On May 17, Bend voters have the power to decide if the city will be able to move forward with a $30 million street improvement bond initiative. Even while the economy shows improvement, while our area is pulling itself out of the recession it is a difficult time to consider raising taxes.
BUT WAIT, the estimated cost of Measure 9-83 is $0.27 per $1,000 of assessed property value. However Measure 9-83 is a revenue neutral solution because an existing urban renewal district bond expires in 2011. That urban renewal bond has the same cost of $0.27 per $1,000 of assessed property value as Measure 9-83.
If this measure is approved, the proposed assessment on property with an assessed value of $200,000 would not exceed $54 per year.
So please feel comfortable in knowing that you don’t have to vote to increase your taxes, you just have to understand that it’s worth keeping the current tax rate to keep Bend’s roads viable and safe. Approval of the bond measure will provide a remedy for several of our most urgent road improvement projects and create jobs for our local economy.
In response to the City of Bend’s deteriorating road conditions and frequent road congestion problems, a group of local business leaders formed a political action committee to support Measure 9-83, a proposed bond measure that will generate $30 million to finance priority road improvements in the City of Bend.
In addition to providing a tax neutral solution to address Bend’s dire transportation needs, a “yes” vote on Measure 9-83 will create jobs by awarding $30 million of construction contracts.
“The state of Oregon and the federal government cannot fix our local transportation problems,” said Neil Bryant, PAC Co-Chair and attorney at Bryant, Lovlien & Jarvis, PC. “Measure 9-83 represents a very important opportunity for our community to improve our city and strengthen our economy. I strongly urge my fellow citizens to vote YES.”
The “Better Roads for Bend” political action committee is a registered PAC in the State of Oregon and is being led by a bipartisan group of Bend business leaders: Neil Bryant, Amy Tykeson of BendBroadband, Mike Hollern of Brooks Resources Corporation, Bill Robie of Realtors, Andy High of the Central Oregon Builders Association, Casey Roats of Roats Water System, Peter Christoff, attorney with Bryant Lovlien & Jarvis PC, Keith Battleson retired CPA and serving as PAC Treasurer, and Oran Teater, former mayor of Bend.
The six priority road projects that will be funded through Measure 9-83 were selected based on crash data, public safety concerns, traffic congestion studies, and maintenance issues. The six projects are: reconstruction of Reed Market Road from Third to 27th Streets, construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Simpson Avenue and Mt. Washington, construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Brookswood Blvd. and Powers Road, construction of a multilane roundabout at the intersection of 18th Street and Empire Avenue, reconstruction of 27th and 14th Streets. Additional priority road projects will be financed if there are remaining funds. PHA
