Keizer’s top city executives are recommending that local voters be asked to increase their property taxes to keep the Keizer Police Department fully staffed. The recommendation comes at the end of a 68-page city report about the police agency. It is supported by City Manager Adam Brown and Assi stant City Manager Tim Wood. If approved by the Keizer City Council, the recommendation would be to put a measure on the November 2026 ballot. The measure would propose increasing city property taxes for five years, increasing the city’s current tax rate by more than 50% to raise approximately $4 million for police operations. The recommendation was scheduled to be reviewed by the city Police Fee Task Force on Wednesday, Jan. 28, with results too late for press time. “I am not yet convinced that a levy is the best solution,” Police Chief Andrew Copeland told Keizertimes in an email Monday. “My primary concern with a levy relates to recruitment and retention,” the chief said. “The profession is already facing significant challenges in attracting qualified candidates, and relying on a funding mechanism that requires voter approval every five years could make it especially difficult to recruit experienced lateral officers.” City officials also have been considering increasing the police fee now charged monthly on local homeowners and businesses. PUBLIC MEETING Keizer Police Fee Task Force 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28 City council chambers At stake is maintaining a police agency that has only recently returned to full staffing. That occurs as the city of Keizer next year faces costs outrunning revenue by more than $2 million. Copeland prepared the policing report that urged the action. “We are not requesting additional officers or support staff,” Copeland wrote. “We are asking the city council to fund the PD so we can maintain current staffing levels.” The report noted the challenge of a new tax levy. “This is difficult because it would have to be renewed every five years, but we believe the community will support their law enforcement,” the report said. The report steps back from an earlier version that proposed adding patrol officers, detectives and more support staff. Copeland said that the agency’s more recent research demonstrated a need for two more patrol officers, one more detective and one more support person. Money to run the police agency as it operates now could only come from increasing the police fee or property taxes. To rely on fees, the city would have to more than double the current monthly charge of $6.90 imposed on homes and businesses to $18.33 a month. The fee now generates about $1.2 million a year. An increased fee would bring in $3.8 million by the 2027-28 budget year. To rely on property taxes, the city would add a rate of $1.18 per $1,000 of assessed value, possible only with voter approval. That new tax would raise $4.3 million per year in the 2027-28 budget year. The city currently taxes property at $2.08 per $1,000 in assessed value.. When other taxing entities such as the Keizer Fire District and the Salem-Keizer School District are added in, the current total tax rate is $16.90 per $1,000 in property value for those in the Keizer fire system and $17.33 for those in Marion County Fire District 1 If the new levy were added in, a home with an average Keizer assessed value of $303,000 would see its city taxes go from $630 a year to $987. That’s an increase of about $30 a month. Assessed value generally is considerably below the actual market value of a property. City officials said they would end the current police fee if voters approved a levy. The staffing report examines in detail reported crimes in Keizer and compares the rates to other communities. The report also explains in detail each function of the Keizer Police Department. “Our goal is not to be the largest agency, but to be the right agency for the community, one that remains a full-service police department responsive to the concerns that matter most to the people of Keizer,” Copeland said in his message opening the report.  “The critical question before us is how this community expects us to show up,” he said. “Staffing and funding decisions directly shape the level of service we can provide, the visibility of officers, the speed of response, the ability to proactively address problems, and the depth of engagement our community has come to expect.” PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Task force dives into Keizer crime trends, police staffing Keizer crime diminishes as police target trouble spots This article was originally published in the Keizertimes, which shares ownership with Salem Reporter. Contact Keizertimes at [email protected]. News tip? Email [email protected] NEWS DELIVERED TO YOU: Subscribe to Salem Reporter and get all the fact-based Salem news that matters to you. Fair, accurate, trusted – SUBSCRIBE The post Keizer leaders eye property tax hike to fund police staffing appeared first on Salem Reporter. ...read more read less