Proposed Ballot Measure 20-311

Shall Springfield levy $0.38 per $1,000 of assessed value for five years beginning 2021/22 for fire and life safety services? This measure may cause property taxes to increase more than three percent.

Details & Summary

If the proposed measure passes, this levy would maintain Springfield’s current model of emergency response for fire protection, rescue, hazardous materials release and mitigation, and emergency medical response by helping fund staffing and equipment to maintain and operate one of the five fire engine crews serving Springfield.

Currently all five engines are staffed with firefighter-paramedics. Staffing and operations costs include wages and benefits, safety equipment, vehicle and equipment expenses, dispatch, and fire academy training. This proposed levy would help fund approximately eight full-time equivalent firefighter-paramedics in Springfield.

If the proposed measure passes, this levy would maintain current incident response times in Springfield for both emergency and non-emergency calls, and would maintain the number of firefighter-paramedics on duty each shift.

If the levy does not pass, there would be no continued levy dedicated to funding one of the five fire engine crews that currently serve Springfield. Based on a home with an assessed value of $164,000, the reduction in property taxes would be approximately $59 when the current levy sunsets in June 2021.

Proposed Levy Rate

If the proposed measure passes, Ballot Measure 20-311 would cost $0.38 per $1,000 assessed value for five years beginning July 1, 2021. 

The proposed levy would be based upon assessed value, not market value. If the measure passes, in the first year a Springfield homeowner with an assessed value of $164,000 would pay $62.32 under this proposed levy. Total estimated payments for a homeowner over the five-year life of this levy would be $330. This would be an increase of $0.02 per $1,000 assessed value over the current levy. The proposed levy rate is expected to provide the same level of service as the current levy rate, considering the effects of inflation for materials, services, and staffing costs.

If the proposed measure passes, it would raise about $1,926,331 in 2021-22, $1,964,857 in 2022-23, $2,004,154 in 2023-24, $2,044,238 in 2024-25, and $2,085,122 in 2025-26 for a total of about $10,024,702.

Funding would be used for fire and life safety services in Springfield. Springfield voters passed special operating levies for fire and life safety services in 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2015. The current levy of $0.36 per $1,000 assessed value expires on June 30, 2021.

Fire and Life Safety Services in Springfield

Fire and life safety services in Springfield are currently provided through five fire stations located throughout Springfield to provide incident response. One fire crew is assigned to each fire station. Each fire crew also serves as the first paramedic response unit, dispatched with an ambulance, to all life-threatening emergency medical calls for service. In Fiscal Year 2020, there were 7,807 medical calls, 135 fire calls, 416 public assistance calls, and 5,682 transports in Springfield.

To learn more about fire and life safety services in Springfield go to Eugene Springfield Fire

Additional Resources 

Election Information

  • October 5 – Out-of-state ballots mailed
  • October 13 – Voter Registration Deadline
  • October 15 – Ballots mailed; official drop sites open
  • November 3 – Election Day

Ballots are due by 8 pm, Election Day, November 3. Ballots may be returned at any Lane County Official Drop Site by 8 pm, Election Day. Ballots may also be mailed to Lane County Elections. Postmarks do not count. Ballots must be received by 8 pm on Election Day. For more information about Elections, visit www.lanecounty.org/elections

 

Questions? Please contact the Springfield City Manager’s Office at 541.726.3700. You may also contact the City Manager’s Office to schedule a virtual presentation with your community group.