Urban Renewal Agency discusses upcoming fiscal year
By Paul Hall on Wednesday, February 10th, 2021 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
LA GRANDE – The Urban Renewal Agency in La Grande, met in a work session last night to discuss potential funding levels for the Agency’s programs for the upcoming fiscal year. Though no decisions are made at work sessions, and final budget amounts won’t be determined until the annual budget adoption process is completed in June, the Agency did provide some directions to the Staff.
The Agency did reach consensus on continuing with the Call for Projects program and the Façade Program. There was considerable discussion regarding whether or not to fund the program at the historic $350,000 per year, with $100,000 of those funds dedicated to the La Grande Business Park.
Some members of the Agency advocated for increasing the total amount with others suggesting that if there weren’t any business park projects that those funds could be used for non-business park projects if needed. The amount of program funding impacts the amount of an Under Levy of Urban Renewal, which results in property tax revenues being distributed to other taxing jurisdictions. The District has Under Levied for the past few years, with just over $200,000 of property taxes going to the City’s General Fund this year. Based on the discussion, the District Manager will plan to include the same funding levels for all programs in the Proposed Budget, which are subject to change during the Budget Hearings scheduled for May and June. The final decision on an Under Levy is made following budget adoption in June.
