Aumsville to charge a police-service fee

Aumsville residents will soon see an increase on their household utility bills, an increase that will allow the city to hire another full-time police officer.

City Administrator Ron Harding said the fee is set to be placed on the end of January billing cycle. Police Chief Richard Schmitz said the department plans to have another officer by July.

Meanwhile, a number of city residents have engaged in a social media protest , including signing an online petition demanding that such an increase should go before the city’s voters.

Last month Aumsville City Council approved a $12 public-safety fee, which city officials said will bring the town’s police force up to capacity for the coming years.

The fee comes after Aumsville City Council received a report that the cost of providing law enforcement would outpace the taxes generated to support it. Proposals ensued to levy either a 20 cents per day or 40 cents per day fee. The council heard testimony last fall and then levied the latter.

More:Aumsville mulls police fee to preserve safe-city status

“The fee is projected for five years, meaning the rate should be sustainable for five years,” Harding said. “Although the council always has the option to increase or decrease it, depending on current conditions.”

The city of Turner is an example of the latter condition. The city implemented a police fee nearly 10 years ago, but it decreased when the force shrunk.

“Our fee history is up and down,” Turner City Administrator David Sawyer said. “We implemented the fee back in 2008 to fund the 3rd officer position (the city) could no longer afford.

“When the recession happened, we had to make cuts across the board as well as change our fees. That officer got cut and the fee went from $9 a month to just $1.We have kept it to provide the ongoing legal basis for future increases.”

Harding estimated that the Aumsville fee could generate up to $132,000. Schmitz said the fee will enable the city to increase services from six officers to seven, which provides for a 24/7/365 staffing.

“We appreciate the city council and the citizens’ support in this,” Schmitz said. “We try to provide the best service we can, and this will enhance that.”

Residents protesting the fee via social media cited reasons that ranged from not being able to afford it to not feeling they had an adequate voice, or vote, in approving it.

A subsequently posted petition to the Aumsville City Council drew nearly 300 supporters by Wednesday evening, Jan. 10. The petition requests that additional funding for police be placed before voters on the 2018 ballot.

Aumsville resident Richard Arnaz pointed  to the petition, which was shared on the Aumsville Community Connections Facebook page, adding that he was frustrated with communication with the city council and its response to voiced concerns about the fee.

More:Aumsville council to hear more police-fee testimony Dec. 11

Aumsville floated the idea of a fee last fall when city finance projections indicated police-service costs were outpacing available revenue. City officials looked into the fee option, which was also implemented in Keizer last year, as a possible method to address it. They also looked at an option of placing a bond levy before the voters, but felt the fee provided more stable funding.

“Our tax structure, the way it's set up, doesn’t keep up with inflation or the rising cost of providing services,” Harding said.

Schmitz said finding another source of funding was vital to keep law enforcement local rather than absorbed by Marion County.

“The problem with a levy is every five years you have to go out with a bond to get it passed,” Schmitz said. “A service fee provides for more stability.”

Aumsville City Council heard testimony from community members through Dec. 11 before making a decision. Another factor they weighed in the decision was a community survey that indicated public safety as a high priority for residents.

Schmitz said two years ago Aumsville was listed as the 21st safest Oregon city on a “SafeWise” report.  About that time the city added one officer, bringing its full-time staff up to six, including Schmitz, along with an allotment for 10 reserves. Aumsville subsequently jumped to 13th safest the next year, climbing further to 4th in the latest report.

“They do make a difference,” Schmitz said. “With a staff of six of us, most of the time there’s one officer on duty. By the time we factor in vacations, training or sick days, things of that nature, we’re struggling to maintain 24-hour coverage. If everybody is here, nobody’s out sick or on vacation…We have 24-hour coverage.”

jmuch@StatesmanJournal.com or cell 503-508-8157 or follow at twitter.com/justinmuch