Frequently Asked Questions About the Levy

The Forest Grove City Council has unanimously decided to refer a five-year local option public safety/community service levy to the voters on November 6, 2007. Measure 34-147 would restore and maintain services.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q:Why doesn't property taxes from all the new developments being built in Forest Grove pay for these services instead of a Levy?
A:A local operating levy is not something new to Forest Grove. The one currently in place was approved in November 2002 when the property tax limitation (Measure 50) reduced City revenues to the level where additional resources were needed to maintain services. This levy included adding three police officers and two firefighters to help address staffing levels that had not changed for several years.

The proposed levy will replace the current levy and increase it to help pay for the increased costs of providing current services. The levy currently raises about $1 million per year. A new $350,000 home is assessed at approximately $200,000 for property tax purposes due to the requirements of Measure 50. Without the levy, t his new home would generate about $800 in property taxes per year to the City for operations. At that rate, it would require 1,250 brand new $350,000 homes to replace the levy. In FY 2007, the City issued 99 permits for new houses to be built. New growth will pay for additional services that result from new growth. I t would not generate enough money replace the levy to provide existing services.

Q:Why is the City purchasing new park property?
A:The city is acquiring additional park property to help ensure long-term park needs are met. Available land for parks is becoming scarce. The money used to purchase park property has been grant money to purchase parks and parks system development charges. Legally, none of this money can be used to fund operations such as police and fire services.

Q:How much will the Levy cost?
A:This measure would renew the $0.99 per $1,000 of assessed value levy and increase it by $0.36 per $1,000 of assessed value. A typical homeowner currently pays $178 per year in property taxes for the $0.99 levy. The increase in the levy rate of $0.36 would cost typical homeowners an additional $65 per year in property taxes. Assumes average assessed value (not market value) of $180,000.

Q: How does Forest Grove property tax rates per $1,000 assessed value compare to other cities?

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