Mayor: Renewing Springfield's police, jail services levy on ballot crucial for police reform

Megan Banta, Register-Guard
·3 min read
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Springfield officials are asking voters to renew the city’s public safety levy.

The levy, first passed around two decades ago, helps fund a variety of police, jail and municipal court services.

It has a “significant impact to Springfield’s public safety system,” Mayor Sean VanGordon said.

“Voting for it really means that you’re voting for the level of service and the level of law enforcement that we have today,” he said.

Since the jail opened more than a decade ago, property crime has decreased 52%, according to the measure. VanGordon added there’s been a larger reduction in the downtown area.

Without the funding from the levy, VanGordon said, city officials would need to have a “serious conversation with the community about priorities,” including extra programming like funding for CAHOOTS and a potential treatment court.

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Losing the levy would mean a shift in the public safety picture, he said, and the levy is critical for police reform efforts.

“It would change significantly, and not for the better, without the levy,” VanGordon said.

What am I voting on?

Question: Shall Springfield levy $1.40 per $1,000 assessed valuation for five years beginning in 2023/2024 for Springfield jail operations and police services? This measure renews current local option taxes.

What will it cost me?

Rate: $1.40 per $1,000 in assessed value.

Typical cost: Based on a typical assessed value of $170,000, this will cost $238 in the first year. It's around $280 a year for the owner of a home with $200,000 in assessed value.

This is a renewal, so it won’t increase your tax bill.

Assessed value is different than the amount a home could sell for on the market.

To find your home's assessed value, go to bit.ly/lane-county-easy-property-lookup and put in your address after accepting the terms and conditions. Once the site finds your property, click on the number next to "Tax Account Data."

On the new page, which should open in a separate tab, scroll down to the table that shows assessed value on the first line. Current data shows assessed value for 2021 all the way back to 2011.

After you’ve found your assessed value, divide by 1,000 and multiply by 1.4 to get an estimate of how much the levy will cost you a year.

How much will it raise?

If renewed again, the levy would provide $37.3 million overall:

  • $7 million in the first year

  • $7.2 million in the second year

  • $7.5 million in the third year

  • $7.7 million in the fourth year

  • $7.9 million in the fifth year

What will it fund?

Currently, the levy funds services in four areas:

  • Police services: Funding for eight police officers, five dispatchers, five community service officers and two records and communications specialists.

  • Jail: The levy provides 100% of the funding for the jail and its 19 employees.

  • Municipal Court: Two full-time employees and additional judge hours.

  • City prosecutor: Additional funding to help with increased service demands.

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Who's backing it?

A committee named "Yes for 20-327" is supporting the measure.

As of Oct. 3, the committee had raised around $4,000, primarily from two donations by the Springfield Police Association totaling $3,500. Campaign finance reports showed no spending as of Oct. 3.

Contact city government watchdog Megan Banta at mbanta@registerguard.com. Follow her on Twitter @MeganBanta_1.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Springfield seeks renewal of police, jail services levy on November ballot