Voters in Hood River County will determine on Tuesday whether to feature a five percent sales tax to prepared food and non-alcoholic beverage sales. Ballot Measure 14-sixty six proposes taxing meals sold using eating places, caterers, bakeries, and espresso shops. The measure also proposes taxing allotted gentle beverages and liquids.
If passed, the tax is predicted to generate about $1.8 million a yr. According to county files, the tax could fund county tourism services, such as retaining public parks and wooded area trails, environmental fitness services, and the County History Museum.
An article using the Hood River News states the tax will affect meals “intended for instant consumption,” which means things like personal cookies and pastries bought at espresso shops will be taxed; however, things like whole cakes and loaves of bread won’t be.
In an article, the editor of the Hood River News entreated citizens to vote for the measure, mentioning a deficit of $1.6 million and $five.Three million in unmet wishes for the county made worse through dwindling wood revenue.
Although Oregon has no statewide sales tax, towns have voted to impose taxes on prepared food and drinks. Ashland has had the guideline in the vicinity because 1993. The Siuslaw News mentioned that Yachats started out collecting a food and beverage tax in 2007.
Portland City Council delays price range vote after disagreeing over police and parks investment.
After disagreements so contentious that Mayor Ted Wheeler repeatedly apologized, the Portland City Council postponed the vote on its $five.Five billion annual budget Wednesday afternoon. The delay allowed them to honor citizens’ needs that their testimony is heard earlier than the mayor and commissioners forged their votes.
The council had been set to approve the finances for the approaching financial yr on Wednesday. That plan includes good-sized infrastructure projects within the water, sewer, and transportation bureaus and trims to parks bureau services.
Officials agreed to delay the vote, however, because Commissioner Nick Fish had to go away for a pre-scheduled remedy for his stomach most cancers, and it turned into doubtful whether or not there would be an agreement at the appropriations vote. The vote is rescheduled for Thursday afternoon.
The mayor and commissioners aired contentious disagreements Wednesday over whether to fund the Portland Police Bureau’s Gun Violence Reduction Team and a way to plug a multimillion-dollar funding hole at Portland Parks & Recreation.
The gun violence unit, formerly called the Gang Enforcement Team, came under scrutiny by town auditors in 2018 for its disproportionate stops of African Americans and its failure to acquire accurate information approximately the stops and justify them.
Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, a first-12 months commissioner and longtime police reform endorse, moved to defund the gun violence unit and reassign its 28 officials to patrol duty. She stated that it ought to be performed because the metropolis desperately needs patrol officers and because of the reasons recognized by auditors, calling the disproportionate stops “completely inexcusable.”
Hardesty noted that the crew changed numerous of its practices because of the audit’s publication in addition to its call – though she knew as it the “gun reduction anything” – but a further audit file determined police officers had now not reformed some of its practices.
