Housing crisis has been long time building, solutions needed now
The city of Medford and Medford Area Development Foundation are to be commended for working for solutions to the area’s housing shortage in partnership with local business and industry leaders.
Such efforts are essential to protect the long term economic health of the region as well as to maintain and grow the area’s tax base.
Having adequate and affordable housing opportunities for entry level workers is essential for the community to grow and expand its economic base. The city of Medford has long been an employment hub with workers traveling here from the surrounding communities and from the area’s many farm families.
More workers for large employers such as Nestle, Marathon Cheese, Weather Shield and Sierra Pacific is good for everyone. It is good for workers to have options and be able to pick an employer where they can feel their efforts are most appreciated and rewarded. It is good for the community’s retail and entertainment establishments as more people through the door translates into more dollars going into the cash register drawer.
The city has a very practical interest in encouraging growth in that it will help maintain and grow the community’s tax base. It takes money to provide services such as law enforcement, fire protection, and parks and to maintain city infrastructure. Just as with the saying, “Many hands make light work,” the larger the tax base, the less the overall burden will be on individual taxpayers. The city isn’t the only government impacted by this. The county also benefits from additional workers and residents through a boost to county property and sales taxes. Schools benefit from the influx of starting workers through enrollment increases as these people start families and put down roots in the community.
It is refreshing to hear mayor Mike Wellner state, “Priority number one is to keep the industries we have.” The statement is a recognition that the city’s industrial base is a major economic engine that drives Medford and most of Taylor County forward.
For many years, the city has made siting apartments and other forms of entry level housing difficult through planning decisions and placing the greater short-term concerns of vocal residents over the longterm needs of the community. While there needs to be a balance for comparable uses, the city and surrounding areas must change their fundamental way of looking at multi-family housing. The community must embrace more dense residential developments if they hope to continue to grow in the future. It is not enough that Medford is a place where people work. The city needs people who will live and put down roots here.
Local governments at the city and county levels must be willing to be active partners in swift addition of quality housing options beyond those that already exist which will in turn bring workers and increased economic growth to the region.
