Jackson County, Oregon rejects tax to reopen libraries

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Map highlighting Oregon in the United States

Jackson County, Oregon in the United States voted to reject measure 15-75, which would have provided funding to reopen county libraries, closed since April 6. The new levy, at US$0.66 per US$1000 of assessed property value, would have provided funding to open the 15 libraries left unfunded after the U.S. Congress did not renew the Secure Rural Schools and Self-Determination Act. A similar levy was defeated in November, 2006.

County Commissioners Jack Walker and Dave Gilmour blamed the defeat not on a lack of support for libraries, but a reticence to pay additional taxes. Gilmour noted an oncoming recession and called libraries "just one more casualty of the Iraq War," while Walker said voters reacted against tax-and-spend measures.

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