Why We Say Vote No on 4-243
Voters are being asked to approve a plan that does not yet exist, at a cost that is yet unknown, using terms and standards that are unclearly defined.
Measure 4-243 would go far beyond Cannon Beach’s existing Foredune Management Plan, creating a new, recurring City program to “manage” foredunes throughout the City—including private and State property the City does not own.
But the management plan required by the Initiative does not exist yet. Voters are being asked to approve the program before they can see the plan that will determine where, how, and when the work is carried out. Neither the scope of the work nor its cost is known. The Initiative uses key terms—including “hazards,” “safe public access,” and “impediments”—without clearly defining them or establishing objective standards for when physical intervention would be required.
It also does not establish clear standards for determining when the objectives of the program have been met—or what happens when they have not. There is no defined process for evaluating whether the work has succeeded, determining what corrective action should follow, or deciding when further intervention is no longer warranted.
And unlike the extensive public process used to develop Cannon Beach’s existing Foredune Management Plan, Measure 4-243 provides no mechanism for the public to participate in developing or approving these new biennial management plans. The City would develop them after the measure passes.
In short, voters are being asked to approve a program before the plan exists, the work before it has been identified, and the expenditure before its cost is known and with no known funding source—with no clear standards for success and no public process for shaping the plans.
Our Coalition of Opposition:
The Dunes. The Measure. Get The Facts.
1. WHO PAYS? YOU, CITY TAXPAYERS
The initiative provides no dedicated funding source for ongoing dune grading and reshaping. The public could be left paying for an open-ended program with no clear financial or practical limits. (Massive citizen pushback — read in voter’s pamphlet.)
2. NO SAFETY PROBLEM EXISTS
Fire, police, and lifeguard officials have confirmed there have been no dune-related safety incidents. The Fire District has also said grading the dunes would not improve emergency operations.
3. 44 BEACH ACCESS POINTS - INCLUDING ADA
We have 44 access points, along four miles of shoreline, five emergency accesses maintained 24/7/365, ensuring every neighborhood has a good emergency response route and beach access. Grading all accesses would require constant bulldozer activity.
4. WHO BENEFITS? OCEANFRONT OWNERS
Lowering and reshaping the dunes would primarily improve views for oceanfront homeowners —while shifting the financial burden and risks onto taxpayers. (Follow the Money - the truth about who funds this measure.)
5. A MAJOR POLICY REVERSAL
This is a 180 degree reversal from the current Foredune Management Plan which prioritizes healthy dunes that protect the community from erosion and winter storms.
6. LOCKS THIS POLICY INTO THE CITY CHARTER
Instead of allowing dune policy to evolve with science, coastal conditions, and best practices, making this ill-conceived policy almost impossible to change. (Lawsuit risk, taxpayer exposure.)
8. JUDGE CLARIFIED THE BALLOT LANGUAGE
He revised the ballot caption and question—including placing quotation marks around “management,” signaling that the term is not being used in its ordinary sense. He also added language making clear that the public would bear the costs.
PUBLIC COST. PRIVATE GAIN. VOTE NO 4-243.
Paid for by Friends of the Dunes at Cannon Beach - No on 4-243