| BALLOT
MEASURE 37
Letters to the editor RESTORE FAIRNESS AND BALANCE IN OREGON |
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Write a Letter to the Editor The ink was barely dry on Ballot Measure 37's success when civil rights opponents began hatching schemes to invalidate your vote. We don't expect any lawsuits be filed to throw Measure 37 out (like they did with Measure 7 in 2000), but planning extremists are already conspiring with various local governments to make it next to impossible for you to submit a Measure 37 claim. The best way to combat these attempts to subvert your voice is to keep the pressure on your local officials, who are only hearing from their planning departments and city attorneys -- many of whom oppose Measure 37 and continue to oppose Measure 37. They need to hear from you! Message Points 1. The people have spoken twice now on this issue! Ballot Measure 7 (2000) was passed by 53% of the voters. Ballot Measure 37 (2004) passed by over 60% of the voters -- a supermajority! Ballot Measure 37 passed in 35 of Oregon's 36 counties. It is time for those who oppose the basic civil right to own and use property to get the message - Oregonians have had enough! 2. One of the primary reasons Ballot Measure 37 passed so overwhelmingly was because Oregonians agree that the current land use process is extremely burdensome, unwieldy, and unfair. Many of the ordinances proposed by local governments only continue this disturbing trend. It is clear that local government's and their land use planners are trying to ignore the voters yet again. 3. [Note: Some local governments are requiring property owners submit a fee in order to make a Measure 37 claim. If your local government is attempting to extort a fee from you, we suggest you include this point.] Local governments that attempt to force property owners to pay a "fee" in order that the property owner gets her property rights back is kind of like the school yard bully charging you a fee before he gives you your lunch money back. Measure 37 was specifically drafted to prevent local governments from extorting money from victims of land use planning. The fact that a local government would try to steal money from its citizens is further evidence that the local government doesn't care about its citizens. 4. The best way for a local government -- or the state -- to avoid the costs of Ballot Measure 37 is to remove the incentive for filing a Measure 37 claim. For instance, if the arbitrary $80,000 farm income test is relaxed, family farms in rural Oregon would have an alternative method to restore their rights, instead of seeking relief through Measure 37. 5. Legislature - and more specifically the Governor - have failed to address the unfairness and imbalance of Oregon's land use planning system. Governors Kitzhaber and Kulongoski have opposed and vetoed responsible, common-sense legislation that would have restored fairness and balance to the system. The voters in Oregon spoke loudly and clearly on November 2nd, 2004. Now it is time for the Governor and the Legislature to stand up and take notice. FOR A LIST OF OREGON NEWSPAPERS, CLICK HERE
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Official Explanatory Statement Chief Petitioners' Voters Pamphlet Statements
Legislative Action (Session convenes Jan. 16th, 2005)
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DISCLAIMER
This website was prepared to
introduce you to Ballot Measure 37 (2004) and is for informational purposes
only. While every attempt is made to maintain accuracy of the information on
this site, the information is not guaranteed to be complete or to represent
the latest legal developments. |