Riverdale Rural Fire Protection District - Measure 26-241
Ballot Title:
Five-Year Local Levy to Pay for Emergency Services.
Question: Shall the District renew five-year levy of $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed value for emergency services beginning in 2024-25? This measure renews current local option taxes.
Summary: This measure continues the five-year local option levy for the Riverdale Rural Fire Protection District initially adopted November 5, 2002. This measure authorizes the Board of Directors to levy taxes needed for the annual cost of emergency services provided to Riverdale residents. The District presently operates with the aid of a five- year local option levy which expires June 30, 2024. This measure continues the local option levy, which is $0.50 per $1,000 for five years beginning 2024-2025. The tax is necessary to pay the contract costs for emergency fire and medical services.
The estimated local option taxes over five years are:
2024-2025: $438,673
2025-2026: $451,639
2026-2027: $465,209
2027-2028: $479,186
2028-2029: $493,583
The estimated total tax raised over five years if the maximum levy is assessed would be $2,328,081.
The Board of Directors intends to levy taxes each year only in an amount that meets the District's needs for emergency services. Although the current levy allows the levy of $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed value, the amount levied each year under the current levy has been $0.25 per $1,000 of assessed value for 2019-2020 through 2023-2024.
The estimated tax cost for this measure is an ESTIMATE ONLY based on the best information available from the county assessor at the time of the estimate and may reflect the impact of early payment discounts, compression and the collection rate.
Explanatory Statement:
This measure proposes continuing a local option levy of $0.50 (50 cents) per $1,000 of assessed valuation to the current permanent levy of $1.2361 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, bringing the total rate to $1.7361 per $1,000 of assessed valuation for the 5-year period of the levy.
The Board of Directors is of the opinion that this local option levy rate of $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed valuation will be necessary to provide emergency fire and medical services to the District by contracting with an adjacent city or fire district. The District presently contracts with the City of Lake Oswego for these services.
The permanent tax rate of $1.2361 per $1,000 of assessed value established by Measure 50 was a substantial reduction of the prior tax rate. The District previously had a local option levy of $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed valuation for both prior 5-year periods, spanning 2014-2019 and 2019-2024. The continuation of the current local option levy is requested to ensure that sufficient funds are available to meet projected increases in expenses.
Although the local option levy for the previous ten years has allowed the levy of $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed value, the Board of Directors has only levied the amount necessary each year, and that levy has not exceeded $0.25 per $1,000 of assessed value during the current 5-year period. Continuing the local option levy at a maximum of $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed valuation will provide flexibility, if needed, to meet increased costs of contracting for service to the district.
Submitted by:
The Board of Directors, Riverdale Rural Fire Protection District 11JT
