Grants Pass, Ore — The residents of Grants Pass say no to a proposed sales tax in their tonight local business owners are breathing a sigh of relief.
On the streets of Grants Pass it was clear Measure 17-67 wasn’t popular, but few expected the measure to lose in the way it did.
Even so, local business owners tell me they’re happy to have the tax behind them.
“It’s not fair, period,” said Sandi Crowder, owner of Sandi’s Candies in Grants Pass on G Street.
“This tax would have taxed businesses, there’s over 3000 business license in the city of Grants Pass, it would have effected 700 of them, it would have effected the businesses that sell products,” said Chamber of Commerce President Colene Martin.
As you walk up and down G Street in Grants Pass you notice plenty of signs outside local businesses that say ‘Stop the local sales tax, vote no on measure 17-67’ And 78% of Grants Pass voters voted along those lines.
For local business owners like Crowder, that’s good news.
“None of the businesses that I know, wanted this sales tax,” said Crowder.
Crowder has been baking candies and fudge at her store for more than a decade. In that time she’s seen 3 similar sales tax proposals.
“We don’t want to be the first one to have a tax, how many times does Oregon have to say, no tax,” said Crowder.
That’s why Crowder says her fellow businesses rallied together to stop the latest proposal, which would have helped fund the judicial system and public safety.
Now the city will have to find another source of funding.
“They need to get creative, so it’s fair, not just for the city but for the county,” said Crowder.
And 78-percent of Grants Pass voters agreed.
“We need police, we want them, it’s their way of going and getting it and we keep voting it down, we’ll vote it down again,” said Curtis Lopez.
While the vote was heavily against the tax proposal only 48-percent of registered voters turned in their ballots.
No word yet on if the Grants Pass city council plans to revive the tax in one form or another for next year’s primary elections.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.