ASHLAND, Ore.– Ashland residents will soon be deciding whether an $8.2 million bond should pass in the May primary election.
The bond will be mostly focused on renovating the 100-year-old city hall, $1 million of it will go to fixing Pioneer Hall and the Community Center. If passed, residents will pay about 21 cents per $1,000 of assessed value over 20 years.
The city got it on the ballot before the pandemic but some city councilors believe it’s now the wrong time to be asking residents to pay for a bond at a time the economy is beginning to falter.
“That construction will last roughly two years, year and a half to two years,” said Ashland City Councilor Julie Akins. “So that’s a long time to disrupt the plaza where our businesses have already been struggling due to the pandemic and prior to that wildfires.”
Ultimately, whatever decision is made by the public Akins says she’ll support it. However, with a new jail district levy also on the ballot, she believes residents won’t accept the city hall bond.
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