Keizer voters reject 911 fee in special election

KEIZER, OR — Keizer voters in the Tuesday special election overwhelmingly rejected a fee that would have raised $838,000 per year for police and fire departments.

Early results show a landslide loss for the measure that would have added $4.86-per-month fee to the Keizer city charter to support emergency communications costs. The fee would have appeared on all utility bills, whether for businesses or residences.

“We understand the difficult nature of the economy, and the pressure everyone feels,” said Keizer Fire District Chief Jeff Cowan.

The lion’s share of fee revenue would have helped agencies pay for a required service that is becoming increasingly expensive: dispatch and 911-call answering services through the Willamette Valley Communications Center. WVCC is a regional operation that serves 17 emergency responders, including the Keizer Fire District, Keizer Police Department and Marion County Fire District No. 1.

Fee revenue would have been allocated at 64 percent to Keizer police; 32 percent to Keizer fire; and 4 percent to Fire District No. 1.

“911 communications costs are real, and the defeat of this proposal means we have to go back to the drawing board, look at additional cuts and examine other options,” Cowan said.

The Keizer Fire District board will hold a financial plan work session on Tuesday.

“We’ve pared our fire and police and city department down to the bare bone, and there isn’t anything left to cut,” Cowan said. “So this is a very real challenge.”

Keizer Police Chief Marc Adams said his department already is down four police officers because of city budget cuts.

“I can’t say how bad it will get,” he said. “I do know that we have nowhere else to cut in the police budget but personnel and that any further loss of personnel will definitely have a negative impact on our effectiveness, efficiency and the safety of our officers.”

The state imposes a 75-cent monthly fee per phone line to offset 911 costs, Cowan said.

Cowan said Keizer fire’s WVCC bill has gone up about 3 percent per year, and Adams said WVCC services were 3.9 percent higher this year than a year ago. Fire District No. 1 spent about 4 percent more in 2011-12 on WVCC services than in 2010-11.

“Neither the city of Keizer or the Keizer Fire District ever consulted (Fire District No. 1) regarding the new tax proposal,” said Fire Chief Kevin Henson. “We will continue to do our best to spend our taxpayer’s investment as wisely as possible given the tough economic times.”

Read the story here.

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