Citizens voiced their concerns about a proposed payroll tax at a Eugene City Council public hearing on Tuesday night. It would fund police and fire services, the municipal court and prosecution, and prevention and homeless resources in the city.
At the hearing, councilor Claire Syrett explained some of the public’s misconceptions about the tax. She addressed concerns regarding taxation of lower income individuals and fund usage that did not appear in the proposal.
“The council has discussed exemptions for people on the low end of the wage scale,” Syrett said, “and I don’t think that made it into the way the proposal has been put forward into the public. But that is something this council has considered and will consider further, and I’m going to be asking some questions about other ways we might approach that.”
The city council heard from 28 community members at the public hearing. Some supported the proposals, while others spoke against it.
Copyright KLCC, 2019.