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Send a letter: Allow Local Communities to Determine Their Rate of Growth
BackgroundLocal communities should have the right to determine their own rate of growth and the power to stop growing. The 20-year land supply law is one policy that prevents communities from controlling their growth. Oregon's 20-year land supply rule, ORS 197.296, requires cities, counties, and metropolitan service districts to maintain a sufficient supply of buildable lands to accommodate estimated housing needs for 20 years. Sometimes called the "mandatory growth rule," this law often results in cities growing faster than they might otherwise. When a small town experiences a sudden surge in population (for example, due to completion of a significant housing development), the short-term but high rate of growth is often used as the basis for projecting artificially high growth rates well into the future. The resulting large expansion of the city's UGB paves the way for even more development, and the growth cycle continues. Allowing a state land supply rule to dictate local growth is contrary to the ability of local citizens to have a voice in how much their town grows, or if it should grow at all. Although AGO is focusing its efforts on SDC legislation in the current Legislative Session, we have been working with Oregon Communities for a Voice in Annexations to repeal ORS 197.296 and hope to introduce legislation in the 2005 Legislative Session to give local communities the right to choose. In the meantime, letters to the editor of local papers and to influential leaders help educate the public and build momentum for the next round of legislation. Sample LetterSelect the text of the letter in the shaded area below, then copy and paste it into your email. Add a personal touch by inserting your own sentences or statements after you've pasted it into your email!
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