It's the start of a new fiscal year at Metro, the books turning over last weekend.
What does it all mean? And where does the money go? Here's a look.
One important caveat – a report with the exact details on some of the numbers in this story is still being finalized, and some of these numbers are based on a draft budget released in late April. The line-itemed adopted 2012-13 budget will be available in a few weeks.
How much money will Metro spend next year?
About $316.7 million, up quite a bit from last year. The $43 million increase from last year's budget comes mostly from recent bond sales for capital projects, like the elephant habitat at the zoo and acquisition of more natural areas.
And what will it go towards?
Yet again, the big-ticket items are the convention and performance venues and the region's solid waste system. The Metro Exposition and Recreation Commission fund includes $45 million in budgeted expenses for the Oregon Convention Center, the Expo Center, the Portland Center for the Performing Arts and other venues. Metro also has $58.2 million budgeted for garbage, recycling and compost management in the Portland region.
It costs $30.8 million to run the Oregon Zoo, $14.5 million for Metro's planning department and $6.7 million to run Metro's parks, cemeteries and buildings.
What are some of the other expenditures in the budget?
Metro has a few upgrades in the pipeline for the coming fiscal year; perhaps the most notable is the $15.4 million budgeted for the elephant habitat at the Oregon Zoo, part of $21 million in upgrades budgeted there for the coming fiscal year.
The budget earmarks $1.1 million for improvements at the Oregon Convention Center, including new security cameras and lighting. It also calls for $331,000 in improvements at the Glendoveer Golf Course in East Portland and $363,000 in work at Oxbow Regional Park.
Where does that money come from?
Property taxes are the easiest to account for – about $51 million of Metro's revenue for the coming fiscal year. Another $17.4 million stems from taxes on trash, parking at Metro-owned facilities and other excise taxes.
The budget is also funded by charges for users of the trash system, convention center and other Metro-run enterprises: about $54 million for the trash system and $50 million from the convention center and zoo.
How is this year's budget different from last year's?
First, there's a lot more in bond sales in this year's budget – land purchases for the natural areas program and construction at the Oregon Zoo. That's money voters approved through bond votes in the prior decade.
Aside from those areas, the budget has some hefty cuts in it – a 13 percent drop in the planning department's budget, for example, as part of its reorganization earlier this year. It also calls for a 14 percent drop in the budget for Metro's research department.
How does Metro's budget compare to other governments'?
Metro's overall budget – including contingencies and ending balances – is $535 million. That compares to $678 million for Portland Public Schools, $717 million for Washington County, $444 million for TriMet, $350 million for Hillsboro and $3.5 billion for Portland.
Speaking of other governments, why doesn't Metro seem to have the same budget problems as others?
Metro has a partial spending cap, which was written into its 1992 charter. The charter said Metro could only spend $12.5 million in tax money in 1992, with that number adjusted based on inflation annually after that. The cap is now $20 million.
There are exceptions – Metro can make money off fees, and it can spend more money on voter-approved projects like bonds and levies. But the limit on tax-funded spending has helped the regional government weather the recession relatively well compared to other governments.
Apparently, the spending cap was unrelated to the popular conservative Taxpayer Bill of Rights concept that was germinating in the early 1990s. Still, they're fundamentally similar – a limit on government growth based on inflation.
What does this all mean for my pocketbook?
If you're a homeowner in Metro's service area with an assessed value of $200,000 on your home, your property tax bill will go up from $64 to $82 because of the bond sales. Metro's primary property tax rate is set at 9.66 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.
Because of Metro's bond rating and a favorable bond sale in May, the $82 bill is less than the $102 that was initially proposed in the 2012-13 budget.
You might also see garbage bills go up slightly – between 8 and 27 cents a month, depending on who your garbage hauler is. Some garbage customers won't see their rates rise.
Numbers! More numbers!
If that's your thing, go to town.
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(May 25, 2012)
(April 18, 2012)
(March 21, 2012)
(June 27, 2011)