Cornelius gas tax fight continues in appeals court

Mayor says he’ll take opponents of tax to court to keep repeal off November ballots

By Christian Gaston

The Forest Grove News-Times, Aug 25, 2010, Updated Aug 25, 2010 (2 Reader comments)

It’s still up in the air when voters might get another chance to vote on a pair of revenue measures in Cornelius.

Even though opponents of the city’s gas tax and its streetlight fee gathered enough signatures to put both items to a public vote, city officials said the city code meant the signatures were filed too late to make this November’s ballot.

Instead, the city council elected to place the questions on the November 2012 ballot.

But last Thursday, Washington County Circuit Judge Thomas Kohl said the city was wrong in its interpretation of the charter and ordered city officials to put the questions on the November 2010 ballot.

The city’s code, Kohl argued, made it clear that the city “must call the election no later than the next regular election.”

“The next regular election is to take place on Nov. 2, 2010,” Kohl wrote. “Therefore, the council “must” call the election “no later than” that day.”

But Cornelius Mayor Bill Bash isn’t convinced.

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