EAGLE POINT, Ore. — The Eagle Point School District is asking the Secretary of State’s office to investigate mailers sent out to voters.
It says an anonymous group is spreading false information about its school bond.
The school district says the flyer has no return address and is from a group that doesn’t exist in campaign finance filings, which is something that’s required by law.
It’s concerning many, especially before the upcoming election.
“We want our voters to have accurate information before they cast their ballot…,” said Allen Barber, Eagle Point School District.
It’s almost election day, a day supporters of the Eagle Point School bond say they’ve been waiting months for. The school district says its schools are in desperate need of upgrades… from additional security features to updated learning facilities.
“We have a pretty large amount of money set from this bond to renovate, modernize every classroom,” said Barber.
But a flyer that’s circulating in town has the potential to jeopardize all their hard work.
“It provided information that was bloated…a scare tactic, if you will,” he said.
Barber, who works for the Eagle Point School District, says the flyer is full of inaccuracies, such as how Eagle Point residents’ property taxes will increase by $400.
“They based that on an accessed value of $400,000, but the average property value here is $145,000,” said Barber.
Allen says the flyer doesn’t have a return address and is from an anonymous group called “Citizens for Better Management, No Higher Taxation.”
The group doesn’t exist in campaign finance filings, something that’s required by law. That’s why Eagle Point School District Board Chairman, Nita Lundberg, took action.
“She choose to file a complaint with the Secretary of State…,” said Barber. “Mrs. Lunberg’s not going to let this go by.”
NBC5 News spoke with residents who say they received the flyer; Many said it didn’t influence how they were voting.
“Everybody, like I said, wants your money. I just don’t have it, I’m sorry. And I’m sure a lot of people are in the same boat that I’m in,” said Linda Bindt, Eagle Point resident.
As the election draws closer, the school district says they’re still hopeful the bond will pass. However, the flyer isn’t something they take lightly.
“We don’t need an anonymous group confusing people on purpose. We want to make sure the right information is out there,” said Barber.
The school district says they plan to send out their own flyer on Tuesday showing the inaccuracies of the previous one.
As it’s written in the voters pamphlet, the bond measure would cost homeowners 89 cents per $1,000 of a home’s assessed value. That’s about $133 for a $150,000 home.
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