Organizers behind a referendum on Eugene’s new fire fee say they’ve gathered enough signatures to appear on the ballot.
The Eugene Chamber of Commerce led the charge on the referendum, gathering more than 8,400 signatures—about 3,000 more than they needed to qualify.
The Lane County Elections Office has two weeks to validate the signatures to ensure that at least 5,817 came from eligible voters.
In a press release Friday, Eugene Chamber President Brittany Quick-Warner argued using fees to balance the city budget is irresponsible, and places too much of a burden on the public.
“We stand ready to work together toward solutions that balance Eugene’s budget without placing an undue burden on businesses and families,” Quick-Warner said. “Our goal is not just to challenge a fee but to ensure a more sustainable, transparent, and community-supported path forward.”
City leaders have said a fee is the only way they can avoid massive budget cuts to public-facing services.
If the referendum is placed on the ballot - the city will not be able to collect the fee as planned at the start of the new budget year in July.
That could mean $8 million in services, including the Amazon swimming pool, the library and community programs, may not have funding. The city had also planned to use the new fee to hire another squad of firefighters.
