By Scott Unger • Of the News-Register • 

Commissioners walk back plan to give $100k to food pantries; King proposes lodging tax

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Comments

manyhands

TESTIFY TO KEEP YAMHELAS TRAIL!
ATTEND TRAIL HEARING TO BE HELD 7 pm Thursday, December 4, at YC Court House 525 NE 5th St McMinnville Room 32 (basement of the court house).
1. You may email comments before 5 pm. Wednesday Dec.3 to planning@yamhillcounty.gov
2. Any comments received day of hearing must be submitted in writing (you must provide 12 copies) to YC Planning located on the second floor of the former Oregon Mutual bldg, 400 NE Baker St., McMinnville.
3. If anyone wishes to testify at the hearing they can sign up the night of the hearing to testify.
A little background:
In 2020 construction on the trail was well underway with support from citizens and a $1.5 million from the state. Despite its popularity, Mary Starrett (who had initially voted in support of the trail) and newly-elected County Commissioner Lindsay Berschauer killed the project.
By spring of 2021 building had come to a halt and a bridge outside Yamhill stood half completed. Then the county spent money to tear it down. Mary and Lindsay returned the $1.5 million.
In short, the two bowed to wealthy farmers who said the trail would adversely affect farming. The farmers also made it clear they did not want city people (ugh!) to sully "their" county.
They killed it even though there have been many successful workarounds for all kinds of concerns. After all, “rail-to-trail” projects exist all over the United States. There are 23 in Oregon alone.
They killed it because wealthy farmers like Celine McCarthy and the George family, who own land next to the trail, made large campaign donations to Mary and Lindsay and also to Jason Fields. Jason, who got elected to the park board in Newberg, viciously blocked a simple walking trail in that city because he and his supporters did not want to set precedent for the Yamhelas trail. Jason is now running for YC commissioner.
But good news! Funding is again available. OR Park & Rec announced $1.6 million in grant funds available.
Let's get the trail back!

manyhands

The good news is, Yamhill County's nine planning commissioners must hold the Dec. 4 hearing to allow citizens to submit letters and testify. After receiving testimonies the planning commissioners must make a recommendation to YC commissioners to keep or remove the trail.

The bad news is, county planning commissioners are appointed by Yamhill County Commissioners.

Let's just hope the nine planning commissioners are not beholden to Mary and Kit. I say this because in 2023, Mary, Kit, and county commissioner at the time Lindsay Berschauer appointed six candidates with jaw-dropping conflicts of interest and lack of qualifications to the county parks advisory board.

The appointments included Celine McCarthy who owns land adjacent to Yamhelas trail and has been a vocal opponent of the trail. McCarthy and her husband, Greg, who was convicted in federal court the previous year of financial fraud, were among the largest campaign finance donors to Lindsay, according to the News Register article "Commissioners engineer takeover of parks board; two resign in protest."

All we can hope is a large outpouring of letters and testimony will convince the planning commission to drop any allegiance to the commissioners and recognize two very important things: Yamhill County citizens and businesses have indicated repeatedly they want and would benefit greatly from the trail.

LieslForve

Bubba’s proposal for a transit lodging tax will provide revenue for parks maintenance and improvements and will provide funds to promote Yamhill County to travelers. I have never made a travel decision based on the transit lodging tax policy of my destination options. This revenue is needed and won’t cost our heavily taxed residents a dime.

Bigfootlives

You have never made a decision on a transient lodging tax, but you have damn sure made a decision on where you were staying on the price of a hotel room. Should we stay in Newberg or push on to Sherwood and save $20?

Bubba does have a great point(it had to happen sooner or later) about the new county fair grounds. Dump any and all money that they want to spend on these stupid trails and invest it in new fair grounds.

And once again, Bubba never met a tax that he didn’t like. Let’s elect all of his friends!

Doggydude

Why are you so negative about EVERYTHING bigfootlives? A cursory search shows that Washington County (Sherwood) has had a 9% lodging tax since 2006. That is the rate proposed by Bubba. I just wish I could read a comment from you that isn't flippant or negative. But go ahead and call me a snowflake.

Otis

Dog,
don't engage the entity.

Ron

Bubba King the King of new taxes.
Shocker! he’s probably still trying to get more gas and travel money from the county so why not continuously advocate for more taxes ? He’s a typical politician the only job hr does is ask for more money from the public.

tagup

Granting million dollar tax breaks to large companies ( that support your campaign) and reducing county revenue for 15 years, does indeed have ramifications.
See “Commissioners grant multi-million dollar tax break to Hampton Lumber..”
NR May 26, 2023.

treefarmer


Doggydude - “WHY” is such a tricky question. Having read so many vitriolic “messages” posted here by classic trolls, the “why,” it seems to me, is that spiteful negativity provides a perverse sense of power and gratification. Spewing false information and gas lighting and insulting others is evidently its own reward. All alone with a phone or computer (in a basement somewhere?) one forlorn person can relish the idea that he/she may be able to make others miserable too. (The old adage that misery LOVES company is alive and well in the age of the internet.) Allow me to rain on the troll parade – it ain’t working.

tagup – always appreciate the posting of those pesky facts! (More than one way to rain on the troll parade?)

Commissioner King – thank you for your compassion for our citizens and your common sense approach to governing. Your supporters have your back.

Mot

Let's remember many hands got involved illegally sending contractors at the expense of the taxpayers to build an unpermitted illegal bridge at Stag Hollow Creek and also sent Yamhill County employed maintenance workers to do maintenance on the so-called our trail. Not to mention the the Yamhill County lawyers that they hired to support it. Let's not forget Yamhill County got the money to buy it from another free handout from a government grant. Big government working at its finest. Putting us further in debt as a nation. Thank you very much X Yamhill County Commissioners involved along with the Scamhellas light rail trail financial backers and supporters. I could name names but I shall not. Scrap it from the transportation plan budget. Straight up.
Let's show up put an end to this once and for all.

Join the zoom to testify in OPPOSITION or show up in person at the Yamhill County Courthouse room 32 December 4th at 7 p.m.

https://thetruthaboutthetrail.com/

M. Isaac

I have been looking at the original 2012 records to place the trail in the County's plan and was surprised that the Commissioner who originally pushed for the corridor and applied for not one, but two grants was Leslie Lewis - Someone whom I would characterize as conservative. It's clear if you look at the November 29, 2012 minutes. Near the bottom of the first page of those minutes it states, "Ms. Lewis stated that the county is preparing a Transportation Enhancement Grant application for this project and that application is due December 13, 2012. She said that the county also submitted an application on November 27, 2012, for another grant opportunity for this project through Oregon Department of Transportation's Enhance-It Program." In addition there is a November 5, 2012 e-mail in the file from Leslie Lewis to staff which makes it clear she wanted the "Yamhelas Rail and Trail" added to the plan so it would increase the chances for the grants being funded.

Ward

Maybe MI.
That was then, this is now!

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