Baker City Clerk Rejects Jeffrises’ Second Petition To Reduce Traffic Lanes

Baker City Clerk Megan Langan rejected a second petition from John and Jody Jeffries seeking to force voter approval before the city can reduce vehicle lanes on several downtown streets, a move that keeps the restriping debate squarely in city government hands and signals more procedural fights to come.

The petitioners sought a charter-style check on council authority by requiring voter approval for “major changes to travel lane configurations on Main Street, Campbell Street, Broadway or 10th Street.” The proposed measure followed a Baker City Council plan to restripe Main Street between Campbell Street and Auburn Avenue from two travel lanes in each direction to one travel lane in each direction with a center turn lane. Supporters, including some councilors and an Oregon Department of Transportation traffic engineer, pointed to safety benefits. Many people objected, arguing the change would cause traffic congestion without delivering the promised safety gains.

As the city’s election official, Langan reviewed the prospective petition for compliance with Oregon laws and the state constitution and rejected it. She said on Jan. 26 that she sent copies of the petition to the city attorney, Dan Van Thiel, and to the Oregon Secretary of State’s office as part of that review. The clerk did not provide detailed legal reasoning for the rejection in the public statement, and the record does not indicate whether Van Thiel or the Secretary of State’s office has issued guidance following their receipt of the document.

The Jeffrises framed their initiative as a response to the council restriping proposal. Their effort “stumbled at the same place, Baker City Hall,” when the clerk refused to accept the second submission. John Jeffries said he and his wife will try again, stating, “We’re going to continue to pursue this,” and, “I feel confident we’ll actually get it (on the ballot).” The couple’s earlier, first proposed ballot measure was intended for placement on the November ballot.

For Baker City voters, the dispute has practical consequences. A restriped Main Street would alter traffic flow on a central corridor used by commuters, school traffic, downtown businesses, and freight. Requiring voter approval for lane-configuration changes would shift transportation planning from elected councilors and staff into direct democratic decision-making, potentially raising the threshold for future safety or traffic-calming modifications and affecting maintenance, emergency response routing, and business loading zones.

Questions remain about the next steps. The Jeffrises have said they will rewrite and resubmit their petition, but no timetable or revised language has been released. The clerk’s compliance review role means any resubmission will undergo the same legal screening, and the city attorney and the Secretary of State may be asked to weigh in. Residents interested in the outcome should watch for new filings, council agenda items on restriping, and any public notices about petition circulation and signature collection; the issue is likely to return to public forums as both sides refine their arguments.