Committee hears bill to extend property tax exemption for brownfield cleanups

Chair Meek opened a public hearing Feb. 19 on Senate Bill 99, a proposal to extend a local-option property tax exemption intended to help redevelop brownfields in Oregon.

Senate Bill 99 would move the exemption’s sunset date six years, from Jan. 1, 2027, to Jan. 1, 2033. Legislative Revenue Office staff told the committee the exemption allows cities or counties to adopt an ordinance or resolution providing a land special assessment and a full or partial property-tax exemption for improvements and certain personal property on eligible brownfield parcels, subject to several limits and procedural requirements.

The bill matters because it is one of several tools — including the Oregon Brownfields Redevelopment Fund and the Oregon Brownfields Cleanup Fund — that local governments and private partners use to address environmental contamination that impedes redevelopment. Supporters said the exemption is a limited, targeted way to help pay remediation costs while protecting taxing districts from unlimited revenue loss.

Under the existing program…