Corvallis voters will decide next month whether to renew a city levy that funds public recreation, the library and social services.
Measure 2-141 would renew a property tax levy at its current rate for five more years. A typical homeowner would pay an estimated $300 each year.
According to the city, this would generate around $7 million annually.
The revenue would cover around a quarter of Corvallis Parks & Recreation’s budget and a third of the public library’s. The city would also give out $480,000 each year as grants for social service providers.
Without this levy, the library would have to reduce its hours and lay off employees, said Corvallis-Benton County Public Library director Ashlee Chavez.
“The actual number of programs we're able to offer at the library would be stripped down to really bare bones,” said Chavez.
Chavez said the levy helps the library deliver books, expand its collections and fund early literacy outreach.
Meanwhile, if the levy isn’t renewed, Parks and Recreation would prioritize access to parks and general services, said director Meredith Petit.
“I would probably point to traditional Parks & Recreation core services as fundamental to the community,” said Petit.
However, she said more specialized programs could feel the impact, including the Majestic Theatre or the Osborn Aquatic Center. And according to her, that could include cutting 100 to 200 part-time jobs.
At a town hall hosted by the Corvallis Advocate, some viewers raised concerns about the levy. One said the tax could cause landlords to raise rates, while another asked why the city wasn’t giving more to social services.
The levy’s current rate is $1.07 per $1,000 of property value. City Councilor Tracy Yee said inflation might weaken the funding’s impact, but officials didn’t want to increase rates when homeowners' budgets are tight.
“Perhaps we won't see any growth or expansion,” said Yee. “But at least we can maintain the status quo.”
The levy previously passed in 2019 with nearly 73 percent of the city vote. It will expire next year.
