Without the levy, Baker City faces a $1 million budget shortfall and will be unable to support the current number of Police and Fire personnel. Both departments are close to filling all vacant staff positions and will soon be able to support better response times and return to 24/7 policing. Allowing this shortfall to continue will require cutting critical Fire and Police positions which will delay response times and significantly stress the remaining personnel. If Baker City Police Department staffing falls below 15 sworn officers, the PD will have to alter how it responds and provides police services.
The cost of this levy on a typical Baker City home would be $17.25 per month (with an assessed, not market, value of $150,000). Levy revenue will be split between the Police Department and the Fire Department. The funds will be used for Police and Fire wages and to replace aging equipment.
Estimated revenue will be $858,475 in 2024-25, $884,229 in 2025-2026, $910,756 in 2026-2027, $938,078 in 2027-2028, and $966,220 in 2028-2029. The total amount raised by this measure is estimated as $4,557,758.