Eugene asking voters to approve another bond for street preservation, active transportation
If approved, a $61.2 million bond would continue to provide funding needed to maintain Eugene’s streets and improve the overall transportation system.
The bond measure, which is on the Nov. 8 ballot, is “an extension of the current road bond we have in place” and the fourth iteration of the measure, said Brian Richardson, spokesperson for the city’s public works department.
“We still have a need that we've seen inside of our transportation network for road maintenance, street maintenance,” Richardson said.
In addition to pavement preservation, the bond would provide millions for active transportation, street trees and safety projects, he said.
The city has other sources of funding, he said, including the gas tax, but those don’t provide as much revenue. For example, the gas tax provides $3 million a year for roadwork, but the most recent pavement management report calls for $10.4 million a year for pavement preservation on major city streets and $1.7 million to keep residential streets from crumbling.
The bond measures have been critical to helping the city’s efforts to effectively manage streetwork, Richardson said.
“Without it, we'd have to look for additional revenue sources to keep the backlog from getting too long,” he said.
What am I voting on?
Question: Shall Eugene repair streets and fund walking, bike safety and street tree projects using $61.2 million in general obligation bonds?
The taxes would first be levied in November 2024 after the 2017 street bond taxes end in 2023. Tax rates for bonds aren't subject to state-set limits on property tax rates.
What will it cost me?
Rate: $0.63 per $1,000 of assessed value, which is different from home value.
Typical cost: According to the ballot measure, $169 a year for the average homeowner. That's for a home with an assessed value of around $268,000.
Assessed value is different than the amount a home could sell for on the market.
To find your home's assessed value, go to bit.ly/lane-county-easy-property-lookup and put in your address after accepting the terms and conditions.
Once the site finds your property, click on the number next to "Tax Account Data."
On the new page, which should open in a separate tab, scroll down to the table that shows assessed value on the first line. Current data shows assessed value for 2021 all the way back to 2011.
After you’ve found your assessed value, divide by 1,000 and multiply by 0.63 to get an estimate of how much the levy will cost you a year.
This is a renewal at the same rate as the previous bond measure, so it won’t increase your tax bill beyond the impact of increased property values.
How much will it raise?
If approved, the measure would generate around $11.3 million in the first year then increasing amounts based on inflation.
What will it fund?
The majority of the funds would help repair 43 named streets, City Engineer Jenifer Willer told officials.
Chambers Street between 13th and 18th avenues, expected to cost $1.74 million
Grant Street between 18th and 23rd avenues, expected to cost around $700,000
Hayes Street between 18th Avenue and the dead end to the sound, expected to cost around $700,000
Pierce Street between 18th and 23rd avenues, expected to cost around $700,000
Willamette Street between 13th and 18th avenues, expected to cost $1.03 million
Agate Street between Agate Street and 31st Avenue, expected to cost $622,700
Harris Street at the intersection of 29th Avenue, expected to cost around $140,000
31st Avenue between Agate and Onyx streets, expected to cost around $970,000
Huckleberry Street from Pine Canyon Drive to the dead end, expected to cost around $120,000
Pine Canyon Drive from Vine Maple Street to the end, expected to cost around $880,000
South Ridge Drive from Spring Boulevard to the end, expected to cost around $260,000
Spring Boulevard from North Shasta Loop to just east of South Ridge Drive, expected to cost $1.1 million
Vine Maple Street between Agate Street and Spring Boulevard, expected to cost around $630,000
24th Avenue between Columbia and Agate streets, expected to cost around $530,000
Agate Street between 22nd and 27th avenues, expected to cost $1.7 million
University Street between 23rd and 24th avenues, expected to cost around $450,000
22nd Avenue between Alder and Potter streets, expected to cost around $990,000
Sunset Drive between Fairmount Boulevard and Parkside Drive, expected to cost around $860,000
Longview Street from Fairmount Boulevard to the end, expected to cost around $470,000
Bailey Lane between Luella Street and Coburg Road, expected to cost around $450,000
Kinsrow Avenue from Commons Drive to just west of Chevy Chase Street, expected to cost around $770,000
Lindley Lane between MLK Jr Boulevard and Bardell Avenue, expected to cost $1.2 million
Honeysuckle Lane from Harlow Road to just south of Harlow Road, expected to cost around $360,000
Van Avenue starting at Luella Street and going 730 feet east, expected to cost around $390,000
Jeppesen Acres Road between Coburg and Gilham roads, expected to cost $2 million
North Delta Highway between Ayres and Green Acres roads, expected to cost $2 million
Echo Hollow Road between the northern job of Willhi Street and Royal Avenue, expected to cost $1.5 million
Ohio Street between Jessen Drive and Burnett Avenue, expected to cost around $990,000
Waite Street between Hawthorne and Royal avenues, expected to cost around $660,000
Terry Street from the north end to Barger Drive, expected to cost $2.3 million
Irvington Drive between the driveway of 110 Irvington Drive and Northwest Expressway, expected to cost $2.2 million
River Road between Green Lane and Beltline Road, expected to cost $2 million
Bethel Drive from 1006 Bethel Drive to Roosevelt Boulevard, expected to cost $2.7 million
14th Avenue between Wilson Court and City View Street, expected to cost around $790,000
Commerce Street between 11th and 13th avenues, expected to cost around $560,000
Plumtree Drive from Bailey Hill Road to the end, expected to cost around $690,000
Westleigh Street starting at Bailey Hill Road and going 650 feet to the east, expected to cost around $680,000
Willow Creek Road from 352 feet south of West 11th Avenue to 18th Avenue, expected to cost $1.9 million
McLean Boulevard from Chambers Street to Graham Drive, expected to cost $2 million
Club Road from MLK Jr Boulevard to Cedarwood Drive, expected to cost around $890,000
County Farm Road between Dale Avenue and Kinney Loop, expected to cost around $790,000
Country Club Road between Southwood Lane and Cedarwood Drive, expected to cost around $430,000
River Road between Wedgewood Drive and Green Lane, expected to cost $3 million
Another $3 million per year for five years would go toward walking, biking, safety and street tree projects. The city plans to split that total of $15 million five ways:
$5 million for walking projects
$3 million for biking projects
$3 million for safety projects
$2 million for street projects
$2 million to be allocated as opportunities arise, such as matching funds for grants.
Learn more
There’s more information on the bond measure, previous bonds and the condition of city streets at eugene-or.gov/1086/Bond-Measures-to-Fix-Streets.
Contact city government watchdog Megan Banta at mbanta@registerguard.com. Follow her on Twitter @MeganBanta_1.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Election: Eugene seeks $61.2 bond for road repairs, safety projects
