Friday, May 13, 2022 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com • A3
Gearhart budget: City awaits results of bond vote
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Seaside School District
Panoramic view from the high school and middle school
campus.
Schools: General fund
exceeds $25 million
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values of equitable, safe
learning environments, an
engaging
well-rounded
education, and a focus on
collective wellness and
community partnerships,”
Penrod said.
Financial stability has
allowed the district to add
fi eld trip funding, a porta-
ble stage for performing
arts and additional science,
technology, engineering,
arts and a mathematics
position at the elementary
school, she said. “These
additions are directly tied
to our strategic plan to off er
real world experiences for
our students as they pursue
excellence as passionate,
lifelong learners.”
The general fund is the
district’s primary operating
fund and accounts for all
revenues and expenditures,
except those required to be
accounted for in another
fund. Expenditure catego-
ries include salaries, asso-
ciated payroll costs, pur-
chased services, supplies
and materials, capital outlay
and other general expenses.
The budget shows a gen-
eral fund of $25.2 million,
slightly higher than last
year’s $24.5 million general
fund resources. The largest
portion of the general fund
is salaries, at $11.76 mil-
lion, up from last year’s
$10.9 million. Staff sala-
ries and associated pay-
roll costs of $18.25 million
are slightly higher than last
year’s $18.06 million. Sala-
ries and payroll costs make
up 73% of expenditures.
The total staff salaries
and associated payroll costs
are $22.4 million across all
funds for 2022-23.
Total debt service is
$6.87 million, including
$5.3 million for principal
and interest 2017 general
obligation bond to build
the new campus, part of the
campus $99.7 million con-
struction project passed by
voters to relocate schools
in the southeast hills. The
remaining portion includes
$568,000 on the full faith
credit obligation bond in
2020 designed to meet
additional
construction
costs and $996,000 in prin-
cipal and interest payments
for the public employees
retirement system unfunded
actuarial liability debt
service.
The district participated
in the Oregon School Board
Association Pension bond
pool for the purpose of
funding the district’s allo-
cated portion of the sys-
tem’s unfunded actuarial
liability, business manager
Toni Vandershule said.
Of school district reve-
nue, $16.7 million is raised
from taxes, with additional
funds from the county, state
and federal sources, along
with state managed county
timber.
COVID relief funds are
expected to end the year
after this proposed budget.
The textbook curriculum
budget designates more
than $700,000 between all
schools.
The board of directors
did not ask for any revisions
in the fi rst budget meeting,
Vandershule said.
The district meets on
Tuesday as the target date
for the budget committee’s
approval of the budget. At
the June meeting, the board
is expected to adopt the
budget, to make the appro-
priations and to declare the
tax levy.
Board chairman Brian
Taylor said he was happy
with the budget. “I feel we
have allocated money to
best serve the needs of our
students,” he said.
The proposed budget
presents a fi nancial oper-
ations plan that strives to
maintain or improve current
service levels, Hill wrote in
her budget message. “It is
a fi nancial pathway to sup-
porting our community
because the City Council,
staff and residents are pas-
sionate about preserving the
integrity of Gearhart.”
The city will see signif-
icant reductions in build-
ing inspector and plumb-
ing inspector fees. The city
is anticipating a decrease
in permits due to decreased
property inventory and
increased costs of construc-
tion materials. In 2021-22,
the city budgeted $211,000
for the building inspector,
reduced to $130,000 in the
new budget. The plumbing
inspector budget went from
$15,000 to $10,000.
The water budget features
$1.38 million in operating
expenses, about $30,000
more than the 2021-22 level.
Police
expenditures
for 2022-23 are about
$550,000, up from $517,000
in 2021-22, attributable
to increases in the public
employee retirement sys-
tem from $38,000 to more
than $51,000, and jumps in
health, life and disability
insurance from $70,000 to
$85,000.
Fire department costs
jumped from $628,000
in 2021-22 to almost
$747,000 in 2022-23. The
fi re department’s person-
nel costs jumped from
$321,557 in 2021-22 to
almost $440,000 in the
upcoming budget, coming
with increases to health,
retirement costs and life
and disability insurance.
Another increase in per-
sonnel services is the mobi-
lization of fi refi ghters for
in-state and out-of-state
wildland fi re support, Hill
said. It is hard to gauge
depending upon the type of
fi re season.
The city has budgeted
$184,500 from mobiliza-
tion as Gearhart fi refi ghters
respond to in-state and out-
of-state wildfi res. This year
the city has received more
than $100,000 in revenue
from Gearhart’s participa-
tion. During the burn sea-
son of 2020-2021, the city
received almost $200,000 to
Fire, police station bond to be
decided; ballots due Tuesday
Seaside Signal
On Tuesday when
the polls close at 8 p.m.,
Gearhart voters will see
the results of Measure
4-213 to fund a new fi re
and police station.
The measure would
authorize $14.5 million in
bond fi nancing for a fi re
and police station on 2
acres off Highlands Lane
along U.S. Highway 101.
The new station would
replace the aging fi re-
house on Pacifi c Way.
The city must receive
approval from the state
Department of Land Con-
servation and Develop-
ment to bring the land
into the city’s urban
growth boundary. As part
off set their eff orts.
The fi re department has
budgeted $20,000 for the
student intern program, up
from last year’s $9,500. Fire
department overtime pay is
budgeted at $25,000, about a
quarter more than last year’s
fi gure of $18,000.
The budget shows a
newly created full-time
administrative
assistant
which provides support to
the building, municipal court
and planning departments.
Costs for consultants,
including the planning con-
sultant, at $75,000 annually,
and city attorney, $37,500
remain steady with last
year’s rate. The city admin-
istrator will receive just over
$99,000, about a 5% increase
from last year. Raises for
other city employees show
similar increases.
A beginning fund bal-
ance of almost $564,000
and property tax collections
of $631,000 make up the
largest portion of the city’s
of a land transfer with
the city, developers of
The Cottages at Gearhart
LLC would transfer two
lots for a fi rehouse and
park and benefi t from the
rezoning of a planned res-
idential subdivision at a
higher density.
If the bond measure
is approved, the money
would be used for capi-
tal construction costs to
build, equip and furnish
the
13,000-square-foot
station.
The city estimates the
bonds would cost prop-
erty owners $1.213 per
$1,000 assessed value per
year for up to 20 years. On
a home with an assessed
value of $100,000, the
levy for the fi re and police
station would be $121 a
resources. Building permits
bring in about $207,000,
and the city has budgeted
$103,000 from the Ameri-
can Rescue Plan.
The beginning fund bal-
ances for the general fund,
water operating fund and
Gearhart Road District will
have a portion of the Amer-
ican Rescue Plan included
in them, a result of revenues
received this fi scal year that
will not be spent by June
30. Expenditures represent
the total awarded amount of
more than $360,000.
Although last year the
city received about $7,200
from marijuana tax, the city
budgeted $70,000 in the new
budget. The jump comes as
the local marijuana vendor
was paying the local tax to
the state instead of to Gear-
hart, Hill said.
With tourism returning
after the pandemic, the city
also expects an increase of
transient room tax, from
$380,000 to $450,000.
per year. On a property
with an assessed value
of $388,000, the levy
would be $470 per year;
with an assessed value of
$500,000, slightly more
than $600 per year.
Only voters living
in voting Precinct 116,
which covers the Gearhart
city limits, will fi nd the
measure on their ballots.
Voters outside the city
limits, including those in
the Gearhart urban growth
area, are not eligible to
vote on the measure.
If the measure passes,
taxes to fund the bond
would be assessed only
on property owners within
the Gearhart city limits.
Ballots for the May
17 election must be post-
marked by Election Day.
The Budget Commit-
tee approved $38,300 out of
more than $40,500 in grant
requests. Last year, the city
delivered $35,300 in state
revenue sharing funds to
nonprofi ts.
Helping Hands Reen-
try Outreach Centers, which
addresses homeless issues,
will receive $5,000, as will
the South County Food
Bank. The Clatsop Commu-
nity Action Regional Food
Bank received $3,800, with
local arts and community
organizations receiving the
remainder.
After 3 hours and 15 min-
utes, the budget commit-
tee completed their review
and motioned to approve
the budget, approving the
amended budget for $23.5
million. There was no pub-
lic comment.
A budget hearing at the
regular June 1 City Coun-
cil is scheduled to enact the
budget as approved by the
committee.
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