The Way: Oregon's EITC Rates and County Clerks
And More Ideas from Across the State
Thank you for reading The Oregon Way newsletter!
Look out for new op-eds and interviews on our website next week. In the meantime, here are this week's ideas.
1. Oregon's Terrible EITC Participation Rate (Oregon Center for Public Policy)
Problem: Oregon ranks second to last in the country for EITC participation. Only 73.2% of qualified Oregonian households claim the Earned Income Tax Credit. The national average is 78.1%.
Proposed Solution: OCPP recommends that the legislature invests in "free, culturally appropriate tax preparation services, accessible across the state" to alleviate confusion about eligibility and how to claim the tax credit.
Why Does This Matter: OCPP estimates that about 75,000 Oregon families missed the EITC in 2018, collectively costing them $93 million. From 2011 to 2013, OCPP says that the federal EITC helped 129,000 Oregonians, including 65,000 children, out of poverty. In the short term, low participation rates lower our state’s economic activity by 0.5% and cost low-income families a significant source of federal aid. Oregon's human capital will suffer in the longer term from underinvestment in its children.
2. Do We Need County Clerks? (OPB)
Problem: Since Clackamas County Clerk Sherry Hall's mismanagement of May’s primary election, some are asking if appointed election managers would be better.
Solution: Some counties have adopted "home rule charters," which allow them to bypass the state constitution's requirement that each county has an elected clerk. OPB's Lauren Drake explains the process of adopting home rule charters.
Why Does This Matter: Some believe professionalizing the duties of elected officials may lead to better outcomes. Elected clerks are unnoticed in their official capacities until problems arise. When they make a mistake, the position’s low profile can lead some flawed incumbents to an easy reelection. But to change the job from elected to appointed, voters must give up their oversight of the county’s most vital function: managing elections. At the same time, recent reporting may lead voters to believe appointed officials will not do a better job after all.
Also Noteworthy
1. Jackie Linton Interview (OPB)
Hermiston's first Black city councilor gave a brief interview to OPB's Think Out Loud this week. She talks about why she ran, what it feels like to be the first Black woman elected to represent the small town, and what she hopes to accomplish in the role.
2. Tourist Fee (Oregon Values and Beliefs Center)
The OVBC conducted a May poll showing that half of Oregonians supported a tourist fee that residents would not have to pay, levied only in peak seasons. The poll's question proposes that the revenues from this fee would be reinvested into local communities. Notice how many people do not support the idea, even though the fee would not cost them anything based on the question's phrasing.
3. An App to Measure Shelter Bed Availability
Willamette Week cited Scott Kerman's tweet in this week's issue. Kerman, the executive director at Blanchet House in Old Town, would like an app to track the number of available shelter beds in Portland.
4. Regulating Trash on the Willamette River
Willamette Week reported that the non-profit, Willamette Riverkeeper, petitioned the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the Environmental Control Commission to set measurable trash pollution standards on the banks of the Willamette River. Doing so would give state agencies authority under the federal Clean Water Act to more effectively deal with the trash pollution and its leading cause, riverside homelessness.
5. Proposed Changes to Portland’s (Still Weird) Charter (The Oregonian/Oregonlive)
Here's Oregonlive's explainer on the charter commission's proposed changes to Portland's city charter. If adopted, Portland would be the only major U.S. city with multi-member districts.
Call Back
Mayor Ted Wheeler announced that Portland would expand the Old Town 90-day reset plan citywide this week. Jessie Burke, the Old Town Community Association Chair, wrote about the plan on The Oregon Way a few weeks ago. You can read her article here.
To Do:
Read the latest edition of the Liftoff. Ben and Alex cover the week’s ups and downs for Oregon’s gubernatorial candidates, the rise of new barrier-breaking leaders, and much more.
Listen to (or watch) the latest episode of the Oregon Bridge. Ben and Alex invited me on to talk about my background and ideas for the Oregon Way.
Let us know how we can improve!
Thank you for reading.
If you value our content, please become a paying subscriber today. Your support will help us grow and offer more opportunities to this community. It’s just $10 a month!
Are you interested in advertising with us? Get in touch!