Weekday Wrap: Salem voters support $300M bond; TriMet considers fare increase; and Josephine County says no to sales tax

By OPB staff (OPB)
Nov. 10, 2022 10:29 p.m.

Stories you may have missed from staff reports and our news partners around the region

Salem voters support $300M bond measure for parks, libraries, fire stations

Although some ballots are still being counted, a $300 million bond measure to improve Salem parks, libraries and fire stations looks likely to pass. The bond came up for a vote just as previous bond measures retire — meaning the new bond will not increase residents’ tax rates. The bond rate would remain at $1.20 per $1,000 of assessed value. Over the life of the bond, the average household in Salem would pay about $134 a year. The bond will pay for millions of dollars in upgrades to sidewalks and streets, branch libraries, the Salem Civic Center, affordable housing, parks, fire stations and more. (Whitney Woodworth/Statesman Journal)

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TriMet considers 2024 fare increase

TriMet is wondering whether a fare hike would bring financial stability. The hike would go into effect in 2024. With a majority of the board voicing support for a fare increase, President Linda Simmons directed TriMet staff to move forward on the process of bringing a formal fare increase ordinance before the board. TriMet is hoping the increase will help stabilize transit operations and address the inflationary increases in the cost of operating the transit system. (Jim Redden/Portland Tribune)

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Sales tax to fund law enforcement fails in Josephine County

Josephine County voters overwhelmingly opposed a seasonal 3% sales tax to fund the sheriff’s department. Josephine County Sheriff Dave Daniel said with the tax failing in Josephine County, almost all of his 18 deputies would receive pink slips next year. The department has dealt with staffing shortages for years, the result of decreased funding from federal timber payments and low property taxes. Josephine County’s property tax rate is one of the lowest in the state. (Jane Vaughan/Jefferson Public Radio)

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House’s Vietnamese caucus: sign of Oregon’s growing diversity

Five Vietnamese Americans will serve in the Oregon House of Representatives when it convenes this coming January. Rep. Khanh Pham of Portland was elected to a second term in District 45. She will be joined by Hai Pham of Hillsboro, a pediatric dentist, in District 36; Daniel Nguyen of Lake Oswego, a restaurant owner, in District 38; Thuy Tran of Portland, an optometrist, in District 45; and Hoa Nguyen of Portland, an attendance coach for Portland Public Schools, in District 48. (Peter Wong/Portland Tribune)

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Gladstone voters picking 19-year-old over perennial candidate

A recent high school graduate has an early lead in a Gladstone City Council race. If elected, Luke Roberts, 19, would be the youngest official in the state. Roberts currently has 58% of the vote against his opponent, Bill Osburn. The final results of this election may sway differently, as many votes were still being tabulated and many more ballots will be arriving at the Clackamas County Elections Office later this week with postmarks showing they were cast by Election Day. (Raymond Rendleman/Clackamas Review)

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Corvallis’ next mayor won’t be known until December

This is the first election cycle the City of Corvallis is utilizing ranked choice voting, and results on the mayor’s race as well as one seat on the Corvallis City Council will be significantly delayed. In ranked choice voting, if no single candidate gets more than 50% of the vote in the initial count, then the candidate with the least support gets removed from consideration. Then, elections officials consider the second choice candidate on the ballots of people who voted for the person who was eliminated. In the three-way Corvallis mayor’s race, Charles Maughan and Andrew Struthers are nearly tied, but both are well below the 50% threshold. Officials say the next mayor likely won’t be known until December. (Chris M Lehman/KLCC)

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