Hey Everyone,

 The Bandon Marsh Expansion Meeting at The Barn 
Presented by the opposition to this federal land
grab
 Everyone is welcome
 Saturday at 11:00 a.m. on 2/11/2012

 The Bandon meeting on the Bandon Marsh Expansion is going to be
at The Barn.

 Google Map
 
We will be discussing all of our options to stopping this land grab and we need
your help.  

Click here to see more info on the Bandon Marsh
Expansion. 




Contact Info for Organizers:

 Jill Halliburton
 Phone: 541-404-6756
 Email [email protected]

 Don Chance
 Phone: 541-329-2020
 Email: [email protected]
 

Rob Taylor
 Phone: 541-347-9942
 Email: [email protected]
  Website: www.cooscountywatchdog.com

Call you rep and ask them to VOTE YES on these tax item Bills on the legislative agenda.
Jeff Kruse
[email protected]

Wayne Krieger
[email protected]

2012 Taxpayer Agenda: 5 great Legislative Session Ideas by In the news Tuesday, January 31. 2012 By Taxpayer Association of Oregon

The 2012 Legislative Session contains hundreds of bills and ideas. We have focused on five great ideas already pioneered and sponsored by various lawmakers to help reform government and cut taxes.

1. Repeal Measure 67 Business Tax
Measure 67 was a tax on virtually every business in Oregon. Measure 67 even raised taxes on businesses that were not making a profit. State Representative John Huffman is authoring legislation to repeal it to help turn the economy around and get small businesses hiring again.

2. Stop the “Facebook” Tax
Facebook recently built a data center in Central Oregon that helped employ over 1,000 Oregonians. Those jobs helped in an Oregon county suffering with over 15% unemployment. Right after the new building was complete, Facebook was hit with a surprise tax bill that was 15 times higher than expected. The debate over the tax bill arose over the state expanding tax definitions so that internet companies are taxed like utility companies and over taxing intangible assets like their “brand name”, software and patents.

State Representative Mike McLane is sponsoring a bill to fix the tax expansion rule over this specific Facebook case (which deals with data centers and enterprise zones). There is also the larger messages this bill delivers which is (1) Oregon businesses need tax predictability (2) Oregon welcomes high tech firms and (3) we must stop tax expansion where tax are increased by simply adjusting the definition of what is taxed.

3. Eliminate hidden cash tax reserves
State Senator Chris Telfer is a CPA who began a serious in-depth investigation of unspent funds being held in the state budget. Her investigation was met with reluctance and resistance by various state budget officials and agencies. Telfer discovered $680 million in unrestricted funds. Some of these funds are simply “leftover” unspent tax dollars that could be used to fund the budget instead of badgering taxpayers for more money to bailout government.

4. Sunset laws for state regulations
Since 1997, Texas has had sunset laws for their state agencies & state commissions. Sunset laws force agency regulations and policies to undergo a mandatory review and approval process or be abolished. Sunset laws help weed out wasteful, duplicative and outdated government rules. State Senator Bruce Starr is working on a bill to create Sunset laws in Oregon.

5. Oppose all tax increases
Because the state budget is falling below forecasted revenue of $300 million, there is danger that taxpayers will be hit with tax and fee increases. Rep. Jim Weidner is calling on the February Legislative Session to balance the budget with existing revenue and not harm taxpayers or our economy with more taxes.

Here is the email I sent to Krieger and Kruse.
Their Email and they are in session.....
[email protected]    [email protected]

Hello, Would you please do everything in your power to stop this legislation. H.B. 4021
The Humane Society is a rouge outfit filled with ideologues.
Plus, this is just as much about benefits, as it is authority.

Link to story: Oregon Humane Society officers seek to join with state police



Sincerely,
Rob Taylor
PO Box 973
Bandon, OR 97411-0973
Email [email protected]
Phone 541-347-9942

H.R. 1981 is officially called the "Protecting Children From Internet Pornographers Act of 2011." Sounds good, right? Who wouldn't want to protect our children from online trash?

But, as is the case with most things the government does for "our own good," the title doesn't make clear exactly what it will do. H.R. 1981 is just a cleverly disguised way to force online service providers to spy on your online activities and provide that information to the government.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation rightfully calls it the "Data Retention Bill." It requires providers to keep DETAILED RECORDS OF

Your internet activity for 12 months
Your name
Your address
Your bank account numbers
Your credit card numbers
Any IP addresses assigned to you

If someone were suspected of wrongdoing on the internet - for instance, of downloading child pornography - this information could be gathered by subpoena process. We expect law enforcement to gain access to this information.

But, H.R. 1981 mandates that these records be kept ON EVERY CITIZEN IN AMERICA and will be accessible by the government regardless of whether or not you have been accused of a crime!

Help save our First and Fourth Amendment rights! Please send your personalized fax to the House now now and join the fight for internet freedom. Your voices of opposition forced Congress to put SOPA and PIPA on hold; tell them you also oppose H.R. 1981. Save the internet from government control...make your voice heard right now!

Ever since Barack Obama took office, we've been fighting for internet freedom. The government is intent on getting control of the World Wide Web ...whether it's through Net Neutrality, FCC regulations, internet usage taxes, SOPA, PIPA, or now, H.R. 1981, THEY WILL COME FOR US ONLINE ... so it's up to you and me, right now, to stop any and all attempts at data collection, censorship, monitoring and taxes.

SOPA and PIPA and H.R. 1981 are huge bureaucratic initiatives meant to "protect" the American people, but in fact, they are simply freedom-killing, big government programs that give the federal government more and more control over its citizens.

Everything you do online ... reading political blogs, checking your bank statements, purchasing products, signing up for the latest coupon offer ... everything you do online will be captured by your service provider and given to the U.S. government ...

... Unless concerned voters like you continue this fight to protect freedom.

This is an URGENT CALL TO ACTION. We are continuing our campaign to send thousands and thousands of faxes to Congress, urging them to OPPOSE these dangerous bills. Please stand for FREEDOM and make sure we keep the internet free. Help us flood Congress with your personalized faxes and tell them to oppose this legislation and protect free speech and free enterprise in America. Send your message to Congress right now!

Rep. James Sensenbrenner reasonably notes, "It poses numerous risks that well outweigh any benefits, and I'm not convinced it will contribute in a significant way to protecting children."

In an election year, Barack Obama must be salivating at the potential control his administration could gain over your online activities!

And, imagine how unsafe it will be to have all your personal information, including financial data, housed in one big government database. If a hacker managed to get into this goldmine (and that is certainly possible, given that just recently the FBI itself was infiltrated) your identity and your security would be destroyed.

Unprecedented government control. A database of your online activities and personal information. The end of Internet freedom. No judicial review.

You must be thinking, "Something like this will never happen in the United States of America!"

It CAN HAPPEN and it IS HAPPENING!

Do we really want the government monitoring what we do online? Do we want them to have access to our most personal information? Do we want them spying on law-abiding citizens in the name of "protecting" us?

Of course not! Let's put a stop to this madness right now. The bill could come to a vote soon, as it has already cleared committee. Send your personalized faxes to Congress and tell them to keep their hands off the Internet and demand they preserve our First and Fourth Amendment freedoms!

Oregon Firearms Federation
PO Box 556
Canby, OR 97013

Voice: (503) 263-5830

http://www.oregonfirearms.org

01.25.12 OFF ALERT GUN BILLS INTRODUCED FOR FEBRUARY SESSION. REP KIM THATCHER IS BACK PROTECTING CHL PRIVACY. GINNY BURDICK IS BACK TRYNG TO BAN CONCEALED CARRY ALMOST EVERYWHERE. See the complete alert here. http://oregonfirearms.org/alertspage/2012%20alerts/01.25.12%20alert.html http://tinyurl.com/6tfwkew

Hello Everyone,

 

The meeting with Dave Hunnicutt was very informative.  We learned something new about the Referendum Process.  First, we are going to have to get an initiative on the ballot for every one of the five Urban Renewal Agencies.

 

It’s time to organize and I need two people from the Cities of Coquille, Myrtle Point, North Bend, and Coos Bay.  I will be chief petitioner in Bandon and for the County, so I will need one person to help with both of those initiatives. 

 

If you are interested in leading the charge in your area, then now is the time to step up.  We have people ready to go to your part of the county and help you get signatures.  This is a good way to get more people involved in the process.

 

Here is a link to some of the info you will need to know and do not worry about all the forms.  We are going to become experts by the time this is all over.  Dave Hunnicutt  is willing to help us, so lets take advantage of our situation. 

http://www.oregonvotes.org/pages/irr/index.html

 

Also, here are some important meetings:

Meeting in Myrtle Point on The Bandon Marsh Expansion 1/25/2012Read More......
Republican Meeting with Allen Alley as guest speaker, Don Chance will be speaking on the Bandon Marsh Expansion. 1/26/2012Read More........

Come to a Citizen Watchdog training session in Salem1/31/2012 to 2/1/2012Read More.......


LINCOLN DAY DINNER IN CURRY COUNTY2/11/2012 AT 4:30 PMRead More......


TEA Party Presents Randal O'Toole from The CATO Institute 2/17/2012: Potluck & Property Rights,
Click Here and Read More......

 

 

Keep fighting the good fight

Sincerely,

Rob Taylor

[email protected]

Phone:  541-347-9942 

Meeting in Myrtle Point
Meeting starts at 6:30 pm  1/25/2012
We're meeting at the OSU Extension building in Myrtle Point. You come in to MP on Hwy 42 (about 1/2 hour from Bandon), turn right on Ash, the first possible right turn before you even reach the streetlights, turn right again on 6th and you'll run into the building. You'll see the building off the to right as you approach MP, before you reach the town proper. I just did a google map of 503 Ash St, Myrtle Point - which is the closest I could find to the right address, and the Extension building shows up there.

Dear Editor:

            My fellow Oregonians it has come to my attention that we are being robbed and lied to. For years now we have been told how great the Urban Renewal Project is. Sorry to say I find this a total lie and will explain a little later.

            For years we have witnessed the loss of timber jobs, mills, mining, ranching, fishing and a host of other related jobs to the ones listed. Just note this isn’t all of them. We as Oregonians understand now the importance of being good stewards of the land. Yet almost every day a new regulation or rule is put-up-on-us without due process of the people or government. City, County and State gutless wonders we elect to office fail to protect our rights.

            Every day there is news of more and more restrictions on our civil liberties for the better good of man. This is a total Socialist / Progressive wording to take away from someone and give it to another. This works just fine until there isn’t anyone left to take from. Understand they are not going to take from themselves to aid or support you in the end.

            This now brings me to the Urban Renewal. How are your streets and roads? Poor at best I am guessing! Urban Renewal is taking monies for what? Board Walk in Coos Bay or a host of other look good projects? How about fixing the streets and roads? Fire Protection or fix our schools.

            The numbers that I am about to quote come directly from the reported Coos County: Summary of Assessment and Tax Roll 2011-2012. This is all available from the Internet. Let us now begin to examine our tax dollar expenditures.

 

Coos County Tax Dollars: $59,945,633.22 projected receipts.

 

Projected Expenditures

Coos County: $6,855,700.56                          11%

Cities: $12,876,782.64                                    21%

School Dist’s.: $25,193,800.35                       42%

Rural Fire Dist’s.: $2,499,263.28                      4%

Port Dist’s.: $3,022,133.42                               5%

Libraries: $3,196,500.41                                   5%

4H Service Dist.: $389,792.38                          1%

Road Dist.: $42,833.34               (<1%)            0%

Hospital/Health Dist.: $1,449,881.86                3%

Urban Renewal Agencies: $3,181,477.73        5%

Miss. Dist. & Fees: $1,237,467.15                   2%

            You will note that our Road Funding is a minor $42,833.34 or less than 1% of the current county budget. Yet, our roads are falling apart and becoming a danger to all that drive them. Urban Renewal on the other hand is receiving $3,181,477.73 or 5% of the county budget. Question is this! Which would help the county more? Good roads or Wind Mills and Solar Panels? It’s my opinion that roads would be far more valuable to everyone. I mention Wind Mill Farms and Solar Panels because in their very own writings for Urban Renewal these are HIGH PRIORITY projects. Not the betterment of roads or the development of existing resources to actually create jobs and income.

            I have yet to dive into the State Wide expenditures of the Urban Renewal, but the facts are clear. Here in Coos County we have been lied to and abused by the appointed bureaucrats who need not answer to the people. I have to wonder why our News Media have failed to report these wastes of tax monies. How is it that we the people have become as gullible as to except what is being spoon fed to us by Government and Media. The numbers listed above demonstrate the miss guided ways of government.

Signed: Christopher Long

               Myrtle Point, Or.

Republican Meeting on Thursday 
Jan 26, 2012. Red Lion Hotel, Dinner 5:30PM, Meeting 6:30PM.

Allen Alley, ORP Chairman, will be the guest speaker. Later, Don Chance will also be speaking about the Bandon marshland issue.

Here are some links to another local Blogger.

http://mgx.com/blogs/2012/01/20/chairman-messerles-new-rule/

http://mgx.com/blogs/2012/01/20/commission-rationale-for-investing-in-speculative-bandon-development/

The Owens Building Meeting is now on the Channel 14 website.  Click on the hyperlink below to see it. http://coosmediacenter.pegcentral.com/index.php

http://coosmediacenter.pegcentral.com/player.php?video=40387ae4b3402e4d4f3d49d936eda548 

Also, here is a link to a related story about an Urban Renewal Meeting
http://coosmediacenter.pegcentral.com/player.php?video=3f6961ed629f2e610922f337886ace46

Hello Everyone,

           Many of us in the network were in Coquille this morning for the County Board of Commissioners meeting and it was electrifying.

            The first agenda item was the Bandon Resolution and even with overwhelming opposition the BOC voted in favor of increasing the maximum indebtedness of Bandon’s Urban Renewal.


          On the good side, this part of the battle is finally over.  On the downside, we lost.  However, we now get to use this issue to defeat Commissioner Messerle & Commissioner Parry.  


When our people are out getting those petition signatures, we will get to tell everyone why and blame the two commissioners who put the county further into debt.  

 The next important issue on the BOC Agenda was the Structural Committee.  This committee was created by the two previously mentioned commissioners, so they can change the organizational structure of county government.  The first notable change is the creation of the County Manager position. 

 I call that the anointment of the County Czar, because he will be a bureaucratic attack dog designed to isolate the commissioners from any controversial issues.    The County Manager will be used much like City Managers work for most cities, and I use the Bandon City Manager as a good example of this practice. 

 

          Well, the BOC decided to discuss the issue more thoroughly and they didn’t take any action on it today.

 

          That brings us to the Bandon Marsh Expansion.  The County Commissioners decided not to make any decision until they could review the resolution.  I personally believe Parry is waffling on the issue and may support the expansion on certain level, but to what extent I can only guess.

 

          Also, I want to thank all those wonderful people who spoke up and spoke out at the county meeting today.  We were on the side of reason and any objective person who watches that meeting on tape would have to agree.   You all were well spoken, and to the point. 

 

Remember there is a meeting on Monday with Dave Hunnicutt from Oregonians in Action.  He will be here to discuss a people’s initiative to control Urban Renewal.  If anyone is up in Newmark on Thursday, the USFWS is having a meeting to discuss the Bandon Marsh Expansion.  It’s a long drive, but it would be nice to have someone there to tell our side of the story.

 

Here are the links to this event:

TEA Party "Meet & Greet" w/Dave Hunnicutt from Oregonians in Action

 

 

Sincerely,

Rob Taylor

541-347-9942

Hey Everyone,

Me, Don Chance, and Joan Calhoun are all meeting up here in Bandon, on a very rainy morning, so we can head over to Coquille.  We are going on to the BOC meeting.  They are expecting a big crowd, but the wheather may cause some to stay home. 

Well, here is to the diehards.

Rob 

This file contains the name of all the government officials we need to write letters too.  Remember, it is important to tell them that you are opposed to The Bandon Marsh Expansion, The Comprehensive Conserv

 I went to the meeting with Senator Wyden, which was very well attended by our supporters and he made sure to have his assistant get our names and numbers. He is suppose to have a special meeting on The Bandon Marsh with all of us concerned citizens.

Most of the attendees who got to ask questions, asked about the marsh expansion, so they know we are here and they know we are building an opposition. He is not on our side, but he is facing an election year.

Rob

What is the County Federal Coordination Policy Compact? 
This policy sets up procedures that several Federal Agencies have to follow, so they can conduct federal operations in Coos County.  It will be discussed at the next Commissioners meeting in Jan.

You’ve heard of egregious examples of waste, fraud, and abuse in Oregon and in all levels of government. It seems as though there is a scandal lurking around every capital corner. But how can we hold our elected officials accountable? It’s up to you and I to become citizen watchdogs.

Come to a Citizen Watchdog training session in Salem, and learn how to identify inconsistencies and half-truths in government, and expose them for the lies they are.

Please join AFPF-Oregon, Oregon Capital Watch, and Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity on Jan. 31-Feb. 1 at the Keizer Renaissance Inn for an in-depth training on how to be an effective citizen watchdog. Click here to register.

For only $25 per person, you will learn:

-How to become an information activist
-How to use investigative reporting tools and skills
-How to impact the local government budgeting process
-How to hold elected officials accountable through social media

After the training, we will visit the Oregon State Capitol on the first day of legislative session. You will get a firsthand look at the day-to-day life in the state capitol, and how you can become a part of the process.

More details and an exciting speaker announcement still to come. Seating is limited.

Click here to register.

We hope to see you in Salem.

Best,

Karla Kay Edwards

Legislative History of Urban Renewal in Oregon

Many of the milestones shaping urban renewal in Oregon were state and federal

legislative actions and public votes or court decisions directly related to those

actions.126 The following is a chronology that summarizes those milestones to

date:127

1949: Congress approved Title I of the Federal Housing Act of 1949, the first

landmark legislation regarding urban renewal. The program provided a way to

finance renewal efforts through federal loans and grants to public agencies, with

detailed federal regulations and oversight for how the program was to operate.

1951: The Oregon legislature enabled housing authorities to function as urban

renewal agencies. This enabling legislation, codified in ORS Chapter 457, did not

duplicate or preempt the existing federal urban renewal program, but rather was

supported by the procedural and substantive standards of the federal law. The

Oregon Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the law, and specifically its

eminent domain provisions, in a landmark decision – Foeller et ux. v. Housing

Authority of Portland, 198 OR 205 (1953).

1957: The Oregon legislature made substantial changes to Chapter 457, both in the

definitions and the declaration of necessity and purpose. The legislation also

extended to city councils, county commissions, or an appointed separate body the

power to function as an urban renewal agency.

1960: Oregon voters approved a constitutional amendment, referred by the

legislature, which authorized the use of TIF to finance redevelopment. This

approval made Oregon the second state (after California which pioneered tax

increment financing in 1951) to grant such authority. The amendment provided a

way to increase local resources available for the public match for federal urban

renewal funds. Implementing legislation followed in 1961. Use of TIF was limited

to urban renewal agencies.

1974: Congress passed the Housing and Community Development Act, which

consolidated numerous federal programs and channeled them as block grants to

cities and counties, phasing out the 25 year old federal channeling of funds directly

to urban renewal programs. This congressional action opened the door for TIF as a

major local urban renewal financing method.

1977: The Oregon legislature directed an interim legislative committee to study the

whole area of urban renewal and TIF, in response to concerns that some public

agencies were using tax increment financing inappropriately. The interim

committee was asked to report back to the 1979 session. Its report was completed

by the end of 1977 and recommended significant changes in statutes governing

urban renewal agencies.

Urban Renewal in Oregon, page 55

1979: Based on the interim legislative committee’s work, HB 2083 was introduced.

The final approved legislation substantially rewrote Oregon urban renewal statutes,

providing direction in the formation and operation of renewal agencies. The

legislation expanded the permissible uses of TIF, defined “blight” which is the

defining characteristic of an urban renewal district, restricted the percentage of

assessed value that could be placed within an urban renewal district, and improved

public scrutiny of renewal efforts.

1988: The Oregon Supreme Court determined that urban renewal taxes do not need

to fit within the six percent annual limit on tax base increases. Dennehy v. Oregon

Department of Revenue, 305 OR 595 (1988).

1990: Oregon voters approved Ballot Measure 5, which created a ceiling on

property taxes for non-school and school purposes. All taxes, including tax

increment revenue, had to be categorized for general government, public schools, or

exempt (exempt taxes were those levied for voter approved general obligation

bonds).

1991: The Oregon legislature passed Measure 5 implementing legislation that

provided that all taxes collected by means of TIF be categorized as local

government taxes subject to the $10/$1,000 real market value tax limit. For many

cities this resulted in levied taxes exceeding the limit, and urban renewal agencies

generally reduced or stopped collecting tax increment revenue to lessen the

“compression” losses to general government agencies. In City of Portland v. Smith,

314 OR 178 (1991), the Oregon Supreme Court determined that taxes for payment

of urban renewal bonds were not exempt from Measure 5 limits.

1993: In a special election, Oregon voters rejected Ballot Measure 1, which would

have allowed local voters to exempt taxes for urban renewal bonds from Ballot

Measure 5 limits.

1996: Oregon voters approved Ballot Measure 47, which reduced and limited

property taxes. The impact on TIF was never determined.

1997: In response to the belief that Measure 47 could not be implemented without

substantial litigation, the Oregon legislature referred Measure 50 to a May special

election. Oregon voters approved the measure, which repealed Measure 47 and

replaced Oregon’s levy-based property tax system with a rate-based system.

Because the Measure 50 system of raising urban renewal taxes resulted in

substantially less revenue than before, specific provisions of the measure

“grandfathered” plans in place as of the effective date of Measure 47.

These provisions allowed “existing urban renewal plans” to complete their projects

by means of a special urban renewal levy, which would still be within Measure 5

local government property tax limits. The legislature also passed SB 1215, which

implemented Measure 50, and which allowed municipalities to choose among three

options for the collection of tax increment revenue. The options had different

effects on the taxes raised and the revenue impacts on overlapping taxing districts.

Urban Renewal in Oregon, page 56

2001: The Oregon legislature passed HB 3215, which exempted taxes for future

voter approved bond issues and local option levies from tax increment revenue for

certain urban renewal plans. On December 20, 2001, the Oregon Supreme Court

handed down its decision in Shilo Inn v. Multnomah County et al., 333 OR 101

(2001). This decision will affect the way urban renewal taxes are subjected to the

Measure 5 limits and create the need for yet more changes to Oregon’s property tax

system.