COTTAGE GROVE — While Cottage Grove’s Main Street and Bohemia Park are slated for upgrades, its roads will need improvements, at least for the time being.
This election cycle, two measures dedicated to revamping city streets fell short at the polls, much to the dismay of Street Improvement Funding Ad Hoc Committee members Robert Reetz and Amber Bahler, who worked to gain community support for the measures.
“While respectfully accepting the vote of the citizens, I do wonder if the negative voters understand the full impact of their vote on the future conditions of city streets,” Reetz wrote in a statement. “The Public Works Department has worked wonders recently, extending the life of some of our arterial city streets, but the budget crisis looming for Cottage Grove may not permit future street maintenance at an increased level, the only exception being the Main Street renewal project now scheduled for 2025-6 and fully funded.”
Measure 20-365: General Obligation Bonds to Fix Streets would have utilized $2.5 million in general obligation bonds from the City, with generated revenue providing funding for repairs on numerous streets, including Row River Road from Thornton to Currin Connector, Taylor Avenue from Gateway to 6th Street, and Harrison Avenue from Highway 99 to R Street.
According to the Oregon Secretary of State’s website, the measure failed to pass with 3,040 ‘No’ votes (64.12%) and 1,701 ‘Yes’ votes (35.88%) out of 4,741 total votes cast.
Similarly, Measure 20-366: Increase City Gas Tax to $.09 also missed the mark. If it had been instituted, the measure would have raised the gas tax by six cents, generating an estimated $700,000 per year used exclusively for street restoration and upkeep.
With a total of 4,912 votes cast, 3,620 voters (73.70%) said ‘No’ to the additional cost, while 1,292 (26.30%) said ‘Yes.’
Election results will officially be certified on Monday, Dec. 2.
“Cottage Grove has once again ‘kicked the can down the road,’ and when maintenance does happen, it may cover less infrastructure and cost more per mile,” Reetz wrote. “The City Council and Cottage Grove citizens obviously have more work to do to resolve this situation in a manner acceptable to the majority, and that may mean acceptance of lesser quality streets or the use of other funding means.”
As the Street Improvement Funding Ad Hoc Committee moves ahead, Bahler looks forward to reviewing other proposed options for road improvements with the city council and other committee members but mirrors Reetz’s disappointment.
“I would just recommend any folks that are not enjoying driving on our roads, everyone can make a difference, and if they want to make a difference, they can reach out to legislators at the state and federal level and ask for some solutions to funding our infrastructure because our city is not in a position to do so right now,” Bahler said.
Bahler also encourages citizens to attend city council meetings and propose alternatives to increasing taxes.
“It’s going to take work, and it’s going to take time. Hopefully, the citizens can appreciate where we are and the effort that’s been put in to get us to this point and remain educated and engaged,” Bahler said.
