Douglas County officials oppose Winery legislation
By KPIC-TV StaffROSEBURG, Ore. - A proposed state law that would limit events at wineries throughout the state, has drawn opposition from many in Douglas County. MultimediaCounty commissioners were asked to stand behind the wineries in fighting legislation that could hamper the activities that could be offered by the businesses. Jerry Gindlesperger of Umpqua told the commissioners on Wednesday, that Senate Bill 1055 is bad for wineries in this area. "They're going to try to shoo in regulations that are supposed to fit all counties, and there is no way they can say a regulation that applies to the Willamette Valley and their vineyards, will apply to the Umpqua Valley and their vineyards," said Gindlesperger. "It's a totally different environment and the idea that they want to restrict a winery to profit from their facility, and limit that to 25% is ludicrous, completely ludicrous." County Planning Director Keith Cubic said he has been in contact with State Senator Jeff Kruse of Roseburg, who is actually a co-sponsor of the bill. He said he told Kruse that the county already has a workable ordinance and the state law is not needed. "I did discuss it with Commissioner Robertson. We shared with Senator Kruse that limitation seems artificial and seems too low. Our structure that we shared with him is that accessory use to wineries are permitted outright and we don't have an income standard. You don't need an income standard. It's a compatibility issue and its an issue of impact on the neighborhood," said Cubic. He said Kruse is looking at trying to amend the legislation. Commissioner Joe Laurance said he would present the county's ordinance to the Association of Oregon Counties meeting that he will be attending in the near future. Meanwhile, with the short session of the legislature, local officials say they will be keeping a close eye on the progress of the bill in the Senate. |
Upload directly from your mobile device. Learn howYouNews
This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled.
Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.
Resources and info you need to prepare for the switch to DTV. Stay Connected |
Connect with KPICPOLL: Extreme Katie's Next Adventure |
February 9, 2012
- Roseburg, Oregon
