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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 01 Public Safety Special Levy Election AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Meeting Date: 6/25/2012 Meeting Type:Regular Meeting Staff Contact/Dept.: Bob Duey, Finance Staff Phone No: 541.726.3740 Estimated Time: 5 Minutes S P R I N G F I E L D C I T Y C O U N C I L Council Goals: Strengthen Public Safety by Leveraging Partnerships and Resources ITEM TITLE: PUBLIC SAFETY SPECIAL LEVY ELECTION ACTION REQUESTED: Conduct a public hearing and adopt/not adopt the following resolution A RESOLUTION REFERRING TO THE ELECTORS OF THE CITY A BALLOT MEASURE AUTHORIZING THE LEVY OF A FIVE YEAR LOCAL OPTION TAX FOR PUBLIC SAFETY PURPOSES IN THE AMOUNT OF $1.28 OF ASSESSED VALUE BEGINNING IN 2013/14. ISSUE STATEMENT: The current 5-year Public Safety Special Option Levy will expire at the end of the next fiscal year (06/03/13). After two work sessions, Council directed staff to prepare a Resolution with Ballot Title for a public hearing on June 18 requesting a local option levy for $1.28 be placed on the November 06, 2012 election. This public hearing was held on June 18 and a resolution was adopted by the City Council that same evening directing the City staff to submit the required paperwork to Lane County elections for placement on the November ballot. Upon subsequent contact with Lane County Elections it has been determined that ORS 280.075 requires additional language be included within the Ballot Title Statement that reads “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.” This additional wording is not part of the 175 word count. Staff is recommending rather than simply adding the additional language to the Ballot Title and possibly risk an appeal, a second public hearing be held to adopt a second resolution with all identical language except for the single added statement. If adopted, the resolution and ballot title will be filed with the Lane County Elections Office. ATTACHMENTS: Attachment 1: Resolution w/ Exhibit A Ballot Title DISCUSSION/ FINANCIAL IMPACT: None Attachment 2 Page 1 of 2    RESOLUTION No. 2012-__ A RESOLUTION REFERRING TO THE ELECTORS OF THE CITY A BALLOT MEASURE AUTHORIZING THE LEVY OF A FIVE YEAR LOCAL OPTION TAX FOR PUBLIC SAFETY PURPOSES IN THE AMOUNT OF $1.28 OF ASSESSED VALUE BEGINNING IN 2013/14. As the preamble to the Resolution the Common Council of the City of Springfield, Oregon (the “City”) hereby recites the matters set forth below. To the extent any of the following recitals relates to a finding or a determination which must be made by the Council in connection with the subject matter of this Resolution or any aspect thereof, the Council declares that by setting forth such recital such finding or determination is thereby made by the Council. The recital, findings and determination set forth herein constitute a part of the Resolution. (1) POLITICAL SUBDIVISION. The City is a municipality and political subdivision organized and existing and pursuant to the laws of the State of Oregon and the 2001 Springfield Municipal Charter of the City (“the Charter”). (2) POLICE PLANNING TASK FORCE. The City Council has previously appointed members to the Police Planning Task Force for the purpose of assisting in the development of a blueprint for strengthening public safety by leveraging partnerships and resources. (3) CURRENT LEVY AUTHORIZATION. The City currently has the authorization from the citizens of Springfield to levy a special option tax at the rate of $1.09 per thousand for police services beginning July 01, 2007. The current authorization is for five years and expires with the fiscal year beginning July 01, 2012. (4) NEED FOR SERVICE ENHANCEMENTS. A variety of surveys and community forums have been held by, and on behalf of, the City intended to determine the current needs and desires for the residents as they pertain to issues of public safety. The surveys indicate a continued need to enhance police services to the Community. The City recently completed the construction of 100-bed municipal jail through general obligation bonds that opened in January 2010. The Council of the City determined to proceed with the identified services for polices services, municipal jail operations and court services for the renewal of the current authorized special option tax at a cost of $32,059,565. The estimated tax rate needed to generate the resources required is $1.28 per thousand of assessed valuation. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SPRINGFIED, OREGON AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. APPROVE OF BALLOT MEASURE FOR GENERAL PURPOSE LOCAL OPTION TAX LEVY. The Council of the City hereby directs that at the general election to be held on November 06, 2012, there shall be submitted to the qualified electors of the City a measure authorizing the City to levy a local option tax for public safety purposes in the amount of $1.28 per $1,000 of assessed value beginning in 2013/14. The ballot title for the local option levy is attached as Exhibit A (the “Ballot Title”). Section 2. SUBMISSION TO THE ELECTIONS OFFICER. Not later that the 61st day before November 06, 2012, the City Recorder, as the Chief Elections Officer of the City, shall submit to the County Clerk for Lane County, Oregon a statement of the local option tax measure Attachment 2 Page 2 of 2    together with a certified copy of this Resolution and the Ballot Title, all in order that the local option tax measure may appear on the ballot for the general election to be held on November 06, 2012. The City Recorder shall submit to the County Clerk all necessary information, and shall do and perform all other acts and things necessary or appropriate, so that the measure shall appear on the ballot for such primary election. Section 3. ADDITIONAL AUTHORIZATION. The City Manager, the City Recorder and the City Finance Director and each of them acting individually, are hereby authorized, empowered and directed, for and on behalf of the City, to do and perform all acts and things necessary or appropriate to cause the public safety purpose local option tax levy to appear on the ballot for November 06, 2012, general election and to otherwise carry out the purpose and intent of this Resolution. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Resolution shall take effect immediately upon adoption by the Council and approval by the Mayor. ADOPTED BY THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SPRINGFIELD AT A REGULAR MEETING HELD ON JUNE 25, 2012, BY A VOTE OF _____ FOR AND _____ AGAINST. APPROVED: ___________________________ Mayor Christine L. Lundberg ATTEST: ___________________________ City Recorder, Amy Sowa Ballot Title    CITY OF SPRINGFIELD  BALLOT MEASURE XX‐XX    Caption : FIVE‐YEAR  LEVY FOR SPRINGFIELD JAIL OPERATIONS AND POLICE SERVICES    Question: Shall Springfield levy $1.28 per $1,000 assessed valuation for five years beginning  2013/14 for Springfield jail operations and police services.  This measure may cause  property taxes to increase more than three percent.     Summary: The current levy for public safety services, which expires June 30, 2013, provides  funding for Springfield’s municipal jail, uniformed police, support personnel and  municipal court operations.  Passage of this five year levy would renew funding for the  municipal jail and maintain the existing level of police and community services.      Springfield’s jail opened in 2010.  This levy would continue to provide partial funding for  jail operations.  Court fines, prisoner fees and leasing jail beds to other agencies would  provide other funding.  The jail provides space for sentenced defendants and has  reduced the number of defendants failing to appear for scheduled court dates.  During  the first 2 years of operations 3,692 were booked into jail with an average jail  population in excess of 60 inmates per day.      Police services provided by the current levy include additional uniformed officers,  community service officers, dispatchers and record clerks.  The current levy has resulted  in improved response times for both emergency and non emergency police calls.   Passage of the proposed levy would allow this level of service to continue.   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.  The  estimated tax which would be raised by this levy are 20013/14 ‐ $4,699,947; 2014/15 ‐  $4,840,946; 2015/16 ‐ $4,986,174; 2016/17 ‐ $5,135,759; 2017/18 ‐ $5,289,832 for a  total of $24,952,658.