BALLOT TITLE
FOUR-YEAR OPERATING LOCAL OPTION TAX
QUESTION: Should the District impose $.25 per $1,000 of assessed value for operations for four years beginning 2001-2002? This measure may cause property taxes to increase more than three percent.
SUMMARY: If approved, the proceeds will be used by Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue to pay the cost of:
• Emergency services and support personnel;
• Purchasing and/or upgrading emergency services technology; and
• Purchasing equipment, furnishings, and other tangible property in support of operations
The levy is not to exceed the rate of $.25 per thousand dollars on the assessed value of all qualifying property within the District, commencing with the 2001-2002 fiscal year and continuing for a period of four (4) years. The total amount of money to be raised by the proposed local option tax levy over the four-year period is estimated to be as follows:
• 2001-2002: $5,901,044
• 2002-2003: $6,284,611
• 2003-2004: $7,266,806
• 2004-2005: $7,739,149
For a total of $27,191,610
EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue ("TVF&R") is Oregon’s largest fire district, serving approximately 350,000 citizens in the cities of Beaverton, Durham, King City, Rivergrove, Sherwood, Tigard, Tualatin, and Wilsonville, as well as unincorporated portions of Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington counties. The district was originally formed through the merger of three fire departments to reduce overhead costs and duplication of services. TVF&R provides a wide range of services including fire suppression, emergency medical services, rescue services, and fire prevention. The district maintains specialized teams in the areas of technical rescue, water rescue and hazardous materials response.
Since the passage of Measure 50, the district has experienced a cumulative reduction of $27 million from the amount of taxes it could have levied between 1997 and today. At the same time, demand for service has grown. In 1995, TVF&R responded to 18,896 calls; last year the district responded to 24,250 incidents. In addition, a new occupational safety mandate prohibits firefighters from entering burning buildings unless at least two firefighters enter with a back-up crew of two firefighters remaining outside. Since most TVF&R units currently operate with three-person crews, firefighters are required to wait until a second unit arrives before entering a burning building.
In an effort to manage these impacts while maintaining service levels, the district is seeking voter authorization to impose a four-year local option tax levy of up to $.25 (cents) per $1000 of assessed value. If approved, the proceeds would be used to fund the following:
1) To hire additional firefighters and firefighter-paramedics, enabling the district to staff selected units with enough personnel to meet the newly required four-person safety standard. This would maintain the district’s current standard of having a paramedic on every piece of equipment and allow firefighters to immediately and aggressively attack interior fires on arrival without waiting for a second unit. The district would also hire additional corresponding support staff.
2) To purchase and/or upgrade technology for emergency operations, including:
• Automatic External Defibrillators – used by firefighters to "re-start" the hearts of cardiac arrest patients.
• Mobile Data Terminals and Response Analysis Tools – small computers installed in the cabs of emergency vehicles that allow firefighters to access information about buildings to which they are responding, such as floor plans, on-site storage of hazardous materials and other critical details.
• Thermal Imaging Cameras – infrared imagers that allow firefighters to "see" in the zero-visibility environment of darkness or thick smoke. These devices help firefighters find victims and help reduce damage by allowing firefighters to locate hidden fire above ceilings and in walls.
3) To purchase capital items, such as equipment carried on response vehicles, protective clothing, furniture and other tangible items needed to support emergency operations.
If the levy were assessed at its full rate, the owner of a house with an assessed value of $150,000 would pay an additional $3.13 per month.
Submitted by:
Jeffrey D. Johnson, Chief,
Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue
No arguments FOR or AGAINST this measure were filed.