I support incorporation of a City of Oceanside. I have owned a home in the village of Oceanside since 2013. I have concluded that the Tillamook County government does not have the resources to adequately respond to the unique issues facing Oceanside despite good intentions. We live in a very sensitive area with a national refuge offshore and a state recreational area as our front yard. Anyone in the vicinity bears some responsibility for preserving this special place. I support using City tax dollars to hire a lean professional staff to carryout the operational and planning work that very dedicated (and tired) Oceanside Neighborhood Association volunteers have shouldered for years. I believe that we cannot count on relying on the group of tireless volunteers that have been working on a full time basis to watch out for the interests of our area.
I believe that an incorporated City of Oceanside will be able to leverage new sources of revenue that will benefit the City and Tillamook County alike. I have watched as it took a number of years to coordinate the jurisdictions involved to build a sorely need accessible beach ramp in Oceanside. I have observed variances routinely granted by the county permitting non-conforming structures. I have seen the spirit of the height restrictions skirted by clever designers. We have witnessed a disproportionate amount of the short term rental tax generated by Oceanside vacation homes distributed to other areas of the county.
Forming a City will allow Oceansiders to have a meaningful voice in local issues and to find the way forward on creating affordable housing for new full time residents, balancing and maintaining its historic role providing vacation rentals, and planning for the increased use of our beaches and town as a vacation destination and home for Oceansiders. Hopefully incorporation will deepen and strengthen our relationship with Tillamook County and all of our neighbors.
For all of these reasons I support incorporation of a new City of Oceanside.
Leslie Kay, resident of Oceanside
* To the extent that the new tax would be an economic hardship, some lower income seniors and disabled people may qualify for property tax deferral through State of Oregon programs.https://www.oregon.gov/dor/programs/property/Pages/deferral.aspx