Eugene IGR committee backs HB 3518 to fund county assessor operations; staff cite modest net city cost

The City of Eugene Intergovernmental Relations Committee voted March 4 to support House Bill 3518, a statewide proposal that would set aside 0.3% of property tax collections to fund county assessment and taxation functions and allow counties to hold and return certain local delinquent-interest payments.

Matt Rodriguez, assistant city manager, told the committee the bill was introduced on behalf of the Association of Oregon Counties and the Oregon State Association of County Assessors. Rodriguez said the bill would allocate a 0.3% set-aside from property tax collections into a statewide pool for county assessment funding (the CAFA pool) and then redistribute funds to county assessor offices. He estimated the 0.3% share for Eugene would be about $420,000 annually.

Rodriguez said the bill also allows counties to withhold low local taxpayer delinquent-interest payments that would normally go to the state and return those funds to the jurisdiction where they were collected; Eugene received roughly $300,000 under that provision last year. After those offsets, Eugene’s net annual cost in a one-year look would be about $100,000–$150,000, Rodriguez said.

Staff and county presenters told the committee the funding would enable counties to hire additional assessment staff and technology — Rodriguez said Lane County would add 4–6 full-time equivalents and invest in AI-assisted tools to prioritize property inspections. Presenters noted Lane County’s assessor office currently has about 48 staff but historically should have closer to 76, and that many properties in the region have not been reappraised for years.

Councilor Yang moved to accept staff recommendation to support HB 3518; the motion passed by voice vote with all members present signaling in favor.