Merry Christmas & Happy New Year
VOL. 45, ISSUE 25 FREE
CANNONBEACHGAZETTE.COM
December 24, 2021
Prepared Food Tax Election contested in Circuit Court Kathleen Stinson
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For The Gazette
complaint was filed on December 15 in the Circuit Court of Oregon in Clatsop County contesting the Cannon Beach prepared food tax vote. The tax passed narrowly by a 380-374 vote in the November 2 election. Megan Miller and Josh Tuckman filed the complaint contending the election results are invalid. The plaintiffs are asking the court to order a new election. Miller spoke to The Gazette on Tuesday and said: “The biggest thing is we are filing on behalf of the restauranteurs and business owners affected by the prepared food tax. A lot of it is in part due to the hardships and financial insecurities that we’ve already endured and are continuing to endure due to COVID.” “So one of the biggest points,” she said, “is the integrity of the election process. We are disappointed by the results but that’s not our main concern in the filing. There were too many issues basically with how this election was handled, including the collection of ballots and the opening of the ballot box in Cannon Beach, for us to not pursue legal action.”
Miller and co-plaintiff, Josh Tuckman, own Castaways Restaurant in Cannon Beach. Tom Perrick, government affairs manager for the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association, said additional plaintiffs may join because “there’s a lot of interest” by the restaurant community in this issue in Cannon Beach. “Restaurants right now are struggling with staffing issues,” Perrick said. The revenues from the 5 percent tax on prepared food are to be divided by the city and the Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protection district, according to the ballot. The named defendant in the matter is “Tracie Krevanko, in her official capacity as county clerk for Clatsop County and the Clatsop County Elections Division,” as stated in the complaint. The plaintiffs allege the election is invalid, as stated in the complaint, for the following reasons: “(1) deliberate and material violations of election law in connection with the approval of Measure 4-210; (2) mistake or fraud in the canvass of votes; (3) fraud in the count of votes,”
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Two recent pet, owner, elk encounters have experts saying, be aware of your surroundings Kathleen Stinson
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For The Gazette
eeing wildlife such as elk in Cannon Beach is something both residents and visitors enjoy. But sometimes encounters can become a problem for people, their pets and the wildlife. At about 8 pm December 11, the police received a call that a woman had been walking her dog in the vicinity of Les Shirley Park when, she said, an elk charged at her and her dog, according to the police department. Cannon Beach Police Chief Jason Schermerhorn said: “On December 11, 2021 at approximately 8 pm, Cannon Beach Officers responded to a report of an alleged Elk attack that had occurred at/or near Les Shirley park in the North End of Cannon Beach. Officers later determined that a 42 year old female had been walking her dog in the area and some This Bull Elk relaxes in the rain near the entrance to Cannon Beach earlier this month. Photo by Elk had charged at her and her dog. It was reported that Joe Warren both the female and the dog around 5:57 pm officers responded chief said. elk see dogs as ‘wolves’ and therehas suffered injuries. The report to the City Park located at 2nd and The Oregon State Police Fish fore a potential threat to the herd will be forwarded to Oregon State Spruce for a dog that was off leash and Game Division and Oregon and will take appropriate action Police Fish and Game division.” and had been trampled by an elk” Department of Fish and Wildlife “On December 4, 2021 at n See ELK, Page 6 and sustained minor injuries, the told the Cannon Beach police “that
King Tides arrive for New Year’s Day For the Gazette
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he North Oregon Coast is preparing for the third in this winter’s series of king tides, beginning on New Year’s Day and continuing through Jan. 3, 2022. King tides are exceptionally high tides that occur each winter. On the North Coast, king tides can lead to coastal flooding as well as impacts to the natural and human-built environment. King tides provide valuable insight into future sea level rise due to climate change. While celebrating the New Year’s holiday on the North Coast, please pay close attention to tide sched-
ules, stay off the beach at high tide, and avoid driving through high water. For your safety, consider a First Day Hike or other alternative to a polar plunge. While enjoying coastal views, stay out of the surf, stay off drift logs, and stay away from jetties. For more information about citizen science efforts to document king tides, visit the Oregon King Tides Project. For photos of king tides in Oregon, visit Oregon King Tides on Flickr. To learn more about king tides, view resources from NOAA and the EPA. For First Day Hikes free parking information, visit Oregon State Parks.
Community Development Director to report on affordable housing options Kathleen Stinson
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For The Gazette
he city of Cannon Beach is not the only place where local businesses are struggling to stay open for lack of affordable housing for its workers. The Gazette contacted a mountain ski town that declared a housing emergency last summer, the result of which is making inroads in this not unique problem. The city of Cannon Beach has set aside $259, 015 in its affordable housing fund, according to its Fourth Quarter Financial Report. The city’s community development director Jeff Adams said the city has been collecting $60,000 a year since 2018 to do something about affordable housing. Adams said the council asked him to present a report on affordable housing options for them to consider at their February work session meeting. “The council wants to look at what are the different opportunities for affordable housing in Cannon Beach,” he said. They want to know what different programs are available to address affordable housing. Crested Butte, Colorado has seen a lot of restaurants cut back and close two days a week, due to this affordable housing situation. “Crested Butte, Colorado is not unique to the mountain ski towns where the cost of living has increased to the point where it is harder and harder for our local employees to afford to live here,” said Mel Yemma, city planner. Last summer, the city declared a housing emergency and the council looked at “every possible solution to address our housing crisis,” Yemma said. As a result, the city instituted a one-year moratorium on issuing new short-term rental licenses. “If a house sells, that license is not transferable,” she said. “We expect to lose some licenses with the sale of property and go below the existing 212 licenses. A few years ago, the city had limited its short –term licenses to 30 percent of the eligible zoned districts in Crested Butte. The maximum at that time was limited to 212. “We have been losing some licenses—about 10 or so with the moratorium,” she said. After the oneyear moratorium lapses, the city will update its regulations on short-term rentals with a “fresh look at what we’ve learned or our current housing situation.” Town Manager Dara MacDonald also talked with The Gazette on Tuesday. MacDonald said at the time when the city created the 30 percent restriction, it instituted an additional 5 percent tax on short-term rentals. This November the voters approved an additional 2.5 percent tax on short term rentals making it 7.5 percent. The revenues go to an affordable housing fund for the city. “When we first did this about five years ago, the property managers were very vocal against this, but they have since realized they are still making an income,” she said. At the end of the moratorium, she said she expects the people of the city to engage in a “robust conversation” and possibly “ratchet up that 30 percent even more.” The town of Crested Butte is onesquare mile and the surrounding area does not have similar restrictions on its short-term rentals, she said. The tax has not dissuaded people
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