Springfield Chamber Endorses Ballot Measure 20-327
The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce supports renewal of the local option levy for Springfield jail and police services and encourages constituents vote “Yes” on Ballot Measure 20-327 in November.
Ballot Measure 20-327 proposes renewal of a five-year levy of $1.40 per $1,000 assessed value beginning in July 2023, replacing the current levy at the same rate which is set to expire in June of 2023. The levy proposes a continuation of an existing source of critical public safety funding and does not pose a rate increase, nor present a new tax on property owners.
The community’s investment in public safety, personnel, and infrastructure through this levy has produced results worthy of continuation:
- Since the jail opened, the number of property crimes in Springfield has decreased 52%.
- “Failure to appear” instances in municipal court have dropped from 61% (2009) to 44%.
- the number of cases settled within 90 days has jumped to 85% demonstrating improved efficiency in the municipal court process.
Ballot Measure 20-327 will provide funding for:
- Police Services: approximately 40 positions, including uniformed officers, community service officers, detention officers, dispatch, call takers, police record clerks, and court clerks; The levy allows for faster response times for both emergency and non-emergency calls for services, increasing the number and types of calls officers respond to, and increasing the number of patrol officers on duty each shift; it will also fund efforts to focus on community engagement and specific neighborhood patrols,
- Springfield Municipal Jail: 100% of jail operations providing safe, secure detention, and required medical and mental health services of pre-sentenced and sentenced adults in custody of misdemeanor crimes.
- Springfield Municipal Court: 38% of the municipal court’s operations, including two court clerks.
While we cannot expect all business and community public safety concerns be resolved solely through a tax, we have benefited from the results and have confidence in Springfield Police Department and Municipal Court leadership to steward our investments wisely in serving public safety needs of all who choose to call Springfield home.
We invite our community of businesses and families to vote “Yes” on Ballot Measure 20-327 on November 8th.
Vonnie Mikkelsen, President and CEO, Springfield (OR) Area Chamber of Commerce
