Facility Investments: The Corvallis City Council looked at funding options, design and final construction for three facilities at a work session on Feb. 9.
The council adopted the Citywide Facilities Strategy (CFS) in January 2022 to address facilities throughout Corvallis that need upgrades. City council and staff worked together to identify three projects for staff to focus efforts on:
- Construct a new Parks Maintenance yard
- Remodel City Hall and construct a new Administration building (Civic Campus)
- Remodel a portion of Fire Station #1
“The city held a Facility Investments Open House on Jan. 31. At the event, posters presented background information on the Assessment findings and the recommended projects, and interactive stations solicited public input about aspects of the Civic Campus project,” said Ryan Seidl, Finance Director.
Seidl gave an overview of what occurred at the event and feedback from public input at the work session. The city will look at funding options at the council meeting on Feb. 21.
Police Station Redux: Councilors again started discussing a possible renovation of the Corvallis Police Station, which currently shares a building with the County Sheriff. The other possibility may be to fully build anew, possibly in a changed location. But, a number of city officials have publicly wondered if the conversation is premature.
Nobody really knows if the county sheriff’s headquarters will need to remain in the current building or not – voters won’t be deciding on that matter until May. In any event, finances and the electorate’s perceived stomach for added spending will likely play into whatever direction city officials ultimately pursue. In short, stay tuned.
Local Levy: At the same work session, the council also looked at updating the current local levy option ahead of a looming expiration date. Again, it’s early in the conversation, so stay tuned, but here’s some basics.
A memo to council from Finance Director Ryan Seidl notes that during a work session on Nov. 17, 2022, the councilors indicated a clear interest in placing the local levy option renewal on the November 2023 ballot, in addition to pursuing another five-year renewal.
The current Local Option Levy expires June 30, 2024, so putting it to voters in November does seem highly likely.
The current rate is $1.07 per $1,000 of assessed property value, and revenue supports Social Services Grants ($360,000), the Library Department (51.9%) and the Parks & Recreation Department (48.1%). Officials can ask voters for both a renewal and increased levy rate, but for operating levies like these, they generally ask only for a renewal.
Social Services Council: The Corvallis City Council announced that the city’s current social services policy is open for public comment.
The revised draft policy, as well as a final report from the Social Services Council Policy Task Force, is now available for public review and comment. Feedback will be accepted until Feb. 28.
Task Force materials include:
To share feedback, comments, or questions about the task force materials you can submit via email to brigetta.olson@corvallisoregon.gov.
By: Jennifer Williams
