Eugene is moving forward with a proposed fee to fund fire services, setting the stage for a public hearing in November.
Eugene city councilors shared mixed opinions on the fee but agreed that the proposal merited a public hearing and feedback, voting Wednesday to move ahead and schedule the hearing.
“I’m not 100% sure exactly where this is going, but I do know I’m ready to take the next step: to put this out into the community and see what folks bring to us and what additional information we can get,” Councilor Jennifer Yeh said. “I hope that folks will come out and give us their feedback so we can make this hard decision all together.”
Based on the council’s current tentative agenda and City Manager Sarah Medary’s stated desire to hold the public hearing in November, the city will most likely hold the hearing the evening of Monday, Nov. 18.
Senior city staff presented the mayor and City Council details of the proposal earlier this month. It seeks to charge property owners a fee for fire service to close a “structural gap” in the city’s funding, beginning at the start of the city’s next fiscal year in July 2025.