Government Camp may see tax measure to pay for maintenance
November 20, 2003
MELISSA L. JONES
GOVERNMENT CAMP - Residents in Government Camp are working to get a tax proposal on the May ballot that would pay to maintain streets and lights and plow snow in the unincorporated town of 150.
A tax increment financing committee has submitted signatures to Clackamas County that would put a property tax proposal up for a vote this spring. The proposed tax would generate $55,000 per year, primarily to pay for maintenance.
Clackamas County staff have suggested that if Government Camp doesn't come up with a way to maintain planned improvements, the commissioners will be reluctant to approve any more capital improvement projects. Furthermore, some future improvements will be financed through grants that could be at risk if a way to pay for maintenance is not created.
In 1989, Clackamas County commissioners adopted a revitalization plan with Government Camp in mind. The county has invested in improvements to infrastructure and water lines. A five-block streetscape project in Government Camp's core will add public parking, sidewalks, landscaping and street lighting to the commercial area.
"It will totally change the look of Government Camp," said Jim Neill, a Portland attorney who lives part-time in Government Camp and has been working on the tax proposal.
If put on the ballot, the tax would need a double majority to pass, meaning at least 50 percent of registered voters must vote for an affirmative vote to stick.
If the tax is approved, Government Camp residents would see a line item on their property tax bills dedicated to the town's maintenance needs. The tax would cost property owners 78 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. For the owner of a home assessed at $100,000, the tax would be $78 per year.
In the first year of the tax, 2005-2006, the tax would generate $55,000. It would generate $56,600 in the second year and $58,300 in the third year, with increases due to anticipated increases in property values.
Some ideas such as installing heated sidewalks, have died. Other ideas, including standard sidewalks, curbs and landscaping, are likely to happen next summer. Once the improvements are made, the county hopes someone else will take care of them.
"You don't want to just pour money down a hole," said Clackamas County senior planner Barbara Cartmill, who has been working with a group of residents on options to pay for the maintenance.
Priorities mapped out
A tax increment advisory committee made lists of possible tasks and budgeted for the costs. They decided to seek money for some things, such as plowing of roads, but not others, such as more police support.
"We wanted to make it as reasonable as we could," said Neill. "Most people will impose taxes on themselves when they know what it's for. These are taxes that will go to something they can touch, feel and see."
Some residents see the tax as a move toward making Government Camp more alluring to visitors and development.
Maryanne Hill, an advisory group member who's lived in Government Camp on and off since 1932, helped collect signatures for the measure. She said she has mixed feelings about the tax but thinks the town needs to attract people and business.
"I think it needs the improvement of any kind that we can manage to afford," said Hill. "We've got to make a move."
Hill can remember Government Camp before U.S. 26. Since the highway went in, it has never been the same.
"We were part of the main drag. We aren't now. You can drive down Highway 26 and not even know Government Camp exists," she said.
An advisory group looked at several possibilities to finance the maintenance: a road district, sanitary and water authorities, a county service facility and incorporation.
District seemed best plan The group decided the county service facility would work best for Government Camp. Governed by state laws, the service district allows the broadest range of services without incorporating the town.
Through the county service facility, Government Camp residents can generate tax dollars earmarked for maintenance: snow-plowing, graffiti cleanup, street sign maintenance and street repair. A local committee would advise county commissioners, who control where the tax money is spent.
Only a fraction of the property owners in Government Camp live there full time. According to the county, Government Camp has 600 property owners and 150 full-time residents. Of those, 136 are registered voters.
Resident Robert Johnson said it would be hard for him to support the tax.
"We're broke," said the owner of Falcon's Crest Inn. "My property taxes are already high enough now."
Johnson said visitors to his inn have not returned since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and he has been struggling to keep his inn afloat. His wife has gone back to work.
"Some of the ideas that they've had up here, they're not logical," said Johnson. "They wanted to put in sidewalks and curbs and gutters and heat them. You're talking money, money, money."