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Posted: Mar 21, 2008 - 09:37:28 PDT
Depoe Bay refuses to vote on excise tax, aquatic center
By Kendall S. Cable Of the News-Times
As a vote of no confidence, Depoe Bay City Council left two resolutions on the table Tuesday night that did not even advance to a second motion.
One was a resolution that would allow Lincoln County to collect a construction excise tax on behalf of Lincoln County School District, and the other was a resolution for the creation of an aquatic district dropped dead in initial motions.
"It took this town three tries to get Depoe Bay incorporated. We finally said we won't have any property tax, and that is how we got incorporated. And we have been living by that ever since," Councilman Bud Romans told the Lincoln County Commissioners during a joint session with council Wednesday night.
Romans explained that because the council voted to place on November's ballot a levy to contract with the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office for its own deputy, the two measures would make the city's efforts a greater battle because all would be fighting for the same constituent dollars.
"If we turn around and have a tax coming through - it doesn't matter how big or small, tax added on the property before we try for this November - it is just going to make the hill we are going to try to climb a lot steeper," Romans said.
Commissioner Don Lindly explained that the legislature enabled the school district to impose the excise tax on new construction to the note of $1 per each square foot for homes and 50 cents per square foot for commercial construction. The council's vote would not impede the district from imposing that tax, but rather would not allow the county to collect the tax on behalf of the school district. Instead, the city or school district would have to come up with a mechanism to collect it.
If the city collected its own tax, it would be allowed to maintain 1 percent, County Counsel Wayne Belmont explained. If the county collected it on behalf of the district, it would never go through the county's books.
Lindly said the tax is not popular among new homebuilders, and he added the county's planning department staff worried they would take the brunt of the opposition to the school district's implementation of the tax.
Belmont added that there is no time limit on how long the school district could collect the tax, and that the district is to look into imposing the tax formerly in April. It is to go into effect 30 days after its adoption.
Romans explained to the commissioners that the proposed aquatic district also could impede the city's hopes for their own police officer.
"The number of people here that would use it are probably slim," he said. "And tax for a few doesn't seem right."
He explained that there are 50 to 60 kids in town, and they go to school in Lincoln City, which has its own pool. He said the chances of those children going to Newport to swim are pretty low.
There is a possibility council will entertain the resolution regarding the excise tax at its next city council meeting.
Kendall S. Cable is a reporter for the News-Times. She can be reached at 265-8571 ext. 212 or kcable@newportnewstimes.com.
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