La Grande eyes possible November ballot measures as election calendar takes shape

La Grande council members spent a June 15 work session on two ideas that could end up before voters: city charter amendments and a possible gas tax referral. The discussion lands as the city heads into a compressed summer calendar, with a regular council meeting already scheduled for July 1 and the mayoral seat plus three council positions set to expire on Dec. 31, 2026.

The policy stakes are larger than a routine election year. A charter change could alter how La Grande runs its municipal elections, while a gas tax referral would ask voters to decide whether the city should have another revenue source as it budgets for services and infrastructure. La Grande’s Budget Committee asked the city manager and department heads on May 13 to find 10% in cuts to the proposed 2026-27 budget, then later recommended an amended general fund budget with roughly $1 million in cuts and reductions.

That budget pressure gives any ballot referral added weight. If council members choose to move forward with a revenue question, voters would be deciding not only whether to change city rules but also how much financial flexibility La Grande should have as it trims spending for the coming year. The timing matters because any measure would have to be set in motion well before November, leaving little room between summer council action and the deadline to finalize ballot language.

La Grande has already been through one charter fight. In November 2024, voters rejected Measure 31-121, which would have removed council position numbers, eliminated the primary election and changed how mid-term vacancies are filled. City records say La Grande elections are governed by Oregon state election law and the city’s 1998 Revised City Charter, whose last official amendment was adopted on Nov. 3, 1998.

That history makes the current discussion especially consequential. If council revisits charter language this year, residents could again be asked to weigh how council seats are labeled, how candidates get on the ballot and how vacancies are handled when a term ends early. The city’s election calendar is already moving, and Oregon’s official voters’ guide will publish ballot-measure information before Election Day once any referral is finalized.