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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Leveling the playing field for back-to-school supplies ... Making progress ... Our View: Every little bit helps in reducing emissions ... Leveling the playing field for back-to-school supplies ... Making progress ... Our View: Every little bit helps in reducing emissions ... POLICE AND PARKS Central Point considers new fees for parks, school police Comment By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Apr. 18, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Apr. 18, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News CENTRAL POINT — The city Budget Committee voted 12-1 Monday to recommended a pair of $1 fees that would begin showing up on water bills July 1 if the City Council approves. The move comes as the city works to craft the proposed $42.8 million 2015-17 budget, the first biennial budget in Central Point's more than 125-year history. The extra $2 per month, which would raise $150,000, would pay for a second school resource officer for District 6 schools and for maintenance and repairs in the city park system. City Manager Chris Clayton said a long-range plan conducted last year showed that the city would need to count on future growth or increased revenues to maintain existing service levels. "This budget is the first one we're not just maintaining or reducing services but actually proposing a small increase. The city is in an above-average financial position but, long term, unless you get growth back to pre-2007 levels, eventually there's going to be a systemic problem." Clayton said surveys in 2012 and 2015 showed citizens would be willing to pay fees if necessary to maintain existing services. "With just a fee scenario, not counting on growth, adding a $3 per month public safety fee and $3 parks fee would have stabilized these services long term," Clayton said. "We don't expect to get back to 2007 levels until 2020, but our hope is if we did one dollar for parks and one dollar for public safety, which is only a third of what was suggested, we're hoping for economic growth filling the void." Clayton said a second school resource officer would provide better coverage for all schools. The proposed parks fee would cover unfunded repairs and upgrades to parks, said Matt Samitore, the city's parks and public works director. "We can't have zoning that requires new parks yet no funding source to maintain those parks once they're dedicated to the city. We have parks that have got to be replaced, or we literally are going to have to shut down playgrounds," Samitore said. "The council can decide to fund it with this fee or they can fund it out of the general fund. There's more than one way to solve the problem, but the bottom line is that there has to be a designated funding source to keep these parks maintained." Councilor Rick Samuelson was the lone dissenting vote Monday. "They're calling them fees, but they're a tax. It's not a service you're paying for. It's a tax," Samuelson said. "The only difference with these is that they'll be earmarked. We had our long-term financial plan sessions, and it was inconclusive as to whether we would need to implement fees or raise taxes." "When I ran for council, I spoke to hundreds of citizens in Central Point. Their No. 1 concern was that the city not raise their taxes. I promised I would not vote in favor of new taxes unless there was a true emergency. These new fees are not emergencies and were created to add new services." Councilor Brandon Thueson, a prosecutor for the district attorney's office, said he valued the service provided by school resource officers and felt that the city's growth warranted the second position. Maintaining existing parks, he noted, was also important. "I have seen great results from having resource officers in our schools," Thueson said. "They're stopping a lot of the problems before we need to intervene. If I were told that the only way we could have school resource officers is by creating this fee, then I would really have to look at that as something that would be favorable for the city." Clayton said the city is sensitive to residents still grappling with the effects of the recession but has to plan for the future. "Coming out of the recession, we don't want to ask for too much, too soon. We're not indifferent to what people have gone through, but at the same time we're trying to strike that balance with community investment." For details about the city's long-range plan, see www.centralpointoregon.gov/finance/page/long-term-financial-plan Buffy Pollock is a freelance writer living in Medford. Email her at [email protected]   By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Apr. 18, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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