HomeMy WebLinkAboutExplanatory Statement for county Voters - Phamphlet
EXPLANATORY STATEMENT FOR COUNTY VOTERS= PAMPHLET
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NAME OF PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR CONTENT: Dave Lohman, City Attorney, City of Ashland, Oregon.
NAME OF ORGANIZATION PERSON REPRESENTS, IF ANY: City of Ashland, Oregon
BALLOT TITLE CAPTION: Approve use of food and beverage tax for street maintenance
MEASURE NUMBER:
The City of Ashland first enacted a food and beverage (F&B) tax - a tax on prepared food and non-alcoholic beverages sold by
restaurants and caterers - in 1993. The tax was created to provide a revenue stream for the acquisition of open space (park
land). The City Council subsequently amended the F&B tax to allow its use for debt service on the City's waste water treatment
plant. Of the taxes collected, 20% goes to parks and 80% goes to waste water debt. Passage of this ballot measure will enact an
ordinance approved by the Ashland City Council that amends the Ashland Municipal Code to redirect a portion of the City's
food and beverage (F&B) tax revenue to street maintenance and to increase the portion of F&B tax revenue that is directed to
the Ashland Parks and Recreation Commission from 20% to 25%. Enough revenue is generated by the F&B tax to fully fund
current waste water treatment debt, a pavement management program to overlay or reconstruct all arterial and collector streets
and to increase the share of F&B revenue for Parks from 20% to 25% of total collections. The ordinance does not change the
current tax rate of 5% and it does not change the tax's sunset date of December 31, 2030.
If approved, this ordinance will fix the amount of F&B tax provided for waste water debt at a specific number rather than a
percentage, and direct tax revenues over that amount to the City's street fund, where it will be available to pay for street repair,
rehabilitation and reconstruction. The street repair program would apply to the City's arterial and collector streets.
Result of a "No" Vote
If this measure does not pass, the existing food and beverage tax ordinance will remain in place, with all tax revenues directed to
parks (20%) and waste water treatment debt (80%).
WORD COUNT TOTAL: 309
THE TOTAL WORD COUNT CANNOT EXCEED 500 WORDS.
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