JACKSONVILLE — The five candidates for three City Council seats in the Nov. 7 election agree on one thing: Scaling back the city's plans for growth was a good idea.
Paul Becker, John Dodero, Criss Garcia, Bruce Garrett and Chris Gilman applaud the city's recent downsizing of plans to expand its urban growth boundary, a move prompted by residents who called for limited or no growth during public meetings.
The city had sought to enlarge its borders by 1,132 acres, of which 726 would be used as open-space buffers, to accommodate an annual population increase of 2.5 percent, City Administrator Paul Wyntergreen said.
After the public meetings, city and county planners in August agreed to decrease the acreage by about 85 acres. They also decreased annual population targets to 1.25 percent. The city's current population is 2,550. By 2027, the population would be 3,397 based on the reduced forecast.
Paul Becker, 76, a writer and retired computer-systems business owner, said he is "not unhappy" with the UGB reduction, which was clearly publicly driven.
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Becker said the city must attract and retain businesses. A thriving downtown business section could lower the tax burden for citizens, he said.
Candidate John Dodero, 59, a planning commissioner and former two-term city councilman, made the motion to reduce two of the areas under consideration for UGB inclusion. Dodero reasoned the city couldn't necessarily control the rate of growth, but it could control how much land it drew into its boundaries.
The "small bite" approach was "conservative," said Dodero, a studio potter. Zoning for mixed-dwelling and small-business properties which offer cottage-industry opportunities will create a higher tax base and promote a better population mix, he said.
"I'm happy with the compromise," Dodero said. "I don't really think we need that much more land, but I like the direction we're going with the cottage industry. It feels like the right direction to me."
Criss Garcia, 34, is a database administrator for the city of Ashland. Garcia said he also hopes to protect Jacksonville's history, diversity and quality of life. Garcia approved the recent decision to downsize the growth options.
"I am against large expansion," said Garcia. "I don't think we can expand our way out of our growth problem."
A self-proclaimed "amateur history buff," Garcia said the city's status on the National Register of Historic Places would be threatened by big business. "A Wall-Mart downtown wouldn't work in this town," Garcia said.
Bruce Garrett, 59, is the owner of ARCHIVE-CD, a document imaging company. Garrett said the compromise was "probably the best solution."
Some growth is inevitable, but planned growth is preferred, he said.
The community of Bend was "hit hard" by what Garrett sees as unplanned growth. Now it is paying the price, he said.
"If there is no plan for infrastructure, there will be problems down the road," said Garrett. "I want to see us plan, not react."
Chris Gilman, 39, is a teacher in the Medford School District. Gilman said the current UGB plan appears to add enough land to protect the town's historical character and rural viewshed.
"I want to see a good-sized buffer between Jacksonville and Medford," said Gilman. "A couple areas could come in and it wouldn't be detrimental, as long as things were planned properly for the livability of Jacksonville residents."
Voters will choose three to fill seats left vacant by Doris Crofoot, Bill Leep and Dean Paddison, who did not seek re-election. Ballots must be returned to the Jackson County Elections Office no later than 8 p.m. Nov. 7.
Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 776-4497 or e-mail sspecht@mailtribune.com.
