By RAELYNN RICARTE
News staff writer
Bob Palmer served as mayor of Hood River 18 years ago —
and is making another bid for the elected office.
Palmer, 78, carries into his candidacy the belief that
city hall needs to be more “fiscally responsible.” He said fees should not
be increased until officials have taken every possible step to streamline
efficiencies.
“Fees are really taxes and when you keep raising them,
you hurt a lot of retired and lower-income folks,” said Palmer, a 40-year
resident.
“This city needs to adopt the policy that if it can’t
pay for something, it can’t do it.”
He is facing off with A.J. Kitt, former city councilor,
in the mayoral race on the November ballot. The deadline for filing as a
candidate is 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 26. However, City Recorder Jennifer
McKenzie is asking that petitions be submitted by next week, if possible,
so she has time to verify signatures and ensure that all necessary
information has been provided.
Palmer said the city council has, several times in past
years, discussed the imposition of a local sales, food and beverage, or
gasoline tax to generate more revenue. He does not believe that any of
these taxes should be adopted without express approval by the voters.
“I am a firm believer in representative government and
the city really needs to involve citizens in these types of decisions,”
said Palmer.
He remains opposed to the city whittling down its
budget deficit by levying administrative fees against two dedicated
accounts and placing that money in the general fund. Palmer said the water
and sewer accounts should not be accessed for anything other than
infrastructure repairs and improvements.
“We need to build up a sizeable reserve so that we can
take care of problems as they arise,” he said.
Palmer said the city, in an attempt to bring in more
property tax revenue, has annexed multiple properties within its urban
growth boundary in recent years. He contends the city has actually gone in
the red with that endeavor because it costs more to deliver services than
the amount of tax dollars that are collected.
“I think the city needs to slow down on annexation
until we get caught up on a few things,” said Palmer.
For example, he said many urban streets are in such bad
shape that they make for rough traveling. He said utility companies are
causing some of the bumps in the road because they dig a ditch to
underground lines and then do a “halfway job” of filling it back in.
“I sometimes look like a drunk driver weaving down the
road trying to avoid potholes,” said Palmer.
He believes the best way for the city to gain more tax
dollars is to promote commercial and light-industrial development at the
waterfront. He said municipal officials need to quit “dragging their feet”
and help the Port of Hood River accomplish that economic development goal.
He said manufacturing firms, unlike residences, pay out
more in taxes than it takes to provide them with services. For that
reason, he does not believe Hood River’s shoreline is a suitable location
for housing.
“I’m all for the port getting industry and business in
here but we don’t need condominiums at the waterfront,” he said.
Palmer is supportive of the city raising the Transient
Room Tax by 2 percent He said that fee is paid almost exclusively by
visitors and benefits the community. He is an advocate of changing the
formula for splitting that money; with 70 percent currently going toward
marketing and 30 percent turned over to the city.
Palmer would like to see the city receive 50 percent of
TRT dollars to offset the cost of service provision to “guests.”
“I’m not just an old penny pincher and I do think there
needs to be a little give and take,” said Palmer.
He is supportive but cautious of the city establishing
Urban Renewal Districts to cover the cost of improvement projects, such as
the waterfront park. He said the money raised by an URD benefits the city
but is sacrificed by other public agencies. That program freezes the
percentage of tax dollars received by all but the lead agency for a set
period of years, usually more than one decade.
“I think a URD should be put in place only if there’s
no other way to get the job done,” said Palmer.
He carries an understanding of emergency service
operations into his candidacy. Palmer spent 22 years working with the Hood
River Fire Department, retiring in 1991 as the fire marshal. He is proud
of helping to design and financially plan for construction of the existing
fire station in the mid 1980s.
During his career, Palmer held positions with the
Oregon Fire Marshals Association. He served as second vice-president and
treasurer, as well as president.
In addition, he has experienced the challenges of being
a private business owner after operating a cabinetry business for many
years.
Last November, his wife of 58 years, Joan, died of
pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease. He keeps busy these days golfing and
spending time with his three grown children; Linda Gray and Mary Wilson,
who both work for the Hood River County School District, and Bob Palmer
Jr., the fire chief for the Wasco Rural Fire Protection District.
“I have plenty of time on my hands now to talk with
citizens and fulfill the duties of mayor,” said Palmer.
“I think I have something to offer the city in that position.”
