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Special District White Paper — Draft for Internal Review <br /> boundary commission in the state is the Lane County Local Government Boundary <br /> Commission. <br /> The Lane County Local Government Boundary Commission is a State agency created under <br /> ORS Chapter 199 that has jurisdiction over local government boundary changes for many <br /> special districts as well as cities. The Governor appoints commission members. The Boundary <br /> Commission and Lane Council of Governments have an intergovernmental arrangement that <br /> provides operating services, including staffing, to the Commission. <br /> The Commission is generally charged with following legislative policy, stated in ORS 199.410. <br /> This includes the following: <br /> "Urban population densities and intensive development require a broad spectrum and <br /> high level of community services and controls. When areas become urbanized and <br /> require the full range of community services, priorities are required regarding the type <br /> and levels of services that the residents need and desire. Community service priorities <br /> need to be established by weighing the total service needs against the total financial <br /> resources avai bte securing services Those service - priorities are - required to reflect <br /> local circumst noes, conditions and limited financial resources. A single governmental <br /> agency rather he everal governmental agencies is in able to <br /> assess the fin nciiI resources -and therefore is`;the best-mechanism for establishing <br /> community se ice priorities." <br /> These policies encour gingeffiient delivery of services under city governments, but they do not <br /> prohibit the use of sp cial districtsr The Ipcat cor>?ipreer plan is the tool that is used to fit <br /> legislative policy to local neeS. The - Eugene =Springfi'elrt'Metropolitan Area General Plan (Metro <br /> Plan) was adopted under these State policies. <br /> However, at the time these policies were developed, voters of a city could decide to tax <br /> themselves to fund desired services, to be provided by a genera - purpose city government. This <br /> fundamentally changed with adoption of Ballot Measures 5 and 50. <br /> The Metro Plan may now act as an obstacle to delivery of desired urban -level services which <br /> cannot be afforded by a city, but which may be funded by a special district with its own revenue <br /> sources. This Metropolitan Plan will have to be carefully reviewed and probably amended if the <br /> special district alternative for delivery of urban services is to be available. The adopted policies <br /> of the Boundary Commission will also probably need to be revised if a special district alternative <br /> for service delivery is to be possible <br /> At this time, several existing special districts now provide park and recreation, fire and <br /> wastewater services to various part of the Eugene - Springfield metropolitan area. Port and <br /> library districts also serve various areas within Lane County. If the special district alternative for <br /> provision of urban services were to be implemented, one or more of these existing districts <br /> might expand their services through annexation of territory, or a new district might be formed. <br /> If a proposed new district is a park and recreation district, county service district, rural fire <br /> protection district or library district, among the districts discussed in this paper, it will require <br /> Lane Boundary Commission approval. A county road district or port district would require <br /> approval by the Lane County Board of Commissioners. To win approval in either case the <br /> proposal must be consistent with the acknowledged comprehensive plan. Since the current <br /> Draft #5 Page 5 10/24/01 <br />