Springfield City Council recap
SPRINGFIELD – City council had a quick yet productive Monday night earlier this week.
• After seven years of discussion, the Housing Diversity Tax Exemption (HDTE) was adopted to address the City’s need for more housing. This program aims to encourage the development of multiple-unit housing by implementing a property tax exemption, which may incentivize the construction of housing that would not otherwise be built. It will become effective in early June.
• Council accepted city bond project P21151 to signify its completion. The project consisted of new pavement inlay, ADA upgrades to existing curb ramps and signals, signage, and new pavement markings on Centennial Blvd. from Aspen St. to Prescott Ln. It was funded by the $10 million, five year general obligation bond that Springfield voters passed in 2018.
• Council approved the rates for local wastewater and stormwater user fees for fiscal year 2024-25, which are set by the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission (MWMC). There will be a 5% adjustment in the local wastewater rates and a 3% adjustment in the stormwater user fees. MWMC also adopted a 5.5% adjustment in the regional wastewater user fees which must be incorporated into the user charges schedule.
• Municipal code sections 2.402 through 2.424 were amended per the suggestion of the City’s planning commission to update out-of-date provisions and require that any commissioners who don’t live within city limits have a primary residence within the Springfield urban growth boundary.
• The roughly $555,000 in available Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for the fiscal year 2025 was approved to go toward: Home Repair Program to repair housing of very low-income homeowners, Springfield Homeownership Program (SHOP) for homeownership assistance to support low-income homebuyers, funding to Lane County to support a human services delivery system, and funding to support grant planning and administration.
• The fiscal year 2024-25 regional wastewater budget and capital improvement program was ratified by council. The approved operating budget is $25.3 million, which reflects the increase of 5.9% ($1.4 million) in fiscal year 2024-25 when compared to the prior year.
— Amanda Lurey
Ballots out, deadline looms
The Lane County Elections office has placed ballots in the USPS mail stream for the 2024 Primary Election. Lane County’s 21 ballot drop boxes will remain open until 8 p.m. on Election Day, May 21, 2024. Drop boxes are open 24/7. A list of drop box locations is included with every ballot.
Voters can track the status of their mail ballot by visiting oregonvotes.gov/MyVote.
Voters may return their voted ballots by:
• Regular mail. Ballots must be postmarked no later than May 21 and received no later than May 28 to be counted.
• A 24/7 ballot drop box.
• Lane County Elections. Ballots can be turned in by May 21, directly to the Lane County Elections Office during business hours (open until 8 p.m. on Election Day).
Ballot drop box locations:
Eugene Dropsites
• Lane County Elections: 275 W. 10th Ave.
• Amazon Pool: 2600 Hilyard St.
• Bethel Library: 1990 Echo Hollow Rd.
• Pearl Street: 777 Pearl St.
• Juvenile Justice Center: 2727 MLK Blvd.
• LC Public Works, 3050 N. Delta Hwy.
• River Road Park & Rec Center: 1400 Lake Dr.
• Sheldon Library: 1566 Coburg Rd.
• U of O: outside Erb Memorial Union
• Walmart: 4550 W 11th Ave.
Other Dropsites
• Splash! At Lively Park: 6100 Thurston Rd., Springfield
• Springfield City Hall: 255 5th St., Springfield
• Mohawk Marketplace: 2260 Marcola Rd., Springfield
• Cottage Grove Comm. Center: 700 E. Gibbs Ave.
• City of Creswell: 13 S. 1st St., Creswell
• Old Lowell City Hall Paul Fisher Park, 107 E. 3rd St.
Oregon is a closed primary state. All voters will have an opportunity to vote on issues and nonpartisan positions. Only voters who are registered members of political parties may vote for their respective party’s candidates in a primary election.
