By Alex Baumhardt, Oregon Capital Chronicle

SALEM, Ore. -- Oregonians on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved new or renewed taxes to fund rural firefighting departments and school districts.

Funding for local fire districts were on ballots in one quarter of Oregon’s 36 counties, and just three of 16 proposals failed. Among nine school districts that asked local taxpayers to approve a bond or levy — essentially taking out a loan to pay for services and infrastructure — just one school district, in Harney County, failed to get approval.

These were among more than 80 local ballot measures Oregonians in 27 counties were asked to vote on in the midterm election. Others that passed include bans on marijuana or psilocybin processing and sales, as well as a 1-cent gas tax in the town of Rufus, population roughly 250.

Two county proposals to increase taxes on hotels and Airbnbs had mixed results, with one passing and the other — which would have raised up to $300,000 per year for Columbia County services — failing.

Environmental groups in Eugene who backed a tax on large retailers to create a clean energy fund similar to Portland’s celebrated voters’ passage of the proposal this week. The proposed 2% tax on gross profits from companies like Amazon and Walmart that earn more than $1 billion in profits annually nationwide, and over $500,000 in profits within Eugene, will fund renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in the city. Supporters expect it could raise up to $15 million a year.

“Eugenians raised their voices loud and clear because they know we can’t count on the state or federal government to deliver cleaner, local and more affordable energy,” said Britney VanCitters, political and organizing director at the Oregon League of Conservation Voters, in a statement. “Establishing the Eugene Clean Energy Fund means we are ready to take action at the local level, an example we hope other cities will follow.”

Fire

Following a record wildfire season, voters in nine counties were asked to send more operating or infrastructure money to local fire districts. Of 16 proposals across those counties, 13 passed while three failed.

Property taxes fund the bulk of local fire departments and fire districts, but Measures 5 and 50 that passed in the 1990s essentially limited the growth of those taxes across the state by basing property values on a rate-limited assessment rather than market worth. Other property tax suppressants, such as urban renewal districts and enterprise zones meant to incentivize development and job growth with low to no property taxes for a number of years, also siphon dollars from fire departments.

In Benton County, Albany and Adair rural fire protection districts passed bonds and operating levies worth nearly $3 million. Voters in Marion and Clackamas County approved merging the Monitor and Mt. Angel fire districts and approved funding the new district with a permanent property tax levy of $1.97 per $1,000 of assessed value. In Marion County, the Gates and Stayton fire districts also passed levies to provide $300,000 and $7.7 million in operations funding over the next four and five years, respectively.

But in Troutdale, voters shot down a proposal to send nearly $19 million over five years to the city’s police, fire and 911 operations. And in Pendleton voters for the second time this year rejected a tax levy to fund fire and ambulance operations.

The levy, also proposed during the May primary, would have raised about $1.6 million annually to help pay for six firefighters, a mechanic able to work on emergency vehicles, a fire prevention inspector, data analyst and grant writer.

Department officials said in the ballot proposal language that they have experienced a “64% surge in call volume with no corresponding increase in responding resources, amid rising operational demands, including higher costs for supplies,equipment, fleet maintenance, insurance, health care, and other services.”