Ashland voters OK meals tax extension by a wide margin

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ASHLAND — Ashland voters Tuesday handily approved a 20-year extension of the town's 5 percent meals tax that is used to support wastewater treatment and purchase of open space for parks.

The controversial tax, vigorously opposed by restaurant owners who must collect it, passed 3,815 to 2,659 — or 58.9 percent to 41.1 percent, with all precincts counted. Voter turnout was 45.9 percent.

At Standing Stone Brewing Co., backers of the tax gathered around a laptop computer relaying numbers from the Jackson County Elections Office and toasted the victory with pints of beer.

"I'm thrilled that Ashland citizens put community before themselves," said former City Councilman and Standing Stone owner Alex Amarotico, one of the few restaurant owners to back the levy.

"It means we keep sewer rates at a reasonable level and everyone takes part in the funding of it," he said, referring to the contribution paid by tourists as they dine out.

Former Ashland Mayor Cathy Shaw, a prime mover in the creation of the levy two decades ago and a leader in pushing for passage of the ballot measure Tuesday, said, "It's great news on the parks front. It's close to the only funding stream for park land purchase and the only stream for parks development.

"It's one way the city spreads out the debt burden of wastewater treatment and makes Ashland more affordable," said Shaw, adding that opponents distorted information to the point that she thought about reporting it to the secretary of state.

City planning commission chairwoman Pam Marsh, who worked on the committee for passage, said, "It's an affirmation of how the city has used the meals tax over 17 years. People appreciate the investment in parks and understand what's been done for the wastewater treatment plant."

Marsh said voters love the town's restaurants but did not buy the argument that the tax keeps diners away and hurts restaurant revenues.

"We make our decisions about eating out based on a lot of factors, but the tax isn't a factor," said Marsh.

Shaw said backers "did something special" not taking in any contributions or spending any money on passage of the measure. The group created a DVD which was mailed out to many groups, but, she noted, it was done entirely with volunteer labor and donated images.

Liquid Assets Wine Bar owner Denise Daehler, a vocal opponent of the measure, said she was surprised at the margin in favor, as "everyone we talked to was against it. We worked hard to get the information out. It's disappointing."

Daehler said she and other restaurant owners would continue working to get the City Council to find other sources of revenue because "this tax is a divisive issue in our community."

Chuck Keil, a member of the committee in favor of the levy, read his laptop at 8:01 p.m. and crowed, "We won! It's a landslide "» or, in technical terminology, what we call an ass-kicking."

Keil added, "I remain confident that Ashland voters can look beyond their pocketbook."

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