Willamalane asking voters for bump in property taxes to keep programs and services

Last year, Willamalane Park and Recreation District cut two administrative positions, discontinued its wood shop program, and reduced expenses for materials and services. 

The result: $1 million in budget savings to address rising expenses that are outpacing the district’s revenue growth.

Now, to help it maintain its services and programs, Willamalane is asking voters for more property taxes. It’s the first time the district has sought a general operating levy since permanent tax rates were established in 1997.

The levy would go toward the district’s general operating budget and help pay for current operations, said Willamalane Executive Director Michael Wargo.

“It’s not for new buildings, acquiring new properties or anything like that,” Wargo told Lookout Eugene-Springfield. “It’s to maintain our levels of service.”

The district’s board of directors in February unanimously approved placing the levy on the May ballot. 

Community members who live within Willamalane’s district boundaries pay a permanent property tax rate of $2.0074 per $1,000 of assessed value. The local option levy would supplement the permanent rate and would expire after five years.

The proposed levy would cost property owners an additional 25 cents per $1,000 of assessed home value.

According to the district, the median assessed home value within Willamalane’s boundaries is $196,803.

A homeowner at the median assessed home value currently pays about $395 a year in property taxes to Willamalane. The local option levy would add about $49.20 per year for the owner of that median home.

If passed, it would go into effect at the end of 2026. The levy would raise nearly $1.6 million in its first year and $8.4 million over five years. The measure calls for Willamalane’s budget committee and board members to review levy expenditures and requires an independent audit and monthly financial reports. 

According to the measure, the levy would support current services, including trash pickup, ranger patrols, parks maintenance, removal of dead and overgrown vegetation, protection of wildlife habitat and water quality, safe public river and pool access, summer camps and preschool, recreation programs, community events, daily restroom cleaning and hours at recreation facilities and pools.

“Each year we provide over 500 different programs from cradle to grave, and we want to be able to continue to offer those programs, from our summer camps and preschool programs all the way up to our silver and fit programs for our seniors,” Wargo said.

He said Willamalane removes invasive species for wildlife habitat restoration and removes dead and overgrown vegetation to mitigate wildfires. 

In 2012, Willamalane sought a bond measure to develop new parks, paths and trails, which voters approved, 53% to 47%. 

The district’s budget

As Willamalane leaders looked at the district’s five-year strategic outlook, they noticed their expenses were starting to outpace their ability to collect revenue, Wargo said. 

“And if we didn’t make a proactive approach, in about two to three years we’re really going to have to start dipping into our ending fund balance in a way that would not be — not just best practice — but really put the district at risk of really having to make some crucial decisions about programs, services and personnel,” he said.

Property taxes are based on assessed value rather than market value. In Oregon, a statewide measure established in 1997 limits the annual growth of a property’s assessed value to 3% per year, limiting the growth of property taxes.

“So although we do see a slight increase every year in our tax revenue, I can assure you that the cost of goods, services and personnel are far greater than 3%,” Wargo said.

He said the district took a “proactive, multi-pronged approach,” including:

• Eliminating two vacant administrative positions, resulting in $376,000 in personnel savings 
• Reducing $655,000 in materials and services 
• Increasing focus on sponsorships, grants and donations.

Willamalane’s annual budget for fiscal year 2026 is $33.66 million. About 65% of its operating revenue comes from its tax base. Its remaining revenues come from fees and charges, such as those for memberships, preschool, summer camps, rentals and special events, as well as smaller portions of revenue from grants, donations and sponsorships and interest collected on bank accounts and rentals. 

“We understand the local economy and what our Springfield community is like, and we just can’t increase fees to a point where it’s not affordable anymore, because then we would actually see a decrease in those revenues,” Wargo said.

The district has just over 187 full-time equivalent employees, according to its 2026 budget. Personnel costs account for about 75% of its operating budget expenses. Materials and services account for about 24% of expenses. Remaining expenses are debt and capital outlay.

“We took a look at all of our materials and services across the district and just really had people sharpen their pencils, tighten their belts and like, what could we reduce budgets by without reducing essential services,” Wargo said. 

He said the wood shop was operating at about a $30,000 deficit each year, “and although they’re a passionate group, and it broke my heart to do it, we had to make that decision to shut the wood shop down since it was costing the district money.”

When asked if the levy funds would go toward putting anything back in that was taken out in the $1 million cut, Wargo said no. 

“This is not to add anything, because otherwise we’ll be right back to where we were, of outpacing ourselves as far as our revenues,” he said. 

Wargo said the district is exploring new revenue sources, such as pickleball tournaments. He said he doesn’t want the district to have to ask for another levy in five years.

“I honestly believe that with all the things that we’re doing today, and if the levy gets passed, we’re going to be in a position of really a solid financial ground that would ensure that the district can continue to provide everything that we’re doing now and not have to take a step back,” Wargo said.

He said the district, which has a new fiscal year beginning July 1, is developing two different budgets, one if the levy passes and one if the levy doesn’t pass. If it doesn’t pass, the district would reduce its budget by about 10%, which would likely mean reduced services, hours and staff, he said.

Community response

The committee Yes for Willamalane has organized to support the ballot measure. Its treasurer is Chris Wig, a member of Willamalane’s board of directors. The committee has collected more than $12,000 in cash contributions.

Social media comments show there are supporters and opponents in the community. In response to a Willamalane post on Facebook about the proposed levy, some commenters praised Willamalane’s programs, while others expressed feeling tax-burdened.