Why Special Districts?

Exactly, what is so special about special districts is their ability to provide a focused service with stable funding? When people want new services or a higher level of an existing service, they can form a district to fund them.

For example, according to the website All Things Political, Oregon has 75 special districts that provide everything from irrigation to cemetery services. The most common service funded is fire protection with 19 fire protection districts. Second is parks and recreation with 10 districts, counting the North Clackamas Parks and Recreation District, which isn’t listed on the website. Central Oregon has three parks and recreation districts, Eugene/Springfield has two and the Portland metro area has just two — North Clackamas, covering Milwaukie and a large portion of unincorporated Clackamas County, and Tualatin Hills Parks and Recreation District in Beaverton. Others are in Hood River, Newberg and Waldport.

Sample of a defined geographic area that could be suitable for a special use district dedicated to providing parks, recreation and community services to East Multnomah County.

Sample of a defined geographic area that could be suitable for a special use district dedicated to providing parks, recreation and community services to East Multnomah County.

In Oregon, special districts are called local service districts and are defined under ORS 174.116. A separate chapter,  Chapter 266, is dedicated to parks and recreation districts.

Special districts have a well-defined geographical area where the focused service is delivered. Such districts localize costs and services by allowing citizens to get the service they want at a price they are willing to pay. By pooling resources, different entities that provide a similar service on their own can join forces to deliver the same service – or an even better service – for less cost. For example, the citizens of Gresham could create a parks district for the city or partner with neighboring cities such as Wood Village, Fairview and Wood Village to provide parks and recreation services to East Multnomah County as a region.

To fund the service or services those within a special district want, the district can impose debt, taxes, levy assessments or charge fees for their services. They can enter into contracts and employ workers.

And they accomplish a lot. They can build public facilities, whether it’s a sewage plant or a community center, and they can provide in-demand services, ranging from recreation programs to mosquito control.

This softball field is one of four fields in play during a tournament at a sports complex in the North Clackamas Parks and Recreation District. The multi-day event drew participants from across the Portland-metro area, who frequented nearby restaurants between games.

This softball field is one of four fields in play during a tournament at a sports complex in the North Clackamas Parks and Recreation District. The multi-day event drew participants from across the Portland-metro area, who frequented nearby restaurants between games.

Because special districts are autonomous entities, they are accountable only to the voters and landowners they serve within the district. However, states do oversee special districts to make sure they follow state laws related to public meetings, bonded debt and elections. But exactly how a district is funded is up to the citizens within its boundaries.

Before a special district can be formed, a feasibility study is needed to determine the district’s viability. Everything from financial implications to community support could be determined in such a study.

In 2010, the city of Gresham contracted with The Trust for Public Land to conduct a parks feasibility study of ways to fund the city’s parks services, and recommended polling residents on four methods, including a park district. In the end, the study recommended that Gresham “organize an intensive public education and awareness campaign within the city to raise support for the concept of a park and recreation district that would potentially include the other cities within East County. … the concept of a park and recreation district garnered more support than the others, and it is our recommendation that the City focus on educating voters on the details and merits of a park and recreation district.”

In addition, the study “recommends that the City continue -- and increase -- work with leaders in Troutdale, Fairview, and Wood Village to coordinate efforts on public education and awareness of the needs and the ability of a park and recreation district to begin to satisfy those needs.”

After the Gresham Neighborhood Association Coalition voted to ask the city council to initiate a feasibility study, Gresham city councilors approved moving ahead with study but have yet to do so. Such a study could be funded with lottery dollars through the State Parks and Recreation Department. A municipal government — like Gresham, Troutdale, Fairview or Wood Village — just has to apply for a grant to cover it.

If a parks and recreation district is created for East Multnomah County, how it is funded would be up to the citizens who create it. 

Likely funding mechanisms include property taxes, a specific tax on residential and/or commercial units, a local option levy, or a general obligation bond for land acquisitions or capital projects, but not for operation and maintenance purposes. Medford uses a utility fee on rate-payers utility bills for parks, open space and maintenance.

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