Commissioners balk at letter from DeFazio.

Byline: COUNTY BEAT By Randi Bjornstad The Register-Guard

A recent Peter-to-Peter letter exchange might have created less of a flap if Oregon Congressman Peter DeFazio and Board of Commissioners Chairman Peter Sorenson had simply picked up the phone for a person-to-person tete-a-tete.

DeFazio started it all after reading an article in Portland's Oregonian newspaper that he said named Lane County as "the last county in the state preparing to replace the outmoded punch-card system that has plagued area voters for years."

"I simply do not understand how Lane County Elections can delay updating its voting system," DeFazio said in his Aug. 15 letter. "I urge you to make sure the Lane County Elections Division provides area voters with the modern voting system they deserve and federal law demands."

The commissioners responded with a you-can-catch-more-flies-with-honey-than-vinegar letter to reassure DeFazio of their diligence. But in a huff of his own, Sorenson voted against sending the letter even though as chairman he'll have to sign it.

Because optical scanners take up so much more room than paper-ballot counters, the county not only must get the equipment, but find a bigger office to house it. That's no mean feat in these leaner-than-lean budget times, the commissioners explained.

But even with that complication, Lane County won't be the last to convert, the commissioners said.

"Clackamas County Elections is in a similar timeline as Lane County," or perhaps even a little behind, they said.

Lane County hopes to have its system in place by December for use in the May primary, with everything moved to a new location by November 2004.

"We also want to thank you for your hard work and support of the federal requirements," the commissioners ended, probably more sweetly than some felt.

Bus schedule changes

ready to roll Sunday

The Lane Transit District's annual changes to bus routes and times go into effect Sunday. Among the more significant changes:

Redesign of routes 65 and 12, serving Coburg Road and the Gateway Mall.

A new route - 68 VRC/Green Acres - to provide better service on Sundays between the downtown Eugene station and Valley River Center.

Additional midday service on River Road.

Bus riders have several ways to find out if their routes will be affected. They

can check the new 2003-04 LTD Rider's Digest, available at the downtown Eugene station, on board buses or at any LTD sales outlet. The Internet also has the information, at www.ltd.org. For telephone assistance, call 687-5555 or [phone] TTY-Oregon relay.

Tourism holding on

despite downtown

Despite a good return-on-investment estimate, Lane County tourism officials still have a few worries about how the county is faring in the slow economy.

Director Kari Westlund of the Convention & Visitors Association of Lane County reported to county commissioners recently that every dollar of room-tax revenue they invested in the pro-tourism organization last year generated $50 in local spending by visitors who otherwise might have gone elsewhere.

Lane County took in $461 million in overall travel revenue, an increase of 58 percent since 1991, Westlund said.

Tourist-oriented businesses in the county employ just less than 8,000 people, with a total local payroll of $114 million.

But with the economy still not bouncing back, compounded by airline woes and the public's fear of flying since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the number of people getting off planes in Eugene - 301,000 last year - showed a 7 percent decline from the year before.

Perhaps as a result, occupancy rate at motels and hotels in the county also lagged a bit last year, averaging 58.7 percent of capacity compared with 59 percent the previous year, she said.

Nationwide, tourism ranks third-largest among retail industries, employing 7.9 million people with a payroll of $174 billion.

Randi Bjornstad can be reached at 338-2321 or [e-mail].