BALLOT TITLE
Caption: Five-year Local Option Levy for Police, Fire & 911 Operations.
Question: Shall Troutdale adopt a local option levy at $1.60 per $1,000 of assessed value for police, fire & 911 services? This measure may cause property taxes to increase more than three percent.
Summary: Troutdale provides Police, Fire, and 911 through contracts: Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, City of Gresham Fire Department, and Bureau of Emergency Communications.
Costs of essential public safety services continually increase and are projected to rise faster than available funding. Without a sustainable funding source, the gap between revenues and public safety costs will become unsustainable, risking the long-term reliability of Police, Fire, and 911 services.
If this measure passes, the current Council will replace the $25 Public Safety Fee, with a voter-approved local option levy of $1.60 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
The average Troutdale home assessed at approximately $267,800, would cost about $428.48 annually. Because the Public Safety Utility Fee would be eliminated, the average homeowner would not pay the current $300 annual fee, resulting in an estimated net annual cost increase of approximately $128.48 while providing dedicated funding for Police, Fire, and 911 services.
The amount collected is estimated to be $3,556,392 in 2027-28, $3,663,084 in 2028-29, $3,772,977 in 2029-30, $3,886,166 in 2030-31, and $4,002,751 in 2031-32.
Public safety costs already exceed $10 million annually and are projected to surpass $14 million by 2030. This levy ensures stable, reliable public safety funding for Troutdale’s future.
Explanatory Statement: For over a decade, the City of Troutdale has provided Police, Fire, and 911 services through contracts with the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, the City of Gresham Fire Department, and the Bureau of Emergency Communications (BOEC). While these partnerships have provided reliable emergency services, the cost of maintaining them has increased substantially and continues to outpace the City's available revenues.
Troutdale’s property taxes are projected to generate $7.9 million in FY 26-27 and increase by 3% annually to approximately $8.9 million by 2030. In contrast, the City's fire services contract is over $3.5 million next fiscal year, the City's police services contract is projected at over $6.3 million, and BOEC is roughly $1 million. Combined Police, Fire, 911, and related public safety costs currently exceed $10 million annually and are projected to surpass $14 million by FY 2030-31. Current trends show a $3 million funding gap next year increasing annually to over $5 million by 2030.
This measure establishes a five-year local option levy of $1.60 per $1,000 of assessed property value to help fund Police, Fire, and 911 services. Levy revenues may only be used to offset the costs of Police, Fire, and 911 operations, in conjunction with property tax revenues, to address current and projected funding gaps, and may not be used for unrelated City services. If approved, the City Council intends to eliminate the current $25 per month Public Safety Utility Fee, which could otherwise exceed $65 per month by 2030. The proposal would replace the utility fee with the voter-approved local option levy. Without an additional funding source, the utility fee would require future increases to help address rising Police, Fire, and 911 costs.
The five-year duration is intended to provide stable funding while allowing the City sufficient time to evaluate and implement long-term public safety solutions. Those efforts may include negotiating future service agreements, evaluating alternative fire and emergency medical service delivery models, considering the potential formation of, or annexation into, a fire district, and evaluating future police service delivery models, including the possible re-establishment of a Troutdale Police Department. Any long-term changes would occur only after additional public review, City Council consideration, and any legally required public process.
The City recognizes that a temporary local option levy is not a permanent solution to the funding challenges facing many Oregon communities. State property tax limitations continue to constrain the growth of local revenues while the cost of providing emergency services continues to increase. The City intends to continue working with regional partners to identify sustainable long-term funding strategies that provide reliable emergency services while maintaining fiscal responsibility for residents and businesses.
The City Council will continue reviewing public safety funding and service delivery through public meetings, budget deliberations, and ongoing public engagement.
This measure provides dedicated funding for Police, Fire, and 911 services while the City evaluates long-term public safety funding and service delivery options through an open public process.
Submitted by:
Sarah Skroch, City Recorder
City of Troutdale