County voters face six money measures.

Byline: RANDI BJORNSTAD The Register-Guard

Like voters in many other parts of the state, Lane County voters will have their work cut out for them Nov. 5 keeping track of the candidates and issues appearing on the general election ballot.

Among the local measures will be six county requests for money to pay for projects ranging from new construction to emergency communications to parks improvements.

On the other hand, election of candidates to county offices should be pretty easy: All three county commissioner candidates - Bill Dwyer, Anna Morrison and Tom Lininger - received a majority vote in the May primary election and face no opposition in the general election.

Assessor Jim Gangle falls into the same category, as do two justice of the peace candidates, Cynthia Sinclair in central Lane County and Cindy Cable in the Florence area.

The only contested elective office will be the justice of the peace position in Oakridge, where voters will choose between Charles Navarro Jr. and Sheila Nelson.

The half-dozen countywide measures on the ballot, taken together, add up to $88 million in improvements to a variety of county facilities and services.

County officials calculate that approval of all six would cost the "average taxpayer" - the owner of a $125,000 home - as little as $28 per year or as much as $47 per year, depending on the number of years over which the bonds would be repaid, if voters approve.

The county commissioners decided not to lump the measures together, but instead to let voters decide each issue separately.

The most expensive project on the list would be construction of a new $29.9 million building to house the county's Public Health Department and other county services.

The existing building at 135 E. Sixth Ave. in Eugene dates from the 1950s and currently houses not only public health but also the elections office and some of the county's alcohol and drug offender programs.

Rob Rockstroh, head of the county's Health and Human Services Division, has said putting up a new building would save the county money in the long run because many of its programs are now located in rented space. Having a new building would allow services to be consolidated and provide space the county could rent to other agencies, he said.

The second most expensive item is about $21 million for improvements to the county's parks and recreation system. County officials say visits by 2 million people per year outstrip their ability to pay for parks expansion and to maintain and renovate facilities, many of which have been in use 30 to 50 years without major improvements.

At the other end of the cost spectrum, county voters will decide whether to pay about $6.3 million to revamp the shared entrance to the county courthouse and Public Service Building. The existing entrance can't be used by people with impaired mobility, and there's no easy public access to the sheriff's office at night or on weekends.

In between, the ballot contains a trio of measures worth about $10 million each.

One would increase the Lane County Jail's ability to hold people who have been arrested, which would mean fewer inmates would be released prematurely for lack of jail space.

A second would replace the county's 30-year-old emergency communications system, which the sheriff says doesn't provide adequate communications capability among law enforcement, fire and emergency medical service agencies, or reliable two-way communication from many parts of the county.

The third, put on the ballot by the commissioners at the request the Lane Education Service District, would pay for construction of a new planetarium at the Lane County Fairgrounds.

Backers of the planetarium proposal have pledged to raise $3 million for a permanent endowment to operate the facility and, if voters approve the Nov. 5 ballot measure, won't ask the county to sell any construction bonds until they have half the endowment in hand.

PROPOSED COUNTY BOND MEASURES

Lane County is sending six bond measures to voters in the Nov. 5 general election. The following property tax cost estimates are based on a home valued at $125,000.

The estimated annual cost varies depending on whether the county's bonds would be repaid over 10, 15, 20 or 30 years. The length of the repayment term for each county measure would be determined by bond market interest rates that prevail when the bonds are prepared for sale.

Jail improvements: Measure 20-59 would raise $10.7 million to replace the deteriorating 35-bed Jail Intake Center with a new 100-bed center. Cost: from $3.30 per year on a 30-year bond issue to $5.54 per year for 15 years.

Public safety radio system: Measure 20-60 would raise $10.35 million to acquire more reliable radio equipment for the sheriff and emergency agencies. Cost: from $4.28 per year for a 20-year bond issue to $7.63 per year for 10 years.

Courthouse access: Measure 20-61 would raise $6.375 million to add a single-level entry to the county courthouse and Public Service Building, renovate the Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza and increase security in the sheriff's office. Cost: from $1.97 per year for a 30-year bond issue to $3.30 per year for 15 years.

Parks: Measure 20-62 would raise $20.7 million to buy land and improve parks for youth recreation, boating and camping. Cost: from $6.39 per year for a 30-year bond to $10.73 per year for 15 years.

Public health building: Measure 20-63 would raise $29.9 million to replace the County Annex with more space for public health, prevention and treatment programs. Cost: from $9.23 per year for a 30-year bond issue to $15.49 per year for 15 years.

Planetarium: Measure 20-64 would raise $10 million to build and equip a planetarium and learning center at the county fairgrounds, contingent on supporters raising $1.5 million from other sources for an endowment to cover operating costs. Cost: from $3.09 per year for a 30-year bond issue to $4.77 per year for 20 years.