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Police and fire costs squeeze Westfir General Fund; Oakridge IGA discussed
Summary
Committee members reviewed a 5% proposed increase for police/fire IGA costs and discussed that Oakridge staff may waive additional incident costs if Westfir accepts an increase; modest Lane County Animal Services funding was cut from the draft budget.
Committee members flagged rising police and fire costs as a key pressure on the General Fund.
Nicole told the Committee the draft budget reflects a 5% increase for police and fire services in the General Fund, but she cautioned the Oakridge City Council had not yet voted on intergovernmental agreements (IGAs). She said the draft contract strengthens a requirement that Westfir pay for incidents taking over 20 hours of police time; Mayor Watson said Oakridge administration appeared willing to waive additional costs for two major incidents in the current fiscal year if Westfir agreed to a 5% increase for 2025–2026.
The Committee also noted a modest IGA funding line for Lane County Animal Services had been cut from the draft. Members asked for clearer cost estimates for the IGAs so the city can weigh tradeoffs between maintaining services and balancing the General Fund.
