One of these is that the new legislation permits "sweeping changes" and grants powers to the counties which are be yond their proper scope and contrary to Oregon's long-existing concept of the function of counties. Another set of objections anticipates the development of what would amount to chaos. If each county can draw up and adopt the charter it hap pens to think best, these ob jections hold, then there could be as many different ordi nances, laws and procedures as there are counties. Along this same line, county gov- MEDFORD Tribune 2nd SECTION MEDFORD, OREGON, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1959 Pages 1 to 12 ernments would have the power to pass laws and adopt taxation methods radically different from those embodied in present state statutes. - Difficulties Seen These developments, the ar guments run, would make it difficult for counties to deal with each other.' They would also lead to constant and pro longed battles before the state supreme court, both to decide the limits to laws of these types and to determine within, what limits the state Legis lature itself could pass gen eral laws applying to all counties. Another argument points to past experience, and notes a tendency for county court members to be representatives of certain areas in the county rather than of the county as a whole. If the county govern ment's power is increased, it is said, these sectional inter ests could lead to a more ser ious split.- These general arguments favoring or opposing county home rule should be carefully balanced. Then, one must go a step further and apply them to Jackson county. As of last year, only six states across the nation had authorized home rule char ters. Connecticut, on the oth er hand, abolished counties entirely this year. The six states - California, Maryland, Ohio, Missouri, Texas and Washington-gener-ally permitted home rule on a basis more limited than what is possible under Ore gon's new law. Furthermore, as of a year ago September, at least, only 14 counties in these states out of 200-had actually adopt ed home rule charters. Eleven of them were in California. For the most part, it has been those counties with the greatest population density which have taken the step. In such counties, the need for stronger ana more compre hensive county government is the most compelling. The pros and cons in this article have been general. The question of Jackson county's own future-whether it should adopt a home rule charter and if so, what kind must depend on whether this county's con ditions and developments war rant it. The decision is one which those in authority-and that means every voter-must de cide. . West Coast Airlines Gets Cut-Rate Permit ately cut-rate roundtrip ex cursion fares between Spo kane and Seattle, Wash., and Washington (DPD The Civil Aeronautics Board has ruled that West Coast . Airlines may put into effect immedi- between Burns and Portland, Ore Albany, N.Y. - (DPD - Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller has ex panded his forthcoming West ern tour to include Washing ton and Idaho. Poached.. soFTABo,LE?ElFr t-7 X OREGON FARM FRESH EGGS Guaranteed fresh! L THE DANMOORE HOTEL .1217 SW Morrison St. PORTLAND, OREGON All transient fuetts. 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