Bob Warren highlighted in his editorial (EW, 5/30) some of the concerns about the value of the MUPTE tax exemption in developing our community. He wonders if the developer benefits really have provided all the good they was supposed to.
A good question. But one of the sure results of MUPTE was that it took money away from our state education budget. Let me show you how.
About 50 percent of our county property tax goes to education. The state Legislature covers the education bill with about two-thirds property tax revenue. The other third comes from income tax and other sources.
That’s what they fight over every year. That is why we underfund state education every year. And that has been so for the past 20 or 30 years. It is predicted that this will be the case in future years.
I feel that putting many “home owners” in tall buildings will aggravate this problem even more — especially if there is a MUPTE exemption on that property.
Trying to pay for the increasing needs of education with property taxes is a losing system. It’s a broken system.
A sales tax — dedicated — in the state constitution could cover not only 4J but also pre kindergarten and a couple years at community college. We could call it an Education Tax.
Bob Cassidy
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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