Budget Increase: It’s budget season, and the Benton County Board of Commissioners will be reviewing the proposed 2023-2025 biennium budget at a budget committee meeting on April 27. The proposed budget has an increase of 46.7% from the previously adopted budget for 2021-23.
According to budget documents, the primary contributor to the increase in expenses is related to the development and construction of facilities for the Justice System Improvement Program (JSIP). Many of those dollars are coming from borrowing and various state and federal grants.
As to income, the second largest source of revenue in the proposed budget is the surcharge on tonnage delivered to the Coffin Butte landfill. In Dec. 2020, the county completed negotiations on a 20-year agreement with Valley Landfills, Inc.
What that has to do with the potential of a proposed expansion for the landfill is another story.
Anyhow, the franchise fees for this agreement in the coming years are estimated at $2,080,000 for 2023, $3,500,000 for 2024 and $3,675,000 for 2025.
The folks proposing this cycle’s biennial budget, which begins July 1, 2023 and ends on June 30, 2025, are the Budget Committees for Benton County, Benton County Library Services County Services District, and the Benton County 911 Emergency Communications Services County Service District.
The budget committee will receive public comment, approve a budget, and set the annual maximum tax levy for the county and service districts by July 1.
All meetings are scheduled at the Benton County offices, Kalapuya Building, located at 4500 SW Research Way, in the Holmes & Shipley Public Meeting Rooms; virtual attendance options are available, and will be posted on the Benton County Budget Committee website.
Another Step for the City’s Option Levy: The Corvallis City Council passed a resolution, at their April 17 council meeting, that will put the local option tax levy before the voters.
The local option tax levy of $1.07 per $1,000 of assessed value will go before voters at the Nov. 7 election. This levy would actually be a renewal of the current levy, which has to go before voters every five years for renewal according to state law.
Notably, that rate of $1.07 is the same as the current rate.
The city says the tax revenue from this measure would go towards annual grants allocated for social service agencies, Corvallis Public Library, and the Parks and Rec Department for the FY 2024-2025.
For more information visit https://www.corvallisoregon.gov/cm/page/november-2023-city-livability-services-local-option-levy
Board and Commissions: The City of Corvallis has opened its annual recruitment for advisory group vacancies and is currently seeking volunteers.
These policy advisory boards and task forces provide input and advice to the city through the advisory boards. The deadline to apply for most of the vacant roles is June 4.
Participants and volunteers are typically community members interested in making an impact on a particular policy topic or area of service. Time commitments vary, from policy boards that meet monthly on long-term policy topics, to short-term task forces that work regularly for a few months on a specific issue and then conclude their work.
For those interested in applying visit HERE.
By Jennifer Williams
