IT'S TIME TO FREEZE TAXES FOR CLACKAMAS COUNTY SENIORS

It's Time to Freeze Property Taxes for Clackamas County Seniors

By Mark Shull, Clackamas County

For decades, Clackamas County's seniors, the men and women who raised families here, built local businesses, and shaped the communities we all call home, have watched their property tax bills climb year after year on fixed incomes that don't. With median home values near $600,000 and typical tax bills topping $5,300, even Measure 50's modest 3% annual cap compounds into a relentless, mounting burden. The result: too many seniors forced to choose between staying in the homes they've owned for decades and paying for prescriptions, groceries, or basic repairs.

The math doesn't lie

Without relief, the numbers tell a hard story. A $5,300 bill today grows to roughly $8,017 by 2041 at steady 3% compounding, nearly $98,574 paid over 15 years, or $19,230 more than a frozen rate would cost. That's not a rounding error. That's a retirement derailed.

As a candidate for Clackamas County Commissioner Position 2, I'm proposing a direct solution: a 3% annual rebate on the county's share of property taxes for every homeowner aged 65 or older occupying their primary residence. It precisely offsets the Measure 50 growth cap on the county portion, effectively freezing it at today's levels, permanently. No more compounding erosion of retirement security from county levies.

The relief is real and immediate. On a typical $5,300 bill, the county's share runs about $954— roughly 18%. The rebate starts at $28–$29 per household in year one, building over time into thousands in cumulative savings. That's an extra utility bill covered. A doctor's co-pay paid without hesitation, a family dinner with grandchildren that doesn't require cutting something else. Small amounts that reduce financial stress, support health, and preserve the dignity of aging in place—in familiar neighborhoods, near the people and memories that matter most.

It's more affordable than critics will claim

With an estimated 35,000 qualifying seniors, the program's first-year cost including administration is just $1.1 million. That's roughly 0.6% of Clackamas County's $183 million General Fund, covered through smart reallocations without touching public safety, roads, or schools. For perspective: the county's top 10 highest-paid employees cost taxpayers $2.6 million in salaries plus more than $600,000 in PERS contributions annually; three times this program's startup cost, for just 10 people. Targeted relief for thousands of deserving seniors is not only achievable, it's overdue.

Beyond the county

This is a starting point, not a ceiling. I commit to working with state legislators to extend similar protections to the broader tax bill; schools, fire districts, and other local services, dramatically increasing savings and building a real statewide safeguard against tax inflation for Oregon's elders.

No other candidate has been willing to challenge the status quo with this kind of direct, practical action. I'll also work to repeal Oregon's estate tax, the so-called death tax, so families can pass on what they've built without a government penalty at the end of a lifetime of work.

Clackamas County deserves a commissioner who listens, runs the numbers, and acts. Our seniors built this county. They've earned stability, respect, and real relief, not another year of watching their tax bill outpace their income.

I'm asking for your vote in the November election. Let's make this happen.