Complaint over ballot wording settled.

Byline: Jack Moran The Register-Guard

SPRINGFIELD - An outspoken city resident has dropped his complaint against Springfield officials after they agreed to make a few changes to election information outlining a proposed tax to pay for public safety services.

Curt Greer says he's satisfied with the revised ballot title explaining the effect of a tax levy that would fund city police and court services, and operation of a planned municipal jail.

The measure will be decided by voters in the November election.

Last month, Greer filed a petition for review of the city's ballot summary in Lane County Circuit Court.

However, the case was settled before any court hearing could be scheduled, when Springfield City Attorney Joe Leahy agreed to modify the text after a meeting with Greer's lawyers.

"We thought it was important to get it worked out quickly," city spokesman Niel Laudati said.

At a glance, the ballot text changes appear to be minor. But Greer believes that the updated language makes it less likely that voters will be confused by the city's explanation of the proposed tax.

"It gives more clarification to the people," Greer said. "I think voters will have an easier time digesting it now."

He said the most significant change to the text is the addition of a sentence reading: "Renewal of the current (police) levy, and new jail operations funding, are contingent upon approval of this levy."

The original ballot summary clearly stated that the proposed tax would fund both services, but Greer believes that it fell short of a complete explanation.

In his complaint, he charged that the text was "ambiguous, misleading and partial."

Laudati said city officials' objective from the outset was to send a clear message to voters about the tax measure's potential effect. Working with Greer's attorneys on the ballot summary helped them do that.

"I don't think it was difficult to understand before, but now it's even easier," Laudati said.

Greer hopes the new language makes it obvious to voters that if the November levy is not approved, the city will have to find another way to fund eight police officer positions that would be covered by the proposed tax.

Those positions are now paid for with tax revenue collected as a result of the passage of a 2002 levy.

The Springfield City Council decided in May to combine renewal of that levy with a new tax to pay a portion of the costs of operating a municipal jail.

Officials say the jail won't be constructed unless operations funding is secured.

If the November measure is approved, the owner of a home assessed at $100,000 would pay $109 annually to fund police and jail services.