Proposed Charter Amendment Ballot Measures

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In November 2024, Lane County voters will have the opportunity to consider four proposed amendments to the Lane County Home Rule Charter. If passed by voters, three of the four proposed amendments would remove sections of the Charter that reference programs or property that no longer exist or are no longer owned by Lane County Government. The fourth proposed amendment would, if passed by voters, establish a new section of the Charter to create new rules regarding the redistricting of commissioner districts.

Proposed Ballot Measure 20-359

If passed by voters, proposed Ballot Measure 20-359 would change the charter by removing Section 32, which requires the use of complicated calculations to establish current spending limits.

In 1984, Lane County voters established a general fund spending limitation. At the time property taxes were largely set at the local level. Since then, measures 5 (1990), 47 (1996), and 50 (1997) have been adopted, limiting property taxes as set by the Oregon Constitution. If the measure passes, property tax limitations in the Oregon Constitution would continue to apply. If the measure does not pass, tax limitations would remain in the Lane County Home Rule Charter.

View the current Section 32 of the Lane County Home Rule Charter.

Proposed Ballot Measure 20-360

East Alton Baker Park is comprised of 237 acres of land within Alton Baker Park that was previously owned by Lane County. In 1993, ownership of East Alton Baker Park was transferred from Lane County to the City of Eugene and Willamalane Park and Recreation District.

Section 33 of the Lane County Home Rule Charter outlines restrictions on the use of East Alton Baker Park, which is no longer owned by Lane County. If passed by voters, proposed Ballot Measure 20-360 would remove Section 33 from the Lane County Home Rule Charter. If voters do not pass the proposed measure, Section 33 will remain in the Lane County Home Rule Charter.

View the current Section 33 of the Lane County Home Rule Charter.

Proposed Ballot Measure 20-361

If passed by voters, proposed Ballot Measure 20-361 would change the Charter by removing Section 34, which currently sets restrictions for an income tax that has never existed.

Section 34 was created in May 2007 when voters considered two related items. The first item would have created a Public Safety Income Tax. The second item created a cap on the tax rate and restricts how that tax could be spent. The first item was not passed by voters; however, the second item was – resulting in a section of the Charter that sets limits on an income tax that never existed.

If passed by voters, proposed Ballot Measure 20-361 would remove Section 34 from the Lane County Home Rule Charter. If voters do not pass the proposed measure, Section 34 will remain in the Lane County Home Rule Charter.

View the current Section 34 of the Lane County Home Rule Charter.

Proposed Ballot Measure 20-362

If passed by voters, proposed Ballot Measure 20-362 would add a new subsection 10(4), amend subsection 10(3)(d) and repeal subsection 10(3)(e) of the Lane County Home Rule Charter.

If passed by voters, the measure would amend the Charter to transfer the power to draw and adopt county commissioner district boundaries for Lane County from the Lane County Board of County Commissioners to a newly created Citizens Redistricting Commission, and would establish a one-time, mid-cycle redistricting effort. The effort would begin upon the measure being passed by voters in order to draw county commissioner district boundaries that would be in effect prior to the 2026 election. Thereafter, redistricting would occur each year ending in number one.

If passed by voters, proposed Ballot Measure 20-362 would create a new process for redistricting in Lane County and begin a mid-cycle redistricting process. If voters do not pass the proposed measure, none of the changes listed below would be made to the Lane County Home Rule Charter.

View the following here:

Proposed language for a new subsection 10(4)

Proposed revision of Section 10(3)d

Current Section 10(3)e

The information on this webpage was taken from a flyer reviewed by the Oregon Elections Division for compliance with ORS 260.432. Linked material was unable to be reviewed.

Download the original flyer.