The Budget Gap: What We've Done So Far

We haven't sat idly by watching the budget gap approaching. The City of Corvallis has taken steps to plan for and invest in core community services over the last 10 years.

• $1.2 million in budget cuts ... in 2016 - The City took action early on by cutting $1.2 million from the annual budget in 2016, a full decade before the extent of our current budget gap was clear. This early action paved the way for other decisions over the last 10 years that identified new revenue to support community services.
   
• 5-year local operating levy - In 2019, the City proposed a new five-year, voter approved local operating levy to support livability services at the Library and Parks & Recreation. The levy was renewed (at the same rate) in 2023 and generates about $7 million annually to support livability services.
   
• 911 service district - The City of Corvallis partnered with Benton County to create a new service district in our area specifically to support 911 dispatch services. This created a new funding stream for this vital public safety service.
   
• City service fees - The City of Corvallis assesses fees for monthly billing customers. These fees are tied directly to specific community services, such as sidewalk maintenance, urban forestry and public transit. Starting in 2019, the City Council added new fees to support public safety services from the Police and Fire departments. These fees have helped to offset the reduction in property tax funding for these vital community services. 
   
• City facility planning – City facilities represent critical infrastructure used to deliver services to the public. For decades, the City chose to invest in community services at the expense of maintaining its existing facilities. Starting in 2021, the City began a planning process to understand those needs and plan for improvements. Since then, we’ve rebuilt two fire stations, started construction on a new park maintenance facility, and developed plans for a new civic campus and police station. Additional facility improvements are planned for the future — this is an investment timeline that extends out many years into the future. 

Each of these revenue measures was developed through an extensive data-driven process with public engagement. 

Together, these revenue measures helped delay the full impact of our budget gap. But they didn't solve the structural funding problem from the 1990s.

Go back: The Budget Gap: 2027 and Beyond