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http:// --> Ashland, Oregon HOME Valley & State Sports Nation & World Opinion/Editorial Classifieds Business Columnists Obituaries Weather Archive Hot Topics Forum Photo Gallery Past Readers Polls Revels Etcetera Backpage O-Zone Special Sections Real Estate Guide Menu Guide Shakespeare Subscribe Contact Us Rate Card Place an Ad Online Games Movie Preview October 6, 2006 District prepares for levy challenge By Alan Panebaker Ashland Daily Tidings The Ashland School District is preparing for the worst after an Oregon Supreme Court ruling put the local Youth Activities Levy in jeopardy. More than a month ago, the supreme court deemed unconstitutional a local property tax passed in Eugene that gave 93 percent of the money raised to schools and 7 percent to the city. The levy was modeled after the Ashland Youth Activities Levy. No one has challenged the Ashland tax yet, but school district, city and parks department officials discussed options Thursday night if the local tax is found unconstitutional. "We believe that this year's levy is not subject to attack," Ashland City Attorney Mike Franell said. Ashland Schools Superintendent Juli Di Chiro is looking to the next fiscal year to secure the levy, which produces nearly 10 percent of the school district's annual revenue. The levy has been renewed every three years by voters for more than a decade. The levy, converted to a five-year term, was last approved in May 2003 by more than 79 percent of Ashland voters. The Ashland Parks and Recreation Department collects the tax and distributes some of the money to support extra curricular activities like music and drama, sports and after school programs. The supreme court found Eugene's levy violated the $5 per $1,000 cap set by Measure 5 that city's could take in property taxes to fund schools. Should someone challenge the Ashland levy, it would also fall into the same category. In a memo to Ashland City Administrator Martha Bennett and Parks and Recreation Director Don Robertson, Di Chiro recommended that the city increase the amount of money it gives to the parks department in the Youth Activities Levy and propose a Local Option Levy for general school funding in May 2008 — when the Youth Activities Levy sunsets. In 1999, the Oregon state Legislature gave school districts the ability to pass a local option property tax based on the gap between assessed value and real market value on residential property. The Youth Activities Levy is based on real market value and has increased over the years. "The Ashland School District does not have a local option levy, so we would likely be able to continue to collect the majority of the funds even if our levy is successfully challenged," Di Chiro's memo states. Another part of Di Chiro's memo asks that the school district and parks department renegotiate their contract and have parks maintain district fields and landscape district property. The shuffling in funds is a preliminary idea that will have to be approved by the parks department and school district. Currently, the Ashland School District has a contract with Jackson County through July 2007. Di Chiro recommended the parks department could begin maintenance in January. The Youth Activities Levy is up for renewal in May of 2008, and Di Chiro recommended the local option levy go on a ballot at that time to supplement the possible lack of funds should the current levy be deemed unconstitutional. For the 2006-2007 fiscal year the levy should gather about $2.5 million. Should a local option levy pass, the school district could not get money from commercial or industrial tax lots. The parks department would have to retain that money for general youth recreation services. Di Chiro asked the parks department and city to consider her proposal before Dec. 1. Tensions over who pays for school grounds maintenance and the parks department footing the bill to pay for school grounds maintenance could arise, parks commissioner Rich Rosenthal said. For now, the school district wants to be ready should the levy be challenged. "We have a new ruling to respond to, and we need to be faithful to the voters in Ashland who approved the purpose of this levy," Di Chiro said. Staff writer Alan Panebaker can be reached at 482-3456 x 227 or [email protected] . Current Comments: Clarifying...this is another tax and not the current bond measure, right? If so, praise be to Eugene for spotting the subterfuge. j dunlap - ashland (out of city but in school dist) - October 6th, 6:39 PM Two Words people: Tax Refund Steve L. Iverson - Ashland,Jefferson - October 7th, 10:46 AM Leave a Comment: Advertisement: Advertisement: Paid Advertising Inkjet Printers Student Loans Water Filter Helzberg Diamonds Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Advertisement: Copyright © 2006 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers. All Rights Reserved.