2020-246-Resolution No. 2020-051 Recorded 7/27/2020Recorded in Deschutes County Nancy Blankenship, County Clerk Commissioners' Journal 07/27/2020 11:08:02 AM CJ2020-246 IlIlIlIlItIll 111111 III lI 1111 BEFORE THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF DESCHUTES COUNTY, OREGON A Resolution in Opposition to the Proposed Core Area TIF Plan (Urban Renewal); Suggesting Plan Amendments * * RESOLUTION NO. 2020-051 WHEREAS, ORS Chapter 457 generally allows municipalities to establish urban renewal agencies in order to access Tax Increment Financing (TIF) to service debt associated with identified urban renewal projects; and WHEREAS, to qualify for TIF, urban renewal projects must specifically address "blighted areas" as broadly defined in ORS 457.010; and WHEREAS, TIF causes immediate and ongoing fiscal impacts to taxing districts impacted by TIF and the associated urban renewal project; and WHEREAS, taxing districts rely on annual assessed valuation increases and corresponding property tax revenue increases to keep pace with annual operational cost increases associated with population growth and inflationary factors; and WHEREAS, the proposed Core Area TIF will redirect nearly $50 million dollars from Deschutes County, the Countywide Law Enforcement District, the Deschutes County Extension / 4-H District, and the Deschutes County 911 Service District; and WHEREAS, over one million dollars are already annually redirected from countywide taxing districts due to existing urban renewal districts in the county; and WHEREAS, the proposed Redmond South Highway 97 urban renewal district may redirect an additional $20 million from countywide taxing districts; and WHEREAS, the ongoing and future impacts of COVID-19 to the economy of Bend, Deschutes County and Central Oregon are continuing to emerge and may not be fully identified and understood for years; and WHEREAS, the immediate and significant fiscal impacts to Deschutes County, the Countywide Law Enforcement District, the Deschutes County Extension / 4-H District, and the Deschutes County 911 Service District; are not justified or reasonable when weighed against the identified "blight" that the Core Area TIF is designed to address; and, WHEREAS, an amended proposed Core Area district boundary which reduces the amount of tax revenue redirected from countywide taxing districts by focusing on traditional municipal infrastructure such as streets, sewer and water, reducing the size of the proposed boundary, and reducing the duration of the district from thirty to twenty years, would lessen the resultant fiscal hardships on countywide taxing districts to fund annual operational increases coinciding with population growth and inflationary cost increases; now therefore, PAGE 1 OF 2 — RESOLUTION NO. 2020-051 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF DESCHUTES COUNTY, OREGON, AND ALSO AS THE GOVERNING BODY FOR THE COUNTYWIDE LAW ENFORCEMENT DISTRICT, THE DESCHUTES COUNTY EXTENSION / 4-H DISTRICT, AND THE DESCHUTES COUNTY 911 SERVICE DISTRICT as follows: Section 1. Pursuant to ORS 457.437, Deschutes County, the Countywide Law Enforcement District, the Deschutes County Extension / 4-H District, and the Deschutes County 911 Service District each oppose the proposed Core Area TIF. This opposition is based upon: (a) our belief that addressing the identified "blight" at the expense of the County and the identified service districts will cause undue financial harm and possible service disruption to the County and the identified service districts; and (b) our belief that economic impacts associated with COVID-19 are still emerging and largely unknown and that prudence suggests that the Core Area TIF be delayed for at least 24 months in order to better ascertain the impacts of COVID-19 on the area economy. Section 2. Pursuant to ORS 457.437, Deschutes County, the Countywide Law Enforcement District, the Deschutes County Extension / 4-H District, and the Deschutes County 911 Service District could be inclined to support the proposed Core Area TIF provided that the amount of tax revenue redirected from countywide taxing districts is reduced in cost and scope such that it focuses on traditional municipal infrastructure such as streets, sewer and water, the geographic size of the proposed boundary is reduced, and that the duration of the district is reduced from thirty to twenty years, which will lessen the resultant fiscal hardships on countywide taxing districts to fund annual operational increases coinciding with population growth and inflationary cost increases. Section 3. This Resolution shall take effect immediately from and after its adoption. Dated this of Recording Secretary 2020 BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF DESCHUTES COUNTY, OREGON PATTI ADAIR, Chair ANTHONY DeBONE, Vice Chair PHILIP G !' ENDERSON, Commissioner PAGE 2 OF 2 — RESOLUTION NO. 2020-051