Tualatin Park Charter Amendment (March 2011)
A Tualatin Park Charter Amendment was on the March 8, 2011 ballot in the city of Tualatin, which is in both Clackamas and Washington Counties.
This measure was approved in both counties.
Clackamas County
- YES 339 (52.15%)
- NO 311 (47.85%)[1]
Washington County
- YES 1,973 (52.73%)
- NO 1,769 (47.27%)[2]
This charter amendment sought to make it so that any proposed major change to a park, greenway or natural area be first approved in a city wide vote. This measure was brought to a vote because of a proposed bridge over Tualatin Community Park which some residents did not want.[3] The group, Protect Tualatin Parks, petitioned for and acquired more than the needed 1,924 valid signatures to get the issue on to the ballot. This amendment will apply to more than 24 park areas within the city.[4] The group had originally tried to get the issue on the November 2010 ballot, but did not get enough signatures before the deadline so they instead looked towards March for their goal.[5]
Opponents
Opponents to the measure said that this was not necessary and would cost the city around $20,000 to hold the special election. A group calling itself Citizens Opposed to Wasting Your Tax Dollars had formed in opposition to the measure, making their stance on the issue clear. The head of the group noted that the language of the measure was vague and left too much open to interpretation. Utility companies had also come out against this measure noting that the language of the proposition was too restrictive in allowing their growth in the city. One member of the city council noted that this could actually end up costing a lot more than residents first believe.[6]
Support
Proponents though noted that the future of the city parks should be in the resident's hands so this measure was worth the effort in the long run. Some members of the city council were in favor of the measure and actually helped gather signatures for the measure.[6]
Additional reading
- The Times, "arly results show success for Tualatin parks charter amendment," March 8, 2011
- The Times, "What will Tualatin’s parks charter amendment do?" February 3, 2011
Footnotes
- ↑ Clackamas County Clerk, March Election Results
- ↑ Washington County Clerk, March Election Results
- ↑ Tualatin Times, "What does 2011 hold for Tualatin?" January 5, 2011
- ↑ The Oregonian, "Tualatin parks initiative to appear on March 2011 ballot," September 14, 2010
- ↑ Tualatin Times, "Tualatin residents push for parks charter amendment," June 3, 2010
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Oregonian, "Tualatin park protections up for March vote," January 27, 2011
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