Philomath Mayor Christopher McMorran will serve a three-year term on the League of Oregon Cities’ Board of Directors beginning next year.
“Starting in January, I’ll be joining the LOC board, which I’m looking forward to, and I’m very honored to have that opportunity,” McMorran said. “So you’ll be hearing a lot more about the revenue reform project from me.”
The revenue reform project is the league’s push to modernize Oregon’s property tax system, which is more than 30 years old. Costs for services like fire protection, roads, libraries and parks keep climbing, but rules from the 1990s cap the money available to pay for them. Because a property’s taxable value is tied to what it was worth in 1995, similar homes can end up with very different tax bills for the same services. The league’s board made revenue reform a priority and directed a study of possible changes, including property tax changes.
McMorran is one of four elected officials chosen as directors on the league’s 2027 board. Seaside City Councilor Tita Montero and Klamath Falls City Councilor Michael Angeli also got three-year terms. Hermiston City Councilor Maria Duron will serve a two-year term.
Sherwood Mayor Tim Rosener will lead the board as president in 2027. Other officers are Gresham Mayor Travis Stovall as vice president, Monmouth City Manager Rochelle Anderson as treasurer and Fossil Mayor Carol MacInnes as immediate past president.
Philomath won’t be the only mid-valley city on the board. Corvallis City Manager Mark Shepard will serve as the senior appointed official director. Hillsboro City Manager Robby Hammond holds the voting appointed official director seat, and Molalla City Manager Dan Huff is the non-voting appointed official director.
The League of Oregon Cities is a membership organization that lobbies for cities at the state Capitol and offers training and other resources to city officials across Oregon.