YACHATS — One year after approving a new, larger tax levy for the Yachats Rural Fire Protection District, voters in the district will get a chance to renew a second one.
The district’s board voted 3-0 Monday – two members were absent — to ask voters to renew a 61 cent levy in November that it has relied on since 1999 to help fund yearly operations. The levy was last approved by voters in May 2019.
The 61-cent levy is one of three sources of taxes the district uses to fund operations. It has a permanent tax base of 28 cents per $1,000 assessed property value. And, last November voters approved — on the district’s second try — a levy that carries a tax rate of $1.59 per $1,000 assessed property value. It took effect July 1 and replaces a 59 cent levy that was no longer adequate to meet some of the district’s operating costs.
The district also has a voter-approved bond of 68 cents per $1,000 used to build its new fire station on the north edge of Yachats. But that money cannot be used for day-to-day operations.
The fire board had discussed the latest levy attempt at its two previous meetings, talking about whether to seek approval in November or wait until next May and if it should ask for a larger levy to help keep up with inflation. With passage of the $1.59 levy a year ago, the board decided Monday to keep this levy the same amount and for the same amount of years – five.
“We need to remind people that we do good things and they’ll be issues if this doesn’t pass,” said board member Ed Hallahan.
The 61-cent levy is due to expire June 31, 2024. If approved in November, the district estimates it would generate $405,000 in fiscal 2024-25 rising over five years to $465,000 in 2028-29.
Passage of the $1.59 levy last year – combined with the current 61 cent levy — gets the district out of having to take out bank loans to make ends meet during the spring and summer before tax revenue arrives in November. It had been forced into that practice since 2019 after a series of financial missteps and rising costs.
The district’s 2023-24 general fund budget is $2 million.
— Quinton Smith/YachatsNews
It would be nice if Mr. Hallahan could’ve elaborated more on “…remind(ing) people that we do good things and they’ll be issues if this doesn’t pass”. I think the “good things” are fairly obvious, but what “issues” is he talking about? Having just incurred a 169 percent increase ($1.59 per $1,000 assessed property value from $0.59 per $1,000 assessed property value) along with the other taxes the district uses to fund operations including it’s new fire station (a) permanent tax base of 28 cents per $1,000 assessed property value, (b) $0.68 cents per $1,000 used to build its new fire station, and (c) the expiring $0.61 per $1,000 assessed property value being put up for renewal. In total us in the Yachats Rural Fire Protection District (YRFPD) currently pay $3.16 per $1,000 assessed property value. I encourage the YRFPD to provide additional information and stop with the veiled(?) threat of “issues” if we don’t support this tax. I cannot support renewing this tax having just incurred a significant tax increase without additional information.
Totally right.
I vote no.
I vote no, too!
I vote heck no.