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Other Fund Highlights <br />~~ <br />Overview <br />The Youth and School Services Fund provides support for program activities that <br />enhance the lives of children that live in Eugene or attend school in the Bethel and 4J <br />school districts. The primary funding source is a four-year local option property tax levy <br />approved by Eugene voters in November 2002. Ninety-three percent of the revenues <br />received from the levy are passed on to the 4J and Bethel school districts for non-core <br />education youth programs. In FY06, the levy is providing about $6.2 million for school- <br />based activities and services, and $560,000 for city-based programs. FY07 marks the <br />final year of the current levy. Since FY04, the levy has supported: <br />• Music specialists in elementary schools <br />• Counselors in both middle schools and high schools <br />• High school. extracurricular activities, such as sports programs <br />• Summer Fun for All, a community wide program that provides free and low cost <br />recreation opportunities for youth ages 7-17 in parks and playgrounds. <br />• Summer youth aquatic programs <br />• After-school Recreation programs for youth at nine middle schools <br />• Grant support of Boys & Girls Club of Emerald Valley, Kidsports, and Oregon <br />Festival of American Music <br />The fund also receives delinquent tax revenues from the expired Partnership for Youth <br />Levy, the Project Rising Expectations grant which focuses resources on the lifelong <br />development of physical activity and healthy lifestyles for middle school youth, and the <br />21St Century grant, which funds city programs focused on academic enrichment, family <br />educational development, and recreation at three economically disadvantaged elementary <br />schools in Eugene. In FY07, these additional revenues total approximately $640,000. <br />Issues <br />In February 2006, the Oregon Tax Court handed down a decision in the Urhausen v. City <br />of Eugene case agreeing with the petitioners that Measure 5 requires the portion of the <br />levy passed through to the 4J and Bethel school districts to be counted as part of the <br />schools' $5 per $1000 of assessed value constitutional tax limit, rather than the general <br />governments' $10 per $1000 of assessed value tax limit. The city and the school districts <br />intend to appeal this decision, so there is uncertainty as to how this ruling will ultimately <br />impact the assessment. of the levy and the related distribution of revenues in FY07. <br />The Council plans to discuss options for renewing the youth services levy at a work <br />session tentatively scheduled for June 14, 2006. <br />45 <br />