Deschutes County Oregon -- 9/23/2011 --
The Executive Board of the Deschutes County 9-1-1 Service District voted unanimously this week to ask for voter approval of a May 2012 ballot measure that would create stable funding for 911. Approval of the measure will position the 911 Service District to reduce the tax burden more than $5 million over the first five years.
The 9-1-1 Service District provides consolidated emergency response for 19 public safety agencies in Deschutes County. Currently, the District receives $0.3918 per $1,000 of assessed value as its rate. A portion of this rate must be approved by the voters every three to five years and the current rate will expire June 2013.
"The 911 center is the very foundation for all public safety in Deschutes County: fire, police and ambulance. It is a critical infrastructure for our public safety system," said Redmond Fire Chief and 9-1-1 Executive Board Chair Tim Moor.
The seven member 9-1-1 Executive Board, comprised of local police and fire chiefs and the Sheriff, is recommending a stable funding levy of $.39 per $1,000 of assessed value, less than the current rate, and for the District to levy only $.33 of the $.39 for five years. This reduction will save the County residents approximately $5 million over the first five years.
After careful financial analysis, the 911 Executive Board members and 911 Director Rob Poirier are confident the District can maintain current operations during the five year period of a reduced levy because of reserve funds. Through prudent and conservative fiscal management, the District has developed reserve funds due to several factors:
1. Cost savings from the 9-1-1 building project;
2. The District successfully obtained several grants to help off-set the cost of the building;
3. The 9-1-1 District has delayed capital purchases due to emerging technologies including next generation 9-1-1 communication equipment; and
4. Vacancies within the agency.
"We know the economy is in a bad spot right now and we believe that it is important for us to make these tax cuts in order to do our part to aid in the recovery of our local economy," said 9-1-1 Director Rob Poirier.
The Executive Board is recommending replacing the 5-year levy with a sustainable permanent rate. Poirier notes that approval of a sustainable rate will save 9-1-1 a significant amount of time and expense in seeking voter approval of local option levies every four or five years.
The Executive Board recommendation will be forwarded to a 9-1-1 Service District Citizen Funding Panel. The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners created the citizen’s panel to provide a recommendation on the ballot measure to create stable funding for the 911 Service District.
For more information about the proposed 9-1-1 stable funding measure, please call (541) 401-1904 or (541) 388-6584.
