Gresham-Barlow ratifies 15% school support fee for Gresham enterprise zone
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Summary
The board ratified a 15% school support fee tied to the City of Gresham's enterprise zone under HB 2009, directing the superintendent to negotiate whether the district or city will collect the fee and noting state equalization of lost revenues.
The Gresham-Barlow School District Board on Dec. 4 ratified a resolution setting the City of Gresham enterprise-zone school support fee at 15%, as allowed under House Bill 2009 (2023). The vote followed a second reading and discussion of operational details about fee collection and the potential administrative 1% charge.
Superintendent James Hughes explained that HB 2009 modified the enterprise-zone program to allow school districts to set a school support fee to recoup a portion of abated property tax revenues during years four and five of an enterprise-zone agreement. The recommended rate presented to the board was 15%.
Board members discussed whether the district or the city should collect the fee. If the city collects, the 1% administrative portion can be structured so the districts state school fund is not reduced; if the district collects, staff time and billing capacity could create additional workload for business services. The superintendent said state equalization mechanisms will make the district whole for amounts not collected locally.
Director Blake Peterson moved to ratify the resolution setting the fee at 15%; the board approved the motion by voice vote.
Key details and next steps: the boards vote establishes the districts position on the support-fee rate and directs the superintendent to negotiate an agreement with the city on collection mechanics (whether the city will collect or the district will be the collection agent). Board members asked staff to return with details about potential transactional costs and staffing implications if the district collects the fees.
Quote: "If we don't pass this, they can only offer that for 3 years... Whether we passed it 15 or 30, that doesn't make a cent of difference to our community," Director (speaker 2) said, urging clarity about economic implications.
Ending: The superintendent will negotiate the collection agreement with the City of Gresham and report back to the board on recommended implementation steps and any budgetary impacts.
