Oak Ridge Council Faces TABOR Choice
I received the following press release from the Oak Ridge Accountability Project today.

Oak Ridge City Council Asked: Will You Bring a TABOR to a Public Vote or Not?

The Oak Ridge Accountability Project has formally asked the Oak Ridge City Council to decide by its next scheduled council meeting whether it will place a Taxpayers Bill of Rights (TABOR) on the ballot for consideration by Oak Ridge citizens in 2003 or not. The request was contained in a letter delivered yesterday afternoon to the City Clerk's office. The chief feature of the TABOR is a requirement that Oak Ridge voters approve all future tax-rate and long-term debt increases.

A TABOR proposal has been under consideration by the council for almost two months. "We are asking them to come to a decision at this time so that we can plan our actions for the remainder of the year," said Martin McBride, Spokesperson for the group.

Visible signs of a widening gap between city government and large groups of Oak Ridge citizens were clearly indicated when the city council was successfully challenged over a multi-million-dollar bond measure earlier this year. Over 5,500 people (more people than voted in the previous municipal election) signed a protest petition within twenty days of the bond's passage to force the measure onto an Oak Ridge election ballot.

Subsequently, the measure was defeated by nearly a thousand votes - despite a lopsided pro-bond political campaign that outspent its opposition $200,000 to $59.

Oak Ridge property tax rates are currently amongst the highest in the state, far above those of nearby communities that compete with the city for new residents and businesses. The city experienced sizable tax and utility rate hikes this year, with more slated for each of the next several years.

"We are excited about the potential benefits of a TABOR to this city. We proposed an initial version two months ago, in the hope of forging a partnership with the city. We sincerely hope the council has heard the call for a change and will choose to work with us in finalizing a TABOR option for the voters to consider," said McBride.

If the council refuses to place a TABOR before Oak Ridge taxpayers, citizens have the option of forcing the matter onto the ballot by petitioning for an independent city charter commission. In that scenario a seven-member elected commission (rather than the city council) would draft a reform package to put in front of the Oak Ridge voters for approval in a subsequent election.

The next Oak Ridge City Council meeting will be held a week from next Monday, on October 21. The Accountability Project has scheduled a follow-on meeting of supporters and potential petition volunteers to discuss the group's response two days later, on Wednesday, October 23, 2003 at the Mid-Town Community Center.

"If the council will not put a TABOR before the voters, a key question we will discuss with our supporters and volunteers is: which accountability reform actions do they wish us to cover in the resulting petition drive?

This would be the second city-wide petition drive this year and everyone would like to see it be the last one for a while. These drives require a lot of sacrifice on the part of many Oak Ridge citizens."

"Over the past few months, the citizens have asked us to pursue a variety of accountability-enhancing reforms for Oak Ridge, including: installing a TABOR within the city charter; returning the city to a system of district-based representation; changing to a full-time (and salaried) Mayor function; calling for an immediate property tax roll-back next year; and providing voters with the option of changing council direction through a recall campaign."

"Many within the city have told us that they are frustrated with the direction of Oak Ridge government and that they very much want the opportunity to vote on reform measures. We hope a petition drive will not be necessary to give them that opportunity. However, if one is needed, we will do our best to ensure that we bring forward the options that they wish to consider."

All interested Oak Ridge taxpayers are urged to tune in to the next city council meeting. Following that meeting, supporters and potential petition volunteers are also urged to attend the Accountability Project session on October 23 at 6:00 pm at the Mid-Town Community Center, in order to find out the latest information and to provide input for the group's response.

The proposed Oak Ridge TABOR is posted on the web at tntaxrevolt.org. For further information, contact the Oak Ridge Accountability Project at (865) 482-7346 or send them an email at: accountable -at- comcast.net.