The latest returns for the May 21 primary election show Wilsonville voters approving an advisory ballot measure on the creation of a new urban renewal district by the narrowest of margins: four votes.
As of Thursday afternoon, the voting for Measure 3-605 was essentially 50-50, with 2,195 in favor and 2,191 opposed.
The May 21 ballot measure is an advisory vote on whether Wilsonville should utilize an urban renewal district to help fund the Town Center Plan, which envisions more housing, shopping, pedestrian walkways and green spaces for the Town Center. Projects like the I-5 Pedestrian Bridge and construction of new roads are included in the plan.
While the Wilsonville City Council is not tied to the results of an advisory vote, the city has previously used this method to gauge community opinion on urban renewal and has never proceeded against the vote.
Also known as tax increment financing, urban renewal allows taxes from increased property value to be reinvested towards public improvement projects. During a set period of time, the district’s tax base is “frozen” and any growth from increased property values is directed back into the district instead of overlapping taxing agencies like the West Linn-Wilsonville School District and Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue.
School districts are not directly impacted by urban renewal because they are funded on a per-student basis from the state.
The money the other jurisdictions receive is static until the urban renewal district ends, but in the past Wilsonville has shared funds with the other tax districts before the urban renewal district closed once the revenue exceeded a cap. This is known as “revenue sharing.”
Past examples of Wilsonville urban renewal districts are the Year 2000 Plan and the Westside Plan. Both involved revenue sharing before the end of the district.
An information sheet from the city said the Year 2000 Plan included parts of Old Town and the east side of town, and increased the assessed value of the area by 1,165% over 33 years. It helped fund projects like the Wilsonville High School gymnasium and improvements to Town Center Park before closing in 2023.
The Westside Plan allowed for the Villebois neighborhood to be built, increasing the assessed value of the area from $6.7 million in 2003 to $800 million in 2023. It will close this year.
This is Oregon’s second election affected by the new postmark rule. Ballots dropped off by 8 p.m. Tuesday or postmarked by then will count. In 2022, county election offices received a large amount of ballots at the last minute, delaying the final results in some races.
On Wednesday morning, with the results for all three of Wilsonville's ballot measures too close to call, Mayor Julie Fitzgerald said she was waiting for the final tally "probably like everyone else."
"Once again, we're seeing how every vote matters," Fitzgerald said. "And it's really important that every vote is heard as we move forward and look to the future."
Fitzgerald, who supports the ballot measure, noted past and current city improvement projects that were funded with urban renewal such as buried power lines and the Boeckman Creek bridge, which she called a "critical safety feature."
She said Wilsonville has "strategically" used urban renewal funds in the past, and is "very optimistic about how strategic we can be, if measure 3-605 passes, for the future of our city."
This story will be updated.
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