Commish Schrader REsponds to Milwaukie Bay park protests
About the ongoing dispute between Clackamas County & Milwaukie over Milwaukie Bay Park improvements
Last Friday (9/27/24), Milwaukians organized a rally/protest over the North Clackamas County Parks and Recreation District (NCPRD) withholding monies for the long sought after improvements at Milwaukie Bay Park, such as amphitheater, rest rooms and other amenities.
Clackamas County's five commissioners control money flows going to NCPRD projects, such as Milwaukie Bay Park.
Clackamas County Commissioner Schrader presents her side of this dispute, for NCPRD's deferring of the necessary funds to complete the Milwaukie Bay Park improvements in this week's Milwaukie Review newspaper online.
Here's some key excerpts from Commissioner Schrader's response to Milwaukie's city leadership and those who demand NCPRD hand over the monies to complete the MIlwaukie Bay improvements:
(1) "Since 2017, NCPRD has contributed more than $1 million for park improvements to Milwaukie Bay Park based on a multi-phased plan adopted in 2010. District staff also led the process of finalizing the park design for Phase III and successfully secured nearly $2.4 million in local, state and federal grants for the project."
(2) "In 2022, NCPRD and Milwaukie hit an impasse. While negotiating a new intergovernmental agreement for the next phase of improvements, we learned the city was exploring a legal option to potentially leave the district. This led to a pause on further work at Milwaukie Bay Park (specifically Phase III) until this issue is resolved. So far, we’ve been unable to make progress on a new agreement, which we need before constructing Phase III."
(3) "The city also reallocated funds dedicated to Milwaukie Bay Park to other city needs. They did not disclose this decision, raising more concerns and questions for NCPRD’s board of directors."
What caught my eye about something I didn't know is the third point just above. Milwaukie's City leaders maybe took monies away from the Milwaukie Bay Park project. If I weren't so busy on my own campaign stuff, I would try and run down Schrader's allegation that Milwaukie city leaders reallocated monies set aside for Milwaukie Bay Park to other purposes.
Is it the case that maybe it is Milwaukie city leadership, and not so much NCPRD, which has caused the delay in the Milwaukie Bay project being funded and constructed already?
(posted by Elvis Clark on October 2, 2024)
Milwaukie Bay park project entangled by lawsuit & costs
Milwaukie group asks Clackamas County to fund the Milwaukie Bay Park project (notice to right)
The proposed Milwaukie Bay Park improvements include tree canopy, amphitheater, play structures, and much more. The Milwaukie Bay Park improvement project has been in the works for several years now, with negotiations for its funding having already been conducted between the City of Milwaukie and the North Clackamas Parks and Recreation District (NCPRD). Clackamas County's Commissioners oversee NCPRD.
The pace of the project slowed during the Covid shutdown years, and the City of Milwaukie got frustrated and asked NCPRD to let the City leave the district, so that Milwaukie would take back the operations of its City Parks from NCPRD. NCPRD refuses to let Milwaukie leave, and Milwaukie countered by suing NCPRD to let it out from a legacy agreement it has with NCPRD to run Milwaukie city parks & their maintenance - with the maintenance funded by a NCPRD property tax that costs Milwaukie homeowners an average of about $135 or so per year (54 cents per thousand dollars in assessed home value).
The Milwaukie Bay Park improvement project is estimated to have a construction cost of over $9 million. The City of Milwaukie has lined up over $2 million in grants from state and regional government jurisdictions. But still, that leaves over $7 million that NCPRD would have to pick up. Here's the cost estimate for the Milwaukie Bay Park Improvements:
parb_june_packet_final.pdf (milwaukieoregon.gov)
NCPRD is in the difficult position presently with regards to the Milwaukie Bay Park project. If the City of Milwaukie splits from NCPRD, the district fears losing $7 million to Milwaukie and its parks - if it agrees, right now, to release these funds to Milwaukie Bay Park project. At the same time, the $2 million plus in grant monies is set to expire if the project does not get underway soon.
Word is NCPRD is waiting for the Oregon Court of Appeals to issue its decision on whether Milwaukie can split from NCPRD, and this court decision may be as many as 6 months or more out from now.
So, the $2 million in grant monies seems like it is going to expire, putting the price tag of the Milwaukie Bay Park improvement project at over $9 million. If Milwaukie were to split from NCPRD and NCPRD refuse to fund Milwaukie Bay Park, the City of Milwaukie would be stuck trying to raise $9 million or more to fund the project.
A property tax bond for Milwaukie Bay Park would cost homeowners in the City of Milwaukie about $60 to $80 per year on average in increased property taxes. But that is not the end of the property tax increases for homeowners regarding Milwaukie's possible split from NCPRD.
No. Maintaining Milwaukie's City Parks might require an additional Milwaukie parks property tax levy in the range of $150 per year on average. These two new possible property tax increases might be palatable for taxpayers if not for the fact that the City of Milwaukie is facing huge General Fund Budget deficits in the next couple of years, and the City is likely to hike Milwaukie homeowner property taxes by $500 or more per year, on average.
So, I think there needs to be some rethinking of the Milwaukie Bay Parks improvement project, maybe breaking the improvements into phases so as to lengthen the time the improvements are constructed, so as to spread out the property tax impacts. Moreover, I wonder if volunteers and organizations like the Friends of Trees might not help do some parts of Milwaukie Bay improvements, such as planting a tree canopy; helping reduce the cost of the park improvements.
(posted by Elvis Clark on September 5, 2024)
