Children's Special Districts Bill Passes Senate; House To Vote Next

SALEM, OR — A Bill to give Oregon communities the option of establishing special tax districts to fund children's services passed the Senate floor Monday and is heading to the House for consideration.

Approved with an 18-10 vote, Senate Bill 123 stands to add to the state's list of special district options, which already includes special funding streams created for parks and recreation, roads, soil and water conservation, and libraries, to name just a few of the 28 different special districts in the state — none of which are focused exclusively on children and youth, according to a statement from state officials.

Some of the services such a district could offer include mentoring, substance abuse prevention, and supplemental nutrition, officials said.

"This bill gives communities the opportunity to decide for themselves whether they want to establish a special district to help support their children's development," said Sen. Chuck Riley (D-Hillsboro), who introduced and carried the bill. "We have special districts to protect waterand numerous other resources. Our children are our greatest resource and our communities around the state should have the opportunity to create support systems to help their childrenhave a brighter future."

According to officials, the bill itself wouldn't establish any special districts but would instead give local governments the ability to create petitions that would need to be signed by a specific number of the eligible voters in a given area to establish the district — either 15 percent or 100 eligible voters, whichever is greater. An election would officially create the district, which could then lobby at the state level for grants, loans, and levies.

Ultimately intended to provide health and wellness services for kids and teens under 18 years old, the district itself can be as large or as small as the voting electorate chooses — encompassing anything from a neighborhood to a county, officials said. The Bill would also allow for multiple agencies to come together to create a more wide-reaching district.

"I am proud to be moving this bill forward, as it's something that I've been working hard on for a very long time," Riley said in a statement. "This gives communities one more option for working for the wellbeing of their children. It's a new tool to provide sustainable local funding for services to children from birth through 18 years old, outside of school time. It also will provide much-needed stability for organizations delivering these services. It's a great opportunity for communities to identify gaps that might exist or barriers that are challenging their youth, and to take positive steps to address them. It's good for communities and great for kids."

The House is scheduled to conduct its first reading of the Bill on May 23.

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