This is Floyd Wynne with The View From Here (4-27-04)

Klamath Falls is not the only Oregon city that is having difficulty in consolidation or annexation.

First there is a difference between annexation or consolidation.

Annexation is where one adds to its territory while consolidation is where two join together to become one....much like a marriage.

For years Coos Bay and North Bend have been existing side by side, each duplicating all the city services the public demands. Efforts at joining the two together go back as far as 1943. Since then there have been four more elections...the latest in 1983 where Coos Bay has agreed to the consolidation but North Bend voters have turned it down.

Those desiring the consolidation have secured enough signatures again to put the measure on the May 18 ballot.

Those favoring the movement maintain that it would then make the city the 32nd largest in the state and give them more clout at the state level than two little towns.

Those opposing doubt that very much.

Those in favor claim that the larger city would make them more acceptable for adding new industries and new enterprises. Those opposed point out that such a move would have little effect on the economy.

Those opposed note that the citizens of North Bend would pay slightly higher taxes than those in Coos Bay should the consolidation take place.

I cite all these issues because this area has tried, also unsuccessfully, to join together the city and the suburban areas around the city. A number of efforts have been made in the past to accomplish this with little results. The recent effort initiated by the City Manager produced pretty much the same results.....no action.

One might ask....will it ever come to pass?

No one has an answer.....but there is one way that it may eventually come to pass.

That would be by consolidation. Not annexation.

Yes, the city has a policy of not furnishing water to areas outside the city unless they agree to annex whenever they are contiguous to the city limits. But....in my book the answer is consolidation.

First....it will take a joint committee of representatives from both segments, headed by people whose opinions are respected in the community.

Then answers will have to be explored as regards the future of such a consolidated city. What will be the effects of taxation, of charter restrictions, of city ordinances, and even perhaps what will be the name of the new entity.

Also what effect will such consolidation have on the role the county plays in such issues as streets and policing, among others.

It seems to us that all efforts in the past at uniting the area have failed because it did not adequately address the needs and desires of those in the suburban areas. Issues such as the tax differential, the city ordinances that at times become dictatorial, the lack of adequate representation in any future arrangement.

For many years the biggest issue was zoning. That issue has mostly disappeared under the state legislated regulations. Yet, many in the suburban areas feel that they live there because they don’t want to be told by the city what they can or cannot do.

Only when most of these issues are satisfactorily changed will any consolidation take place.

Coos Bay and North Bend is a bit different. They are two municipalities side by side. One driving through has a difficult time trying to determine whether you are in one city or the other.

But...the issues are much the same as locally.

Perhaps....one day.....consolidation will take place, but it will only come when suburbanites feel they have an equal voice in any city government.

This is Floyd Wynne and that’s THE VIEW FROM HERE.