Published: Sunday, August 15, 2010, 10:02 PM
Lori Tobias, The Oregonian
Five years ago, when Jerry and Barbara Woods bought their house in the Roads End neighborhood just north of Lincoln City, they found a letter in their mailbox from City Hall, and it wasn’t a welcome to the neighborhood.
Rather, the letter gave the Woodses a choice: agree to let the city annex Roads End or do without water and sewer service.
They signed. But they wouldn’t have, said Jerry Woods, “if there hadn’t been a gun to our heads.”
Roger Middleton got the same letter when he tried to change the name on his account to include his wife. He ignored the letter and left the name unchanged.
But in coming months, property owners in Roads End won’t have that option. The City Council in Lincoln City recently adopted an ordinance allowing the council to designate by resolution areas to be annexed. Next comes the resolution and after that the letters, saying in short, agree to annexation or no water and sewer for you.
Roads End residents say it’s blackmail, coercion, bullying.
Lincoln City says it’s only fair.
What’s certain is that it’s the latest example of a small town trying to broaden its tax base to cover city services while residents outside city limits fight to maintain their independence. Continue reading →
Like this:
Like Loading...