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Coos Bay approves ride-share ordinance By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World
The next time you need a ride in Coos Bay, there may be more options. The Coos Bay City Council unanimously approved a new taxi ordinance that will allow ride-share organizations like Uber and Lyft to begin operating in Coos Bay. The ordinance will go into effect June 16. Police Chief Chris Chapanar
Oregon taxpayers to share $3 billion kicker
explained the ordinance, which the council debated four times before it was approved last week. The ordinance will allow rideshare drivers to begin operating, but they must first get a city business license, have their vehicles inspected and provide proof of a clean drug test. In addition, only one ride-share vehicle may be parked at a single residence in the city. Chapanar said Coos Bay looked at similar ordinances in
several cities to help build the one approved by the council. “I think this proposed ordinance is in line with a lot of cities,” Chapanar said. “It’s consistent. It’s enforceable with the current staff we have.” Since early March, the council discussed the ordinance four times and made several changes at the request of the local taxi companies. Most of the changes related to safety issues such as drug tests and safe vehicles.
Dick Leshley, the former owner of Yellow Cab in Coos Bay, told the council the ordinance they approved was much improved. “I came tonight to say thank you very much,” he said. “Watching how politics works is very fascinating to me. You gave us an opportunity to go back and work and rework and take a solid look at it. Thank you so much for including the industry. There were things that did really need
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Position 3 commissioner’s race narrows slightly By DAVID RUPKALVIS
By JEREMY C. RUARK
Oregon taxpayers can expect to share a $3 billion kicker. The kicker tax credit goes into effect when the actual state revenue exceeds the forecasted revenue by at least 2%. An amount is then returned to the taxpayers through a credit on their tax returns. The new kicker tax credit figures are announced in the just-released state revenue forecast. “The economy continues to boom. Jobs, income, spending, and production are all rising quickly. However, pessimism about the expansion is growing,” that is the openinåg statement in the June 2022 Oregon Economic and Revenue Forecast issued by the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis. “Inflation is at multi-decade highs, eroding household budgets,” the summary reads. “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine created an oil shock and raised fears of increased conflict. A new round of pandemic-related shutdowns in China is set to exacerbate global supply chain struggles.” The summary states that the economic dynamics are shifting. “No longer is the U.S. or Oregon in recovery mode, but in net expansion territory,” the summary reads. “The challenges, risks, and trends associated with a mid-cycle expansion are different than those faced during the initial recovery.” The summary claims the 2022 personal income tax filing season “has been shocking.” The tax season payments will come in more than $1.2 billion (70%) larger than last year. The summary states that the unexpected revenue growth seen this year has left Oregon with unprecedented balances this biennium, followed by a record kicker in 2023-25. Kickers The projected personal kicker is $3 billion, which will be credited to taxpayers when they file their returns in Spring 2024. The projected corporate kicker is $931 million and will be retained for educational spending. Even so, if balances are not spent, net resources for the 202325 biennium will have increased by $427 million relative to the March 2022 forecast, according to the summary. Reaction Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said the revenue forecast indicates
to be changed in that ordinance to help the community. I like the fact your attitude is how can we make this happen.” Mayor Joe Benetti said the ordinance is a start that can be changed any time if the council views it as needed. “These are living documents,” the mayor said. “They are net set in stone. They can be changed. They can be amended and updated.” The ordinance passed 7-0.
Photos by John Gunther/For The World
It was an exciting weekend in Euegene for the South Coast track and field teams as three teams came home with state titles. The Coquille girls, above, hold their trophy after winning the 2A girls title for the first time in school history. Middle, the Bandon boys celebrate the 2A boys championship. Bottom, the Marshfield boys captured the 4A boys crown. For details, see Page A9 and for full results, visit www.theworldlink.com
With all the votes turned in by Election Day now counted, Melissa Cribbins continues to hold a comfortable lead in the race for Position 3 commissioner, but her supermajority negating a runoff has slipped some. A new state law allows all votes postmarked by May 17 to be counted as long as the ballots are delivered to the county clerk’s office within seven days of the election. Therefore, the final count will not be released until May 24. With all the early votes counted, Cribbins has received 6,630 votes, or 51.97%. To guarantee she retains her seat on the board of commissioners without facing a challenge in November, Cribbins must keep her vote count over 50%. Bandon businessman Rod Taylor has moved up slightly, with 4,915 votes, or38.53%, and Chase Carlson is third with 1,169 votes, or 9.16%. The other two county races appear to be over as incumbent Position 1 Commissioner John Sweet and county clerk candidate Julie Brecke hold comfortable leads in three-person races. Sweet has received 6,738 votes, or 53.93% of those cast, in the Position 1 commissioner’s race. Pam Lewis collected 4,624 votes, or 37.01%, while Cristina Bettesworth received 1,088 votes, or 8.71%. In the race for county clerk, Brecke has recorded 6,955 votes, or 59.05%, to close in on the victory during her first run for office. Diane Rich is in second with 3,314 votes, or 28.14%, while Matthew Borgens has received 1,470 votes, or 1248%. In the bond elections, a shortterm lodging tax in Charleston was approved with 7,589 voters voting in favor of the tax. A proposal to build a new Please see VOTE, Page A3
Correction
Bandon city council to consider creating Rainy Day Fund By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World
After surviving the downturn in tourism due to COVID-19, the Bandon City Council will discuss whether to create a Rainy Day Fund to help fund essential city services if a future downturn occurs.
The council discussed the issue during its regular meeting Monday, May 23, at the Bandon City Council Chambers. In documents presented to the city council, City Manager Dan Chandler explained that since revenue for the city government is heavily reliant on tourism, things like pandemics or natural
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disasters could devastate the city if there is no reserve funding available. He, therefore, recommends the council establish the Rainy Day fund, which would be used only in crisis. The fund could also be used to pay for unexpected increases to Please see BANDON, Page A4 CLASSIFIEDS A6 CALENDAR A2 OPINION A5
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In the Friday, May 20, edition of The World, a story about the governor’s race included a misspelling of Democrat winner Tina Kotek’s last name several times. The World has identified the reason for the mistake, and we are working diligently to ensure it does not happen again. We apologize to Tina Kotek, our readers, the voters and anyone who may have been offended by the error. A corrected version of the story about the governor’s primary is being rerun in its entirety on Page A2 in this edition.
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