$230 Million “Taj Mahal” Courthouse Won’t Solve County’s Most Pressing Problems

As you may know, Clackamas County is planning on building a new courthouse. This action goes against polling data which shows that 78% of county voters say NO to being taxed for a courthouse.

County Commission Chair Jim Bernard supports yet another tax increase to build what is estimated to be a $230 million building. The intention of Bernard and the commission leadership to pursue this plan has met with resistance by voters who already feel the burden of the $6 billion tax increase brought to you by the 2019 legislature, the impending Cap-and-Trade carbon tax, the County’s increase in vehicle registration fee, and four new Metro taxes slated for the Nov 2020 election ballot.

As your County Commission Chair, I would look at other ways to accommodate the needs presented by our crowded judicial system. The fact of the matter is that few residents see the benefit of an exorbitant new courthouse when the county is facing more pressing regional problems. Voters think traffic congestion, over-taxation and government spending, and homelessness rank higher as problems to fix. A new courthouse will do nothing to address those concerns.As brick-and-mortar stores continue to close, a lease option for those buildings could provide a cost benefit, if only our elected officials would start to think differently. Leasing and retrofitting abandoned retail spaces would serve as a win-win for both taxpayers and property owners. County judges, the District Attorney and all five of our county commissioners are pushing this opulent, walnut-appointed “Taj Mahal” structure on the backs of its citizens.

The benefits of my approach to an overcrowded courthouse and legal infrastructure are:

1. Uses existing, available retail space to keep property on the tax rolls to fund more services.

2. Lessens the tax burden for county residents.

3. Frees up limited tax money, and unleashes the creative energy of our people to seek solutions to the county’s most pressing problems of homelessness, crime, and acute and chronic mental health crises.

In my opinion, as a former county commissioner and longtime Clackamas County resident, an enhanced jail facility would be of much greater value to the county’s overall societal health than a budget-busting new courthouse.

Voters grow increasingly angry over continued taxation as the solution to solving problems. They want instead a leader who will listen and who can think outside the box in solving societal ills.

Looking at our problems through a new lens won’t cost money. But the cost of continuing down the path of fiscally irresponsible taxation for frivolous pet-projects will result in fiscal disaster.

That’s why I’m asking for your support.