Four of seven Lakeside city councilors will face a recall election in August.

That is the unofficial report from leaders of the Concerned Taxpayers of Lakeside and some city officials.

On Wednesday, Suzan Marcy, the leader of the Concerned Taxpayers, turned four petitions in to Lakeside City Administrator Susan Chauncey that each contained more than 300 signatures, nearly triple the amount necessary to spawn a recall election of Mayor Ed Gowan, and councilors Julie Anderson, Daniel Conway and Don Lund.

“We're moving forward,” Marcy said. “I feel really good about the response from the community. I've done my part.”

Now, all that stands in the way of a recall is final authentication of the signatures by the Coos County Clerk's Office. If the signatures are legitimate, a recall election would be held either Aug. 4 or Aug. 7, said Coos County Clerk Terri Turi.

She has 10 days to verify the signatures. At least 108 valid signatures are necessary on each of the petitions to spur a recall election.

The Concerned Taxpayers are pursuing a recall because they're irked councilors want to create the city's first-ever permanent property tax rate. The proposal also includes an effort to consolidate two special taxing districts by folding the Lakeside Rural Fire Protection District and the Lakeside Water District into the city.

However, during recent interviews, Gowan said he only is interested in consolidating with the water district.

Supporters of the tax base say it's necessary due to the extensive growth the city has experienced over the last two years. Four times the number of building permits have been taken out and some citizens routinely complained about a lack of city services, including law enforcement and unkempt city roads.

At a May 18 meeting, city officials suggested a combined tax rate of $6 per $1,000 of assessed value between the three government entities. Lakeside residents currently pay about $3.40 per $1,000 of assessed value between the water and fire districts and bonds the city is paying off.

Gowan said Wednesday he is no longer in favor of the $6 tax base, but would only say what he may propose is “significantly lower.”

Those opposed to the tax say residents live in Lakeside for the cheaper living and many are on fixed incomes.

Consolidation may be a way for Lakeside to skirt anti-tax measures adopted in the 1990s. The anti-tax revolt capped property taxes on real estate for governments throughout Oregon, but due to a paperwork error in 1997, the city essentially was barred from instituting a permanent tax rate.

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The recall already has claimed the political life of one councilor, Conway, who resigned from office on Friday.

“I'm done with public service,” said Conway, who began his first term in November. “I'm not going to sit up there and take the abuse for being a good volunteer.”

Conway, who owns an automotive shop in downtown Lakeside, said he lost several customers and friends over the controversy during the last week.

“This has really hurt me,” he said, adding the stress has started to affect his health.

He said the recall organizers are spreading misinformation that too many people believed.

“If the people want to believe that garbage, go ahead and let them believe it,” he said.

For the record, he said he never made up his mind about the tax plan.

“Since I did not object to the mayor's idea, therefore I must be for it?” he asked. “Isn't that putting words in my mouth? With something as controversial as this, I want to chew it over before I make a decision.”

Gowan also clearly is perturbed about the recall.

“It just seems kind of senseless to do something like this to a council that is trying to do something for the city,” Gowan said. “We are elected officials, looking for ways to advance the city - to keep up with the growth in this town.”

He said the citizens that signed the petition, appear to have made up their minds based on “untruths and half-truths being spread.” He suggested those who signed the petition should each send the city a check for $75 to pay for the recall election.

“Its absolutely ludicrous,” Gowan said. “It's going to cost the city $6,000 to pay for that. That's $6,000 the city doesn't have.”

Unlike Conway, Gowan said he would hold a series of town hall meetings to try to convince residents of the need for a tax.

Anderson is in favor of the town hall meetings, but not of the tax plan. She came to that conclusion when an auditor informed them of the proposed tax rates. Anderson said the numbers showed it was not economically feasible to consolidate.

“But you have to look at every plan, to see if it works, before you throw it out,” Anderson said. “The initial meeting we had was to look at consolidation, and that is all - to look at consolidation - to see if it would be possible.”

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But those opposed to the plan have suggested the city is orchestrating a complex takeover and trying to expand its control without a vote of the people.

“The people out there, they want an opportunity to vote on a tax base,” Marcy said. “They don't want all this extraneous water and fire incorporation. The citizens are not getting the picture. They need to present the arguments to the people for a tax base.”

Responding to accusations that her group is spreading falsehoods, Marcy, who was not at the May 18 meeting, said the minutes of the meeting speak for themselves.

Orville Nelson, 70, a member of both the fire and water districts, said he is not in favor of consolidation.

He said the city has not done its homework and isn't in touch with its own demographics. He said the average age of Lakeside's citizens is between the ages of 63 and 65, and are on fixed incomes.

“They cannot afford any more taxes,” Nelson said, noting many are hurting because of increases in the price of gas, heating fuel and medical costs.

Nelson said he not only signed the petition, but circulated it as well.

“Everybody that I talked to felt like they should've had a town hall meeting and told them what they were planning ... talked with the people and gotten a pulse of the people to see how they felt,” Nelson said.

Citizens may be more accepting of a tax base if given a specific dollar figure and told what the money would be spent on, Nelson said. He said the proposed tax rates have fluctuated wildly.

“It changes like the stock market, everyday,” Nelson said. “They don't know what they want. I hope they're all booted out. I hope they are all recalled.”

Gowan said Wednesday the tax base would give the city “a cushion” to budget for another public works employee, a new city truck, and to allow the city to expand the contract services with the Coos County Sheriff's Office, or to set up an ambulance service.

Gowan said he would like to dispel the rumor that councilors can impose a permanent tax base - without a vote of the people.

“There is no way in hell we can do that without a vote of the people,” he said.

Anderson agreed.

“The city would not be the petitioner (to consolidate),” she said. “The people would petition the city to consolidate. It would have to go to a vote of the people.”

In addition, those targeting the councilors believe that once the city has a permanent tax rate, city leaders could continually hike rates as they see fit.

“That's a total exaggeration,” Anderson said. “State law limits what you could increase the tax base to. There is actually a cap on it. You can't overburden the taxpayer in this state.”

She contends many of the petition signers weren't making fully informed decisions when they signed.

“I don't think any of these people were read to as children,” she said.

“I'm irritated enough that people will sign things, without knowing what they are signing, to say that maybe they don't deserve representation. The next council, whether it's me, my next door neighbor or the guy up the block, will still have to deal with the same economic problems.”

The recall is clearly beginning to leave a black mark on Lakeside's political landscape.

“I would urge everyone to keep in mind that when it is all over, we will still be residents of Lakeside and we have a lot of things we have to do working together.”