Budget committee keeps 9-1-1 levy at 45¢ and approves $8.7 million biennial budget

The Benton County Budget Committee voted to retain the 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Service District tax rate at $0.45 per $1,000 of assessed value and adopted a proposed 2025–27 budget of $8,703,675 after a presentation by county staff and representatives from the City of Corvallis.

Assistant County Administrator Rick Krager told the committee the district was formed by voter approval and currently levies at 45¢ per $1,000; state rules allow a maximum of 65¢. Krager said the county is the taxing authority and transfers the bulk of the collected funds to the City of Corvallis under the intergovernmental agreement for 9-1-1 operations.

A City of Corvallis representative said the city is actively recruiting call-takers and that a job offer had gone out the week of the meeting; the speaker reported the dispatch center’s vacancies had just dropped to four with additional candidates in the queue and that salary savings had been placed in reserves to avoid raising the rate immediately. Commissioners asked whether the lower-than-maximum rate limited recruitment and retention opportunities; the city representative said it did not appear necessary at this time but the city would revisit the rate in future bienniums if workforce or financial conditions warranted.

The committee opened and closed the required public hearing with no commenters and approved two motions by voice vote: one to set the 45¢ tax rate for tax years 2025 and 2026 and another to adopt the district’s $8,703,675 budget for the biennium.

Committee members discussed vacancy levels and agreed to monitor recruitment; no change to the rate was made at this meeting.