Grants Pass Public Safety

BALLOT TITLE: Two-year City Police & Fire Local Option Tax

Question

Shall Grants Pass levy $1.79 per $1,000 assessed value, continuing City Police and Fire services two years beginning July 2009? This measure may cause property taxes to increase more than three percent.

SUMMARY

This is not a new tax. THIS TAX REPLACES THE CURRENT CITY POLICE AND FIRE LEVY. The current levy for Grants Pass Police and Fire operations ends June 30, 2009. The replacement levy continues funding emergency police and fire response – 24 hours a day – 7 days a week. Critical services include neighborhood patrols, detectives, criminal investigation, traffic enforcement, fire protection, fire prevention, rescue, drug enforcement, gang prevention, Citizens Public Safety Academy, street lighting, and response to vehicle crashes and emergency medical calls for life threatening incidents. The replacement levy will maintain current city police and fire response time standards to emergency calls.

This replacement levy will fund only City Police and Fire operations and will insure City police officers and firefighters are not laid off when the current levy ends on June 30.

This 2-year local option levy of $1.79 per $1,000 assessed value pays for current City Police and Fire operations. The levy would be $240 per year for the average Grants Pass home, an increase of approximately $40 per year from 2008.

The proposed rate will raise approximately $4,023,026 in Fiscal Year 2009-2010; and $4,160,381 in Fiscal Year 2010-2011.

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT: CITY OF GRANTS PASS POLICE & FIRE LOCAL OPTION TAX RATE LEVY.

CONTINUED POLICE AND FIRE. This is not a new tax. THIS TAX REPLACES THE CURRENT CITY POLICE AND FIRE LEVY. Since 1986, City voters have approved Police and Fire financing by approving levies. In 2005, local voters approved the current levy for Police and Fire/Rescue Services. It expires June 30, 2009. The levy you are voting on replaces the expiring levy and continues to finance City Police and Fire services for the next two years.

POLICE AND FIRE FUNDING. Public Safety in Grants Pass includes Police, Fire/Rescue, Street Lighting, Emergency Communications and Dispatch, Crisis Support funding and Code Enforcement. ALL PROPERTY TAXES COLLECTED IN GRANTS PASS ARE USED EXCLUSIVELY FOR THESE POLICE AND FIRE SERVICES. Over the past two decades, the permanent property taxes have not been enough to support Police and Fire services. City residents have indicated repeatedly in community surveys that they want to maintain their current community quality of life.

MAINTAINS CURRENT POLICE AND FIRE SERVICES. This Local Option Tax Rate Levy would maintain current services including Police and Fire/Rescue emergency responses, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, Street Lighting for Safe Neighborhoods, Dispatch Services, limited Traffic Enforcement, Gang Prevention, Major Crimes Investigations- Neighborhood Patrols, Crime/Fire Prevention, School Programs, Drug Enforcement, K-9 Program, Community Policing, Citizen Public Safety Academy, Vehicle Crash and Emergency Medical Response, and National and State Accreditation for the Law Enforcement and Dispatch Functions.

Grants Pass has more police calls per officer than most communities. This replacement levy maintains the current city police response time standards for police emergency calls.

TAX IMPACTS.

This proposal is for a 2-year Local Option Tax Levy to fund City Police and Fire Services from July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2011. The amount requested for the next 2 years is approximately $4,023,026 in fiscal year 2010. The tax rate for this levy is $1.79 per $1,000 of assessed value. The average single family home in Grants Pass has a real market value of $241,600 and a taxable value of $134,500. This property owner would pay a total of $240 from this levy, an increase of $40 per year above the current levy.

ACTIONS IMPROVING EFFICIENCIES.

Over the years, the City has reduced the number of administrative personnel, cross-trained personnel, enhanced response time with new police and fire stations, added equipment and support to increase patrol and improved fire protection time. The City also increased efficiency by hiring Community Service Officers at lower salaries, and using volunteers where state-certified police officers are not required. Other efficiencies include using a College Student Firefighter Program to assist paid firefighters and a Police Reserve Program to assist paid police officers. Both reduce operating costs.

This levy will allow police officers and firefighters to maintain current response times to police, fire, medical and rescue emergencies in the City of Grants Pass.

Your Grants Pass Public Safety : Fire & Police