Dear editor;
On behalf of Oregon’s 242 cities, the League of Oregon Cities would like to thank Representative Jules Bailey (SE Portland) for his leadership on property tax reform during the 2013 legislative session.
Our state’s property tax system is broken. Statewide property tax limits reduce what Portland voters have approved to spend on their schools by $28 million, and property owners with similarly-valued homes often pay dramatically different amounts in property taxes.
Rep. Bailey spearheaded commonsense solutions that would empower local voters to fund their schools and others services at a level they deem sufficient, and fought to improve the fairness of the system.
While the Legislature failed to improve our property tax system this session, Rep. Bailey helped elevate the issue and educated his fellow lawmakers about a system in dire need of improvement. For that, the League and its member cities thank him.
Mike McCauley
Executive Director
League of Oregon Cities