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Special District White Paper <br /> • Law enforcement services. <br /> • Human services. <br /> • Fire prevention and protection. <br /> • Planning services, including comprehensive planning for land use and public facilities. <br /> The territory of a CSD may include an incorporated city, with consent of the city council, and may <br /> extend countywide. The CSD principal Act links county service districts to implementation of county <br /> comprehensive plans and city master plans. The county board also serves as governing board for a <br /> county service district. The purposes of an existing CSD can be modified to permit additional <br /> activities not originally authorized. <br /> While CSDs are common in Oregon, most have only one primary purpose. In Lane County, the <br /> Lane County Metropolitan Wastewater Service District is such a one - purpose county service <br /> district. A number of Oregon CSDs have been formed to provide transitional urban services to <br /> unincorporated territory within urban growth boundary until city annexation could occur, at which <br /> time the annexed territory is no longer served by the district. In comparison, the North Clackamas <br /> Parks and Recreation District (a county service district) provides services once provided by the City <br /> of Milwaukie, which is now within the CSD boundary. <br /> Port District <br /> A port district (ORS 777.005 to 777.725) is considered a multiple - purpose district even though it has <br /> the primary purpose of encouraging and facilitating economic development and commercial activity. <br /> To accomplish this general, primary purpose, ports are granted broad authority related to shipping, <br /> aviation, economic development and commerce, and can include either all the land in one county or <br /> a subarea of the county based on a natural watershed. Port districts can own land, provide port <br /> facilities and navigation, own convention centers, industrial and research and development parks, <br /> provide for energy generation and power transmission. The Governor first appoints a board of five <br /> port commissioners. Thereafter, voters in the district elect the port's board of commissioners. In <br /> Lane County, the Siuslaw Port District currently serves the area of the Siuslaw River basin in <br /> westem Lane County. <br /> FINANCIAL CAPABILITIES OF DISTRICTS <br /> Special districts are typically permitted by their principal Act to levy property taxes, with voter <br /> approval, to fund its operations and services. In addition, a district's principal Act may permit user <br /> fees, assessments on benefited property, revenue bonds and, with the voter approval, local option <br /> levies and general obligation debt. All special districts are subject to several limitations on their tax <br /> rates and on the amount of revenue they may raise. These are listed briefly below and then are <br /> more fully discussed in the following pages. <br /> Limitations on District Property Taxes <br /> Altogether, seven interacting constitutional, statutory, practical or political limitations determine tax <br /> rates and the maximum amount of property taxes that may be levied and collected by a local <br /> govemment including a special district. <br /> c <br /> Special Districts Paper - Final 11- 8- 01.doc Page 11 of 41 <br /> City Council Agenda page 35 <br />