By SHAYLA ESCUDERO/Lincoln Chronicle
The election results of a property tax levy to fund the Lincoln County veterans services office narrowed to it losing by just 34 votes, updated returns showed Wednesday.
On Tuesday night, the sole measure on the local ballot was trailing by a margin of 97 votes of more than 10,600 counted – 5,398 to 5,301 with 85 percent of ballots tallied. On Wednesday, that losing margin dropped to 34 votes — 6,651 to 6,685, according to new figures from the county clerk’s office.
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ounty clerk Amy Southwell said 90 percent of all ballots had been counted by 5 p.m. Wednesday — with the next results not released until 5 p.m. Friday and then for a final time on Wednesday, Nov. 12.
“The results are too close to call but I feel encouraged by the first round of tallies,” Veterans Services officer Keith Barnes told the Lincoln Chronicle on Tuesday night.
Barnes said Tuesday night that he felt better knowing that the vote was so close because other Oregon counties had failed to pass similar levies by such a wide margin. If the measure failed he said the close results could prompt the county to try and go after the levy again for the May ballot.
“I’m a little disappointed it didn’t pass the first round (of counting),” Commissioner Walter Chuck said Tuesday night. “I’m going to hold my breath and hope that it passes.”
Barnes said, however, that because of news around the department’s levy request, his office has received more than a dozen calls from local veterans who didn’t know the county office existed.
“We have been able to set up appointments and will be providing services to them,” he said.
Although Oregon law allows voters to fund sheriff’s departments and veterans services via levies, there was uncertainty surrounding the levy from the start. Levies have had little success in rural Oregon in recent years. In 2017, Tillamook County voters turned down a levy that would have cost 5 cents per $1,000 assessed property and last year voters in Josephine County did the same.
The proposal was publicly discussed just once in a Lincoln County commission meeting Aug. 6 and was unanimously approved the same day, just three months before election day. The levy had no formal campaign pushing it and one commissioner later regretted his vote to put it on the ballot.
The levy aimed to move the veterans services department away from the county’s struggling general fund to a levy-funded department that would have collected 3.5 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value for five years starting in 2026. That translates to $10.50 a year for property assessed at $300,000.
Barnes said the levy would add a layer of security amid local, state and federal financial uncertainties.
While Barnes said moving away from the general fund’s support was the main reason for the levy, not all commissioners were on board. Commissioner Casey Miller said in late October that while he supported Veterans Services he did not approve of the levy solely funding the department and felt that wasn’t communicated clearly at the commission’s August meeting.
If passed, the levy would also add a part-time staff member whose sole responsibility is outreach by sitting in hospital lobbies with brochures, manning booths at farmers markets, car shows and anywhere veterans in Lincoln County might be in order to let them know of the benefits available to them.
- Shayla Escudero covers Lincoln County government, education, Newport, housing and social services for Lincoln Chronicle and can be reached at Shayla@LincolnChronicle.org
I understand that some people objected to this measure because it was taking funding for the service out of the general fund. But, come on folks! You can’t spend a lousy $10.50 on a $300,000 home or $31.50 on a $900,000 home to help our veterans? I am very surprised by this outcome. Makes voters here look bad.
My thought exactly. I was a little skeptical about the use of the funds, but I can afford $10 per year.
Please understand that not everyone can spare the extra money this would cost since it’s in addition to what we already pay to live here. Taxpayers and those with property already pay a lot to live here. When I witness irresponsibility at the county commission level I’m very hesitant to support giving them even more of my limited money. They have used our dollars to finance their ridiculous infighting by hiring investigators, attorneys etc. Residents are not a bottomless piggy bank!
Here’s a question; Why does the 3 person commission have their own counsel and a deputy counsel, as well?
Another question; Why did this proposal come up only once at a country commissioners meeting, which are no longer accessible by the public through zoom, and immediately approved? I want even aware of it until I received my ballot. No description of need, no information of any import exception this is what you should expect to pay through your taxes which keep going up. I can’t be informed without information.
The Veterans have been getting funding out of the general fund every year to man a support office. The proposal was to take this money out of the General Fund and make it a every 5-year vote to fund the Veterans support office. The proposed rate would raise approximately $342,000 in fiscal year 2026-2027, $352,600 in 2027-2028, $362,827 in 2028-2029, $373,711 in 2029-2030, and $384,923 in 2030-2031, for a total of $1,816,061 for anything the commissioners wanted. That seems underhanded. If they have a special 5 year project like the reservoir or infrastructure to build housing in South Beach, that would be appealing to many voters to temporarily increase taxes for a specific finite purpose. But having to put money on the line every five years for veterans doesn’t sound like a great deal for veterans.
Well said, Elaine. I agree. I also add that property owners would be on the hook to support veteran’s services instead of the general fund which gains revenue from a broader scope of taxpayers. Your point about revisiting this every five years is perfect.
As an aside, if the county continues to come up short maybe they should look internally to tighten efficiencies and cut waste such as paying rent for an unused office …
Good on you Lincoln County voters.
Lincoln County, the community does not trust you to steward our public funds; nor should we given the exorbitant amounts we are already being charged for property taxes.
The economy is tanking, yet Lincoln County has taken extreme measures to scorch the only growing segment of the economy — hospitality.
Lincoln County has the sixth highest property tax rate in Oregon – almost on a par with California – and yet cannot properly fund the sheriff’s office. Please keep this in mind when you pay high property taxes, because we are not getting what we paid for.
The continued bad press and commissioner scandals are undoubtedly scaring many prospective buyers away.
Please folks, wake up and lose these commissioners and find some business friendly/community engaged ones who won’t drive the county into insolvency. Otherwise, your property taxes will continue to skyrocket and your safety to deteriorate.
I love and respect our veterans but I am also retired and working part time and times are tough right now. I have other bills as well and yes that $30 or more would be a hardship right now so don’t try and guilt trip people when everyone’s circumstances are different and some worse than others. Please look around and notice the homeless as well.
I voted no, not because I’m against funding Veteran’s Services, but because of how this was mismanaged by Mr. Barnes, County Commissioners and County Counsel. Nothing in Mr. Barnes’s presentation or in Commissioner’s comments clearly stated that the proposed levy was to *replace* current funding. The entire conversation was about the benefits of a “slight increase” in income for outreach services.
When I received my ballot, I was astonished to see that the ballot language didn’t accurately reflect the presentation and discussion I witnessed during the August 6, public meeting in any way. The ballot language was the first and only notification that the levy was intended to replace, not supplement, money from the general fund: “The Veterans Service Office is mostly funded by the County General Fund. The Veterans Service Office would receive no General Fund dollars while this five-year local option tax is in effect.”
I’ve read that Commissioner’s signatures were “applied” to the order calling for the election, which makes me wonder if any of them actually reviewed the language in the order prior to printing the ballots. Someone needs to take responsibility for this discrepancy, but after what we’ve witnessed from this Board, I’m not hopeful that even one of them has the integrity to do so.
We may have the opportunity to remove Commissioner Hall as soon as January. Next year we can replace Commissioners Miller and Chuck. It may be time to just start fresh.