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Affordable Housing: Eugene Construction Excise Tax Public Hearing

  • Harris Hall 125 E. 8th Ave. Eugene, OR 97401 (map)

Make your voice heard at the Eugene City Council public hearing as the council considers enacting a groundbreaking Construction Excise Tax (CET) to fund affordable housing units in our city.

Housing advocates' efforts to pass a CET to fund affordable housing began in 2016 when the Oregon Legislature passed SB 1533, which allowed county and municipal governments to levy taxes on new construction to help fund affordable housing. The Eugene City Council took up the question in 2017, and in December the Housing Policy Board unanimously passed a strong recommendation to enact a CET to fund affordable housing in Eugene.

Now after obstruction and stonewalling from the business lobby, the CET is finally up for a vote by the Eugene City Council. The next step is the public hearing for the ordinance that will create the CET. Big money special interests are likely to be out in force to undermine the CET, but affordable housing advocates have something more powerful on their side: Democrats like you who will stand up and speak out in favor of the CET and in support of building a safer and more inclusive community.

The DPLC Central Committee resolved to support the CET in April 2018. Working families in Eugene are counting on us to show up and speak out Tuesday night.

Two more ordinances are also being considered Tuesday, an anti-panhandling ordinance and a nuisance ordinance. Petitions against both are available to download and mail in for submission to the City Council online here and here.