Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Central SD 13J board adopts enterprise‑zone resolution tied to 15% school support fee
Loading...
Summary
The Central School District 13J board voted 4–0 to adopt a resolution allowing the district to enter an agreement with an enterprise‑zone sponsor under Oregon House Bill 2009; the measure sets a recommended 15% school support fee on the fourth and fifth year of a potential five‑year property tax abatement and directs district staff to sign the sponsor agreement.
The Central School District 13J board voted to adopt an enterprise‑zone resolution that allows the district to enter an agreement with a local enterprise‑zone sponsor and set a school support fee on multi‑year property tax abatements.
The resolution implements provisions from 2023’s House Bill 2009 governing Oregon’s enterprise‑zone program, which provides 3‑ or 5‑year property‑tax abatements on incremental plant and equipment value for qualifying businesses. Superintendent (unnamed) told the board the district has been coordinating with the City of Independence (and Polk County) and SEDCOR, the zone manager, to prepare a local sponsor agreement and a school support fee calculation.
Alex Padasquivas, representing SEDCOR (Strategic Economic Development Corporation), explained the program mechanics: abatements apply to the additional taxable value created by new investments, not the company’s baseline tax, and the 5‑year abatement requires negotiated local terms and job‑creation commitments. Padasquivas said the negotiated fee he and the city recommended for the district is 15% of the abated taxes in the fourth and fifth years of a five‑year abatement.
A board member moved to adopt the enterprise‑zone resolution “as presented.” The chair called for the vote and announced the motion passed 4–0. Following the vote, staff said the district will finalize the sponsor agreement and sign it as required by statute.
Why it matters: enterprise zones are a tool to attract industrial investment by lowering local property taxes on new plant and equipment in exchange for job creation. For the district the primary fiscal effect is the school support fee: it recovers a portion of the revenue the district would otherwise forego in later years of a multi‑year abatement. The board’s action establishes the district’s agreed‑upon local terms so the city and SEDCOR can move forward with prospective negotiations with an interested company.
Next steps: district staff will execute the local sponsor agreement with the City of Independence and SEDCOR and will return with any negotiated fourth‑and‑fifth‑year agreements tied to specific employers, as required by the enterprise‑zone process.
