HomeMy WebLinkAboutDoc 114-115 - 9-1-1 CSD ElectionDeschutes County Board of Commissioners
1300 NW Wall St., Suite 200, Bend, OR 97701-1960
(541) 388-6570 -Fax (541) 385-3202 -www.deschutes.org
AGENDA REQUEST & STAFF REPORT
For Board Business Meeting of February 22, 2012 @ 10:00
Please see directions for completing this document on the next page.
DATE: February 15, 2012.
FROM: Laurie Craghead Legal Phone # 541-388-6623
TITLE OF AGENDA ITEM:
Consideration of Authorizing Chair Signature of Notice of County Measure Election (Document No.
2012-114; and Explanatory Statement for County Voters' Pamphlet (2012), (Document No. 2012-115)
and convening as the governing body of the Deschutes County 9-1-1 Service District to ratify the
signatures of Order 2012-011.
PUBLIC HEARING ON THIS DATE? No
BACKGROUND AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS:
The Board of County Commissioners has already held hearings approving formation of Deschutes
9-1-1 County Service District. Attached are documents that facilitate the Measure being placed on
the ballot.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
If this Measure passes, the District is responsible for election costs; if the Measure fails, the County is
responsible for election costs.
RECOMMENDATION & ACTION REQUESTED:
Authorize chair signature on election documents
ATTENDANCE: Laurie Craghead
DISTRIBUTION OF DOCUMENTS:
Georgia Springer -Legal Department, ASAP, please
801
REV1!12 NOTICE OF COUNTY MEASURE ELECTION
Deschutes 9-1-1 County Service District
(Name of District)
Notice is hereby given that on May 15, 2012
(Date of Election)
A measure election will be held in Deschutes County! Oregon.
(Name of County or Counties)
--------.
ORS 250.035
ORS 250.()'11
ORS250.175
ORS 254.103
ORS254A65
The following shall be the ballot title of the measure to be submitted to the district's voters on this date:
CAPTION (10 Words)
Form 9-1-1 district with permanent rate, withdraw from existing district.
QUESTION (20 Words)
Should replacement 9-1-1 district be formed with $0.39/$1000 assessed value permanent tax rate limit
beginning 2012-2013, and current territory withdrawn?
This measure may cause property taxes to increase more than three percent.
Page 1-Notice of County Measure Election
This measure creates the Deschutes 9-1-1 County Service District for emergency communications and
withdraws the territory within Deschutes County from the existing 9-1-1 district. The purpose is to provide
long-term stable funding for emergency communications throughout Deschutes County. This may include
future technology upgrades to provide faster and more accurate ambulance, fire and law enforcement
emergency response.
The existing district has a permanent tax rate limit of $0.1618/$1000 assessed value. State law does not
permit this to be increased unless a replacement district is formed. The balance of the funding for the existing
district comes from a temporary, five-year local option levy of $0.23 that expires 2013. Thus, the total current
taxing authority for the existing district is $0.3918.
The new district would have a permanent rate limit of $0.39. The intent, however, is to initially levy only
$0.33, resulting in a tax decrease.
If formation is approved, the intent is to merge the remaining portion of the existing district in Jefferson
County into the new district in November.
(Map of the proposed district will accompany the ballots.)
The following authorized district official hereby certifies the above ballot title is true and complete.
~..----~-------------------------------------~----~-Signature of authorized district official (not required to be notarized) Date signed
Chair, Deschutes County Board of
liU1UIlY DeBone County Com.H1issioners
Printed name of authorized district official Title
Page 2 -Notice of County Measure Election
EXPLANATORY STATEMENT FOR COUNTY VOTERS' PAMPHLET(2012)
Ballot Title Caption: Form 9-1-1 District With Permanent Rate, Withdraw From Existing District
Measure Number: ________ Word Total (500 Maximum): ___46_9________
Why consider forming a new 9-1-1 emergency communications district?
The existing 9-1-1 district has a permanent property tax rate limit of .1618. State law does not permit
the district to seek approval of a new permanent rate limit. Therefore, the district relies primarily on a
temporary five-year local option tax to fund emergency communications services. That levy expires
June 2013.
Forming a replacement district with a new permanent rate limit would provide long-term stable
funding for emergency communications. The district would not have to deal with the uncertainty of
seeking temporary tax levies. This makes it easier to invest in technology upgrades to provide faster,
more accurate emergency response by ambulance, fire and law enforcement services. The district
would not be faced with possible layoffs or other cuts every five years.
Formation is being proposed now because state law only permits a new district to be formed in even
numbered years.
What would be the financial impact of approving this measure?
The existing district currently levies a total property tax rate of $0.3918. The total tax on a property
with an assessed value of $200,000 is $78.36.
The new permanent rate limit would be $0.39. If the full amount was to be levied in 2012/2013, it
would raise $6,874,205. If a permanent rate is established, however, the availability of long-term
stable funding likely would permit the district to use some of its current reserve funds, so the intent is
to only levy $0.33 initially. This would result in a tax on a property with an assessed value of
$200,000 of $66, a tax decrease for perhaps the first five years.
These funds legally may be spent only on emergency communication services and equipment.
What would happen to the existing district?
All properties within Deschutes County will be withdrawn from the existing district. . The intent is to
merge the remaining small portion of the district located in Jefferson County with the new district in
November. All properties in the district would pay the same tax rate. The Deschutes County Board of
County Commissioners would govern the new district in the same way it governs the current district.
No new bureaucracy would be created.
What would happen if formation is not approved?
e C 2 0 1 2 .... 1 1 [.D ~ .......... :J
Page I -EXPLANATORY STATEMENT FOR COUNTY VOTER'S PAMPHLET
The existing district would continue. It is likely that the voters would be asked to consider approving
a new, possibly higher, temporary levy when the current one expires.
Have public safety agencies had input into this proposal?
Yes. This proposal was developed in consultation with the district's User Board. Also, state law
requires that formation of a 9-1-1 district may not be considered unless at least two-thirds of all
public and private public safety agencies have approved. Those approvals were received in
December of2011. Approvals from two other agencies were received in January 2012, making it
unanimous.
Person responsible for the content of the Explanatory Statement:
(Typed)_____A~nt~h~o~n~y~D~e~B~o~n~e~,~C~h~a~ir~B~o~a~rd~o~f~C~o~u~nt~y~C~o~m~m~is~s~io~n~e~r~s_________________________
(Signed) X _____________________________
Deschutes County, Oregon, a political subdivision of the State of Oregon
Name of the Governing Body the person represents
Page 2 -EXPLANATORY STATEMENT FOR COUNTY VOTER'S PAMPHLET
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