Murmurs: Group to Evaluate Preschool for All Tax Increase

GROUP TO EVALUATE PRESCHOOL FOR ALL TAX INCREASE: The debate over whether to increase the Preschool for All tax, and by how much, rages on. At a Nov. 12 advisory committee meeting, Multnomah County senior policy adviser Hayden Miller presented a graph showing what would happen without an increase to the 1.5% income tax on high-income filers. It projects the program’s fund balance would dip below zero between fiscal years 2032 and 2033 and never recover. By fiscal year 2041, the county estimates the fund would fall to a negative $750 million. But the county’s planned 0.8% Preschool for All tax increase, now delayed to 2027, is ever controversial, especially as the program navigates a shaky implementation. At the meeting, Miller introduced the county’s strategy to address those concerns: a technical advisory group. (County code has long called for the group’s formation, but it was delayed along with the tax increase.) The group will “evaluate Preschool for All’s financial needs and issue a recommendation on the need for the 0.8% tax increase,” says county spokesman Ryan Yambra. And, according to Miller’s presentation, it will also “evaluate alternative revenue mechanisms.” The county did not directly answer WW’s questions about whether that means the group would explore methods to fund Preschool for All outside of the income tax. County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson is in charge of convening the group’s members.

COQUILLE TRIBE HITS THE JACKPOT: The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs published notice Nov. 25 in the Federal Register of the final environmental impact statement for a casino the Coquille Indian Tribe hopes to build on 2.4 acres it owns in Medford, about 170 miles from its on-reservation casino in North Bend. It offers the project a preliminary approval. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley blasted the BIA decision, saying it threatens the delicate balance of gambling operations in Oregon (“Jackpot,” WW, Nov. 20). Unlike many states, Oregon has pursued a one-tribe, one-casino policy, although some tribes vehemently disagree with it and two already have second, albeit very small casinos. The next step for the Coquille: a 30-day public comment period, after which the feds will issue a final record of decision. Meanwhile, other tribes expect the BIA to issue a positive decision on a separate proposal by the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians for a casino the tribe has sought to build in Salem for 32 years. Unlike the Medford proposal, which requires only federal approval, the Siletz project would require both state and federal sign-offs.

PORTLAND MAN RECOVERS HOUSE: Ron Henne, a lifelong North Portlander, legally recovered his home this week from a scammer who had stolen it—or at least the title (“A Friend in Deed,” WW, March 27). Multnomah County Circuit Judge Adrian Brown issued a judgment nullifying the fraudulent deed a California man named Silvestre Garcia filed Jan. 29 after he purportedly purchased Henne’s home in the Pier Park neighborhood for about half of what it’s worth. With the help of his daughter, Sarah, and their attorney, former state Rep. Julie Parrish (R-West Linn), Henne, 84, had gone to court to reclaim his property. The Hennes are thrilled with the outcome. “This title theft was one of the most devastating events in my life, but getting the house back in my name is one of the most satisfying—and the judgement came on my 84th birthday,” Ron Henne says. “I couldn’t have asked for a better gift.” As for Parrish, she says lawmakers in both chambers are looking for a way to make it harder to fabricate a title deed. Right now, Parrish says, such schemes can easily “go undetected until it’s too late for the property owner.”

STATE MOVES TO PULL LICENSE FOR CORVALLIS NURSING HOME: State regulators are seeking to end the licensure of one of Oregon’s most troubled senior care facilities, Willamette Springs Memory Care in Corvallis. In September, the Department of Human Services issued Mosaic Senior Living, which has operated the facility since 2016, a “proposed non-renewal” of its license to operate. This is an exceedingly rare move; the state hasn’t taken such action against a similar facility in years. Willamette Springs has long battled state regulators and whistleblowers, who say it’s understaffed and mismanaged. Two former staffers filed whistleblower lawsuits, accusing Mosaic of covering up the problems at Willamette Springs. (Neither case made it to trial.) By 2022, regulators had tallied up so many serious violations that they put the facility under “enhanced supervision.” By 2024, the non-renewal notice says, the facility was so understaffed that residents lacked assistance with eating. Falls and altercations between residents were commonplace, and investigators themselves couldn’t locate staff when residents asked for help. The facility racked up $18,000 in fines it hasn’t paid. “Our community continues to work diligently to ensure residents receive care and services consistent with regulatory requirements,” says facility administrator Sarah Sheaffer, who noted that Willamette Springs passed its most recent inspection earlier this month. A state spokesperson says DHS is continuing to review the facility’s compliance prior to making a final decision on its license renewal.