Unofficial election results across Southern Oregon

320x180_60120B00-QJGUIOre. – Residents in Grants Pass put in their two cents about becoming the only city in the state with a sales tax.

Ashland may have their food tax, but this would be on all goods.

Nearly half of all registered voters in Grants Pass cast ballots for Tuesdays special election.

The big measure on the ballot? Sales tax.

With about a 45% turn out rate, the city shot down the idea. 78% against, 22% in favor.

Measure 1767 would have created a 2% sales tax on goods within the city, funding public safety and the criminal justice system.

It would also have eliminated a property tax levy and jail utility fee. But with voters turning it down, this marks yet another failed attempted tax in a long line of proposals to bolster funds for public safety.

Those programs are struggling now due to lost federal timber payments.

In Gold Hill, residents voted not to increase property taxes 2 dollars and 64 cents per 1,000 dollars of assessed valuation.

Voters overwhelmingly voted it down 77 percent against, to 23 percent in favor.

The measure also would have funded a contracted officer from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department to serve as a city police officer.

In Rogue River, the levy for fire district one was renewed.

The levy was first approved in 2000 and the cost to tax payers remains unchanged.

The property tax provides approximately 13 percent of the station’s operating cost.

And Phoenix voters also approved the city’s new charter.

The vote: 79 percent for and 21 percent against.

The new charter will take affect thirty days from now.

Finally, voters in Coos County cast their votes on preserving gun rights with about 27 percent turnout. The so-called “Second Amendment Preservation Ordinance” passed Tuesday night 61 percent to 39 percent.
The initiative will ban the use of county funds to enforce state background checks or many new gun laws in the future.

The sheriff will be given authority to determine whether gun laws violate the state or US constitution.

The other measure on the ballot for the county failed by 5 percent. It would have imposed a ten percent tax on lodging guests in hotels, campgrounds, RV parks, and other short term places to stay.

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