Oakridge voters will be tasked this November with a decision to replace the city’s $17 monthly ambulance service fee with a five-year property tax.
City Administrator James Cleavenger said the city has not relied on the county for its ambulance service, in order to prevent extensive wait times.
“Cities our size rely on the county to provide that service, but we have always provided our own ambulance service because of our isolation and distance from hospitals, being 45 miles between here and Springfield,” he said.
The proposed local option tax would charge $1.64 per $1,000 of assessed property value beginning in July 2027. The city estimates it would raise about $350,000 a year for ambulance operations.
The measure would replace the $17 monthly fee currently charged to water bills. If voters reject the tax, the city says the fee would remain and ambulance service would continue.
Cleavenger said the city’s ambulance service racks up an annual deficit of around $500,000. He said public insurance reimbursements, including Medicare, Medicaid and the Oregon Health Plan, cover only about one-third of the actual cost of ambulance transport.
The city said it has made about $150,000 in cuts to help address the ambulance fund deficit, but still needs to generate additional revenue.
The proposed tax may affect property owners differently depending on their assessed value. The city estimates a median assessed-value Oakridge home would pay about $184 a year, or $15.31 a month, which sits at less than the current $17 fee.
The city’s election materials cite that assessed value is used to calculate property taxes and is different from a property’s market value.
The measure has brought questions to the surface about who would bear the cost. The current utility fee applies to water customers, including renters whose landlords may pass the cost along. A property tax would shift the tax responsibility directly to property owners.
The measure would take effect July 1, 2027 and run for 5 years, if approved. The ambulance utility fee would be discontinued.
Officials said the city will continue to provide ambulance service regardless of the outcome.
“If they don't approve the tax, we're going to continue the $17 a month fee on the water bills,” Cleavenger said. “So either way, we're going to continue providing ambulance service. It's just a question of how citizens pay for it.”
