TIGARD, Ore. — We are now less than one month until Oregon's May primary election, with many voters set to decide whether it's worth raising property taxes to pay for public services.
This week, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue leaders continue to educate their service district about what they'll get from a replacement operating levy, with a rate of 69 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation. If approved, TVF&R said the levy would cost the average homeowner about $210 per year, or $17.54 a month.
"We want to be able to provide fast and effective response when people call," said Chief Cassandra Ulven. "You need a certain amount of firefighters to effectively fight fire and a certain amount of people to provide advanced life support during those critical medical emergencies."
She explained that without a replacement levy, TVF&R would have to make significant reductions in workforce, and potentially cut 92 positions funded by the current levy. However, if passed, the money would not only retain those 92 responders, but allow them to add 36 more positions, ensuring prompt response times and reliability when multiple incidents happen at the same time.
"This provides us the ability to plan for the next decade, and maintain that reliable, effective emergency response that our community expects and deserves," Ulven said.
That service spans parts of four counties, and 11 cities. Firefighters and first responders serve more than a half million people — and counting — who live in the district.
"We do not take our community support for granted," she said. "They have to face a lot of competing demands, but we're hopeful that the information that we're providing this evening and ongoing through all of our community interactions will be useful so people can make an informed decision."
If approved, TVF&R said the replacement levy would appear on the November 2025 property tax statement. They intend to maintain the same levy rate for 10 years, which will help with long-term planning, ensure service stability and provide predictability to taxpayers.