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2005-05-27 Alert
SB 887A Passes HLU
SB 887A passed out of the House Land Use Committee today on a unanimous vote.
The original bill which passed the Senate with only two "nays" was the subject of lengthy and precious time -consuming wrangling over some 20 proposed amendments in HLU. A number of these were from businesses wanting the same protection as Nike gets or more.
We haven't seen the language of the amended bill, but from what we can gather, it now does grant more protection to certain businesses. An attempt to ban island annexations statewide failed. We do not know if it still contains the original bill's ORS-195 reform. Presumably, it still contains the interim "work group" proposal with no teeth. The "public servants" opposing any meaningful annexation reform got the original "hammer" clause pulled a couple months ago.
This is clearly the bill the Legislature wants to move so it can be said they did something in response to the public outcry. Meanwhile, the bills that WOULD enact meaningful reform sit idle or effectively dead.
The last version of the bill we saw (SB 887A) really did nothing to resolve the issues. That task was left to an interim "work group." But with no "hammer," the opponents would have no incentive to bargain in good faith - and in 2 years, it would be back to business as usual. Clearly, this has been their plan all along.
When the amended version becomes available, we'll evaluate it and give you an updated report. Meanwhile, please continue your attempts to get Senator Ringo to move HB 2484 and to get Rep. Minnis to release her chains on HB 3084.
On a brighter note, I had the pleasure today of appearing on KOPT radio in Eugene today with Jim Seaberry, President of the River Road/Santa Clara Property Owners' Association (OCVA's Eugene UGB Chapter). Eugene has its eyes on a large area of the UGB represented by RR/SCPOA and the group has mounted a well-organized fight against that prospect. Hopefully, more people in the Eugene area now know about forced annexation and its potential problems.
In closing, please remember - always, but especially on this holiday - that the freedoms we enjoy as Americans were not gained and preserved through the efforts of politicians or the media but through the sacrifices of soldiers.
Jerry
This page last modified on 2005-11-16 08:29.
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