Biannual Visit to Oregon Capitol Dampened by Trump’s Funding Cuts and Policy Shifts
From Homeless Camp Legal Fights to Infrastructure Needs and Hotel Tax Flexibility, Oregon Cities Seek Legislative Support
Enthusiasm at the biannual Oregon state officials’ visit to the Capitol earlier this week was dampened by the announcement that the Trump administration will cut funding immediately to cities reliant on the money.
Nevertheless, officials focused their attention on three major issues for which they are asking the Legislature to lobby for federal funding.
Homeless Camp Removals
The thorny issue of homeless camp removals in cities and small communities has become a nationwide talking point ever since the Supreme Court ruled that Grants Pass is entitled to ban homeless people from using cardboard boxes, blankets, and pillows to protect themselves against the cold when sleeping outdoors.
The Supreme Court overruled a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision that such an ordinance was a cruel and unusual punishment for people lacking shelter and a violation of the Eighth Amendment. The court ruled that cities are entitled to regulate homelessness.
The ruling has opened a floodgate of contentious discussions and litigation, as demonstrated on Thursday when Disability Rights of Oregon and the Oregon Law Center brought a lawsuit against the City of Grants Pass on behalf of five disabled homeless people.
In January, Grants Pass closed one of its two homeless campsites, forcing occupants to relocate to the smaller site. There are only 30 spaces for tents, and the encampment can only be occupied from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m., forcing occupants to wander the streets with all their belongings.
Flexibility to Spend Hotel Taxes
City officials want to change a 20-year-old state law requiring 70% of new lodging taxes to be plowed back into tourism.
The restriction limits expenditure, and Oregon states with tourism hubs, especially those on the coast, want flexibility to spend the taxes on essential services.
Coastal cities like Newport experience a summer influx of 40,000 to 50,000 visitors that overwhelms infrastructure.
City officials want lawmakers to change the outdated law because they believe that by upgrading basic services, tourists will benefit from improved roads and amenities.
Basic Infrastructure Must be Upgraded
City officials also lobbied for more funding to upgrade basic infrastructure. Improvements to water reticulation and wastewater are needed before new homes can be built.
Last year, local governments received more than $100 million for such projects. However, that sum was still insufficient to meet infrastructure upgrade requirements.
Bend needs $66 million for two major sewerage pipe installations. City officials explained that it is costlier to build infrastructures underground in Bend because it is built on lava rock.
Funding is needed to enable the city to build more than 1,200 homes that will create 2,800 additional permanent jobs.
There are other Oregon cities with similar housing development plans that have been on ice for years while waiting for sufficient funds to improve water and sewer infrastructures.