On Monday, June 26, the Eugene City Council held a public hearing and voted to adopt the 2023-2025 Biennial Budget for the City of Eugene. State Local Budget Law requires budget adoption by the City by June 30. Budget adoption provides for the legal appropriation of funds and sets the City tax rate, which is legally required for the County to collect taxes on behalf of the City. If the budget is not adopted by June 30, the City cannot legally spend money as of July 1, which includes payroll, bond payments, and paying suppliers and contractors.
The City Manager presented the 2023-2025 Proposed Budget to the Budget Committee on April 26. The Budget Committee heard public comment, reviewed, and deliberated on the proposed budget during four meetings. The Budget Committee’s final recommendation, approved on May 24, 2023, is as follows:
Move that the Budget Committee recommend to the Eugene City Council the 2023-2025 Budget for the City of Eugene that consists of the City Manager's Proposed 2023-2025 Budget that has been modified to provide up to $250,000 in one-time dollars to the Human Services Commission (HSC) using opioid settlement funds and reduces 24.0 FTE and related costs to the Ambulance Transport Fund for non-emergent transport, including updated property tax levies and/or rates, amended to reflect appropriations for prior year encumbrances and prior year capital projects with the following amendments:
- Move to recommend that the City Manager restore $400,000 of funding for the Animal Sheltering and Adoption Services Contract for the 2023-2025 biennium using General Fund money made available by funding the Mental Health Services Contract for the 2023-2025 biennium with one-time Community Safety Payroll Tax underspending.
- Move to recommend that the City Manager restore for the 2023-2025 biennium $4.3 million funding for a fire engine using a combination of funds from the Community Safety Payroll Tax and the General Fund made available by: 1) eliminating $2,809,000 in Community Safety Payroll Tax funding for a Community Response Unit Squad (CRU); 2) eliminating $602,000 of Community Safety Payroll Tax funding for the Ambulance Transport Fund; and, 3) using $901,000 in General Fund resources allocated in the 2023-2025 proposed budget to support funding the CRU Squad proposal.
- Move to recommend that the City Manager add one-time, 2023-2025 biennium funding of $50,000 for publicly accessible electric vehicle charging stations in areas of Eugene underserved by charging stations, by utilizing one-time Sustainability program underspending.
The full text of the Budget Committee motions is available to view at https://www.eugene-or.gov/DocumentCenter/View/70179/5-24-23-Budget-Committee-Final-Motions.
In addition to the amendments made by the Budget Committee, on May 24, the City Manager stated she would bring to Council a proposal to add one-time funding for youth library programming and materials. Staff have determined that $30,000 in programming directly focuses on youth services and $50,000 in the materials budget is for youth materials. These additional services can be funded on a one-time basis with Community Safety Payroll Tax underspending to support prevention and youth-related services. The Budget resolution City Council adopted includes the City Manager's recommendation to add $160,000 to the 2023-2025 Biennial Budget on a one-time basis for prevention and youth-related programming and materials from the Community Safety Payroll Tax Fund.
The City Council also made the following additional amendment to the 2023-2025 budget:
- Move $50,000 from the Road Fund to the Transportation Capital Project Fund to provide funding for a traffic calming project on Holly Ave between Gilham and Norkenzie roads.