Baker City Council approves new tax levy on May ballot to address public safety shortfall
By Joe Hathaway on Monday, February 19th, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
BAKER CITY – Baker City voters may soon have to decide on a new tax this upcoming election.
In a recent City Council session, the Council voted 5-1 in favor of putting a new tax levy on the May ballot. The proposed levy aims to address a budget shortfall of over $900,000 specifically related to the police and fire departments.
City Manager Barry Murphy says that the additional funding, estimated at $7-800,000 a year, would cover staffing increases and other rising expenditures. Murphy says the Council is not considering an overall budget increase, emphasizing that the levy is solely intended to bridge the known shortfall based on current staffing levels and departmental expenditures.
Murphy is actively working on drafting the necessary levy documentation, which will be presented to the Council on February 27th. During this meeting, Council members will vote on the wording of the ballot measure. City staff will subsequently process the measure in accordance with guidance from the Oregon Secretary of State.
The proposed levy, if approved, would increase property taxes by a specified amount per $1000 of assessed property value. The details of this increase are still under consideration and will be finalized in the coming weeks.
During the Council session, discussions also touched upon the possibility of reinstating the public safety fee, which was rescinded last fall, and increasing franchise fees. However, decisions on these matters will be deferred until after an upcoming work session.
Councilor Doni Bruland was the lone “no” vote. She sent this statement to Elkhorn Media Group about why she disapproves of the new tax levy:
I am committed to fully functioning police and fire, but not at the expense of homeowners. I definitely don’t agree that a ‘no’ vote by the public means they don’t want the services, it simply means they can’t afford it. There are already too many hands in the cookie jar, and like other homeowners, I’m out of cookies.
I want the council to look at other revenue sources, including creating a business license fee, increasing franchise fees, and assessing a fee for short-term vacation rentals.
It’s important that the community discusses the options and not rely on any single one to fix the issues.
As part of the ballot measure process, Murphy says the city is obligated to publish the approved ballot title and estimated revenue. This information will be made public after the next Council meeting, pending approval of the ballot title and related details by the Council.
