The city budget board, made up of the city council members and seven volunteers appointed by council, met on Tuesday, March 28 to discuss a fee resolution proposal created by City Manager Cannon. There were modest increases across the spectrum, some small new fees and a “placeholder” titled Public Safety Fee. This fee had no cost associated but was presented as something to discuss.

Then Cannon told the budget board that the new budget has a million-dollar deficit.

The person charged with managing the city and presenting a balanced budget gave no proposals of explored options, efficiencies, or suggestions other than to raise a million dollars by creating a Public Safety Tax and adding it to utility bills. It would take over $20 per month on every utility bill to raise that amount. That may not sound like much for some residents but it is an extraordinary amount for most of our citizens.

The city council has been put in an impossible position — again. Raise a million dollars in taxes or the city will be forced to layoff personnel.

It is true that Measures 5 and 50, the tax limiting measures passed 30 years ago, have put our city (and every city in Oregon) in a difficult position. The cost of everything has greatly increased over 30 years and the main source of revenue, property taxes, has not increased proportionately.

Baker City receives approximately $3 million in property tax revenue and the Police Department alone costs $3.5 million. The challenge is very real and cities around the state have explored numerous ways to continue offering the services that we expect from local government as revenues have declined.

In the past two years, the city has made major investments in IT, I have not seen the total costs but it is significant. The city paid $20,000 more for an audit than in years past. The city added an accounting contractor to the finance department, where previously the Director has been an accountant. The city shut down ambulance operations and yet has $100,000 of overtime costs in the Fire Department in just 9 months. Now we are being told that we are a million dollars short.

There is never a situation in management where there is only one option. That is why businesses, corporations and municipalities hire managers. As someone who manages my own business, and has managed businesses for others, it is my responsibility to identify corrections, implement changes and plan for shifts in the economy, market conditions and even pandemics.

We should expect the same from our city manager. The council must make hard decisions, but we should have options to look at and time to properly consider them.

No city councilor wants to see staff layoffs.

No city councilor wants to create a tax.

No city councilor should be given two weeks to choose between two poor options.

Beverly Calder

Mayor

Baker City