H&R Homes-Testimonials

Growth is good for our schools and our community

Like many Philomath voters, I had questions about the proposed annexation when it was on the ballot last year, particularly about the city’s water supply. So I called City Manager Randy Kugler and asked him about it. He presented both sides, something I really appreciated. He also told me the city has enough water to support population growth for the next 20 years.

Water is just one issue where I believe there are misconceptions about the proposed annexation. I’ve seen statements that there’s no room in our schools; that’s not true. I teach second grade at Philomath Elementary School, so I’ve seen firsthand how our student population is dropping. Our schools need more kids. When enrollment goes up, we get more funding, and we get access to more resources to help more kids. Philomath has great schools and teachers. But we need more young families to keep our schools strong.

That’s why I support the Chapel Drive annexation. People want to live here, and that’s awesome, but it is really difficult for young families to buy a home in Philomath. Partly, it’s a lack of supply. When we bought our home here in 1996, there were just three houses available in our price range. The other problem is that housing prices in Philomath and Benton County are extremely high. Making more affordable housing available in Philomath will help more families move in, and that’s great for the community. Why shouldn’t we build housing if there’s no water issue?
We’ve raised three children in Philomath, and we’ve been really happy here. Our son is a senior at Philomath High School, and we have two adult daughters. One daughter and her husband love Philomath, and they want to stay here. My other daughter and her fiancé have found a place to rent, but I’m concerned that they won’t be able to buy a home in Philomath, and they’ll have to go elsewhere. I want them to be able to stay here if they want to.

If we don’t make more affordable housing available in Philomath, we can’t attract new residents. That means property taxes for current residents will go up because there aren’t more people to share the tax burden. If we do annex the property, we get all that tax revenue to help our city.

I support the Chapel Drive annexation because growth and change are good for a community. It allows us to be better at what we already do.

Elaine Hall
Second Grade Teacher
Philomath Elementary School

Annexation vote is about freedom and property rights

We support the Chapel Drive annexation because people should have the freedom to do what they want with their property within reason. It’s been 20 years or more since that land was used for farming, and now that it’s surrounded by houses, it couldn’t be used for farming anyway. Building homes on the property makes sense.

We’ve seen for ourselves that Philomath needs more affordable housing. We’ve bought and sold properties in town over the years, and we still have some rental properties in Philomath. We have a lot of grandkids, and we want them to have the freedom to live here if they want to.

There has been a lot of talk about having enough water. The city has researched the water supply, and we believe them when they say there is adequate water.

We’ve seen a little bit of the rest of the world and think this is the best part of it. Land use laws shouldn’t take away people’s freedom and property rights.

Doyle and Harriet Hughes
Philomath

How can you help?

Testimonials

Growth is good for our schools and our community

Annexation vote is about freedom and property rights

How can you help?

Testimonials

Growth is good for our schools and our community

Annexation vote is about freedom and property rights