Administrator's promise to be overridden?

If you were considering that Oak Lodge, North Clackamas and Jennings Lodge had any protection from assimilation by Gladstone, Milwaukie or Happy Valley, think again.

Last week, I reported on the Complete Communities project. At a meeting Monday of last week, Jonathan Mantay, County Administrator, was asked if unincorporated areas don't want to be assimilated into another city through annexation, can they be forced? He replied no.

Well, it now appears, that isn't really true. The Oregonian reports (link below) that the basis for that statement is weak, and is only for the Portland Metro area. State law does permit a city to vote, and for the vote of a larger city to overrride the wishes of the assimilated area.

The proposed bill comes in the wake of voter rejection Nov. 2 of Tigard's attempt to annex the 1,376-acre Bull Mountain area. Although 69 percent of city voters approved the measure, 89 percent of the voters in the unincorporated area turned it down. Tigard officials had planned to count the votes of Tigard and Bull Mountain residents together. But annexation opponents bitterly protested, arguing that votes from Tigard's 44,000 residents would far outweigh those of Bull Mountain's 7,600.

Powerful Democrat state senator Ginny Burdick does not like that protection, and wants to remove the protection against the requirement that the assimilated consent to their annexation.

"It doesn't make sense to have this unincorporated land out there with separate service providers," she said.

So, what we moved here for, the unique distinctiveness and reasonable taxation rates of the UnCity will be assimilated into somebody's tax base, if Burdick has her way.

The legislative process will allow for plenty of public discussion about the changes and the intent of those who drafted the laws, Burdick said.

Riiight. Ever been to the Lege, folks? This will get tacked on to somebody else's bill, a 'hearing' in Salem will be held with folks lined up outside the door (in inverse proportion to their proximity to Salem, as per standing Lege practice, so we get to wait until the Baker City folks have their say), before we get to participate in a token 'discussion' period after the fix is in. Then, give your neighbor a copy of this blog.

Kindly consider the evils of a 'democratic' system of 'Democrats' opposed to democracy, and who will not allow us to make up our own minds about how we wish to live and be governed, or not be governed. BTW, the 73rd Legislative Assembly will convene on January 10, 2005, and the Write Your Legislator web page allows you to auto-generate e-mail without even having to look up who represents you in the Lege.